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For some people, it is difficult to practice meditation while suffering from anxiety symptoms. If you have anxiety symptoms, you may find it difficult to sit quietly or listen to guidance, so you may hesitate to try meditation practice.
In fact, meditation has helped many people control their anxiety symptoms. If you're in a state of anxiety right now, now might be the time to see if it works for you too.
What is meditation?
In general, meditation is a technique and practice that focuses your mind on a particular thought, object, or activity. For example, one form of meditation is "focusing on the rhythm of your own breathing."
Meditation also usually involves goals such as "calm down," "increase self-awareness," and "manage your emotions and thoughts."
Is meditation helpful in relieving anxiety symptoms?
There is no doubt that meditation can help relieve anxiety symptoms.
Since 1960, there has been a great deal of scientific research revealing the unique benefits of meditation practice, including the ability to reduce stress and relieve symptoms of anxiety. Although evidence-based support for meditation as a first-line treatment for anxiety disorders is limited, research does suggest that this approach may be effective as a complementary therapy.
A 2020 study showed that people who practiced meditation for a long time changed in areas of their brains that regulate stress and anxiety responses. Specifically, the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus show increased activity. In addition, amygdalas involved in combat, flight, or freeze reactions showed reduced activity. Based on the results and analysis, all of this suggests that meditation improves mood regulation.
But there are also studies that suggest that long-term practice of meditation is not required to experience these brain changes and relieve anxiety. For example, a 2016 study also found that these changes in brain function and structure, which are consistent with improved mood regulation, only appeared after 8 weeks of practice with the meditation-based practice method.
Other systematic reviews of meditation-based practices, such as concentration and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, have also shown that these approaches can reduce symptoms of anxiety.
A 2018 pilot study found that the longer college students aged 19-22 practiced guided meditation, the less stress and anxiety they experienced. However, practicing for 5-12 minutes a day is enough to see results.
Professor Rong Xinqi, an expert in new concept psychology & hypnosis, has found through years of clinical experience and data that hypnotherapy-based meditation practices have been shown to be effective in reducing anxiety, depression and stress.
What is the best way to meditate to relieve anxiety?
There are various ways to do meditation practice to relieve your anxiety. How to choose the best way to meditate depends on your personal preferences and needs.
Here are some easy ways to do anxiety meditation that you can do on your own without any formal training.
1. Mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness meditation is rooted in Buddhist teachings and is one of the most famous and studied forms of meditation.
Mindfulness meditation is designed to help you:
Go with the flow, instead of resisting what's going on inside and outside of you;
Give up the need to evaluate your ideas and environment;
Calm your body and mind.
This approach involves different techniques, which may include: breathing exercises, imaginative exercises, concentration, etc.
Mindfulness meditation has been shown to be effective in reducing the physical and mental symptoms of anxiety, it can help you feel calmer overall, and it can also help you prevent and cope with anxiety disorders.
In fact, some studies have found that independent mindfulness practice may have a positive effect on anxiety and depressive symptoms. To feel its benefits, you can practice this way of meditating for 1 minute or 1 hour.
You can practice this meditation style yourself, or you can also seek the guidance and help of a professional who is good at this style of meditation.
If you want to give it a try, here are some simple steps for mindfulness meditation for anxiety:
Step 1: Find a quiet and comfortable place to sit.
Step 2: Set a timer on your phone if you wish. If you're just starting out, it might only take 5-10 minutes.
Step 3: Close your eyes, take a deep breath and relax your body.
Step 4: Breathe naturally and focus your attention on breathing, which may include the sensation of air moving in and out of your nostrils or the movement of your abdomen.
Step 5: If this is easier for you, start counting in your mind with each inhale and exhale – you can count from 1 to 4 on inhale and then from 1 to 4 again on exhalation. When you're familiar with this rhythm, stop counting and try to focus on the air itself coming in and out of your body.
Step 6: Ideas will naturally come into your head. Pay attention to them without judgment and then shift your attention to the breath.
Step 7: When you're ready, open your heart and focus on how your body feels right now.
2. Body scanning meditation
Have you ever noticed that your body feels anxious? In fact, our bodies can manifest themselves as anxiety, as stomach tension or discomfort, fist clenching, or shoulder tension.
Body Scanning Meditation, also known as progressive relaxation, helps you mentally scan your body for these uncomfortable or stressful feelings so that you can release them.
To do this, you'll start at one end of your body and slowly "scan" to the other. For example, if you start with your feet, you'll move to your legs, then your abdomen, back, arms, head, and so on.
Try to stop at every part of your body, noting if you feel any tension, pain, or discomfort. If there are feelings of discomfort, focus on those sensations for about 30 seconds. Then, pay attention to how they make you feel.
Instead of reacting to how your body feels, let go of judgment and accept it – if your body is tired, try to accept it; if you feel pain, accept it... Acceptance is important for letting go.
When you do, you can start making a conscious effort to relax and relieve any discomfort. For example, you can focus on your breath and feel how each breath provides some level of relief. You can then shift your attention to other parts of your body and repeat the exercises.
When you're done, you can sit for a few minutes and focus on your whole body and its new sensations. When you're ready, open your eyes again.
A 2019 study found that over an 8-week period, participants who meditated on 20-minute body scans a day showed lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol (high levels of cortisol have been linked to a number of diseases, including anxiety and depression).
3. Compassion zazen
Zazen meditation, or zazen meditation, is a form of meditation that originated in Buddhism and is designed to help you develop unconditional benevolent acceptance and calm relaxation toward yourself and others. Therefore, it can help you manage anxiety symptoms associated with interpersonal conflict and feelings of guilt or shame.
This exercise involves consciously repeating phrases designed to express positive emotions. For example, "May you be happy, may you be lucky, may you be loved" and so on.
To practice this way of meditation, you can follow these steps:
Step 1: Find a quiet and comfortable place to sit down and close your eyes.
Step 2: Focus on your breathing for a few minutes.
Step 3: Think of 1-3 phrases you want to repeat.
Step 4: Decide to point these phrases at yourself or someone else.
Step 5: When you repeat your phrase, focus on yourself or someone else.
Step 6: Acknowledge how the words and intentions make you feel.
Step 7: Repeat until you experience a feeling of compassion and peace.
This way of meditating can be done visually – when you recite your phrases, you can imagine that other people (or yourself) are experiencing those phrases. For example, imagine yourself happy, lucky, and calm.
If I have anxiety, how do I meditate?
You may be wondering how you should meditate quietly when you feel anxious.
In fact, you may find meditation practice difficult at first. But with time and practice, it gets easier and better, and the benefits may be worth it for you.
When you're in a state of anxiety, here are some meditation tips:
Put down expectations. On your first attempt, you probably won't sit quietly for an hour, and that's okay.
Make some preparations for yourself in advance. This may mean starting to slow down your breathing a few minutes before you sit down, or writing down your phrase if you are doing a compassion zazen meditation.
You may want to start with a 3-minute body scan meditation to release any physical tension.
You may experience intrusive or persistent thoughts. You don't need to criticize or read them deeply, you just have to look at them from the sidelines, let them go naturally, and try to refocus on your practice.
If it's hard for you to release your thoughts without judgment, try "attaching" them to a hypothetical balloon. Then let go of it and watch it slowly disappear into the sky.
Start small. You can start with a 1-minute meditation and then gradually add to the length.
How can I meditate quickly?
If you have a busy schedule or need to do something quick to prevent anxiety or panic attacks, you can practice meditation anytime, anywhere.
There are several ways you can quickly meditate to prevent or relieve anxiety:
· From 1 to 4, inhale deeply and slowly through the nose; then from 1 to 4, exhale deeply and slowly through the mouth... Repeat this process as long as you need, focusing on counting and breathing simultaneously.
Put a calm photo (such as running water or forest) in your phone or pocket. When you feel anxious, take it out and look at it, focus on it and try to dissect every detail of it, as if you were trying to spot an "Easter egg" hidden in a picture.
Do a quick body scan meditation. When feeling stressed, focus on parts of the body that are often tightened, such as the stomach or shoulders.
As you breathe slowly, imagine that your pressure is leaving your body with your exhalation; imagine it moving through your feet to the ground and then leaving you.
Talk to yourself with love, like you would to your own children or someone else you care about very much – "It's okay, you're doing a great job." ”
Whether you have occasional anxiety symptoms or suffer from anxiety disorders, meditation is an effective, all-natural form of relief.
The meditation practice needs to be practiced as much as any other new activity or habit, but it may be worth the effort.
If you're not sure how to get started, or find it hard at first, try doing it for only 3-5 minutes a day and then slowly adding to the long hours. You can eventually work up and find that you're going to be doing it longer and longer and you're feeling better and better.
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