Have Anxiety? Meditation May Help

When I was growing up, I just gave in to the idea that I was a "worrier." I thought it was normal to worry about anything and everything, and occasionally to worry about nothing. When the feelings of "worry" hit me, it was almost debilitating. I couldn't think about anything else, it felt like I couldn't breathe, and my heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest. Eventually I realized that this wasn't necessarily normal, and that there was a deeper cause of the problem. I have anxiety.



Anxiety is very common, and it comes in many different forms. Some people get anxiety in social situations, and some people get anxiety while driving or during storms. The worst part is when there is no obvious cause for the worry, but you are plagued with an intense feeling that something is wrong. This day and age there are many different "cures" or treatments available for those who suffer from anxiety or any other mental illness.



Visiting a doctor can seem disappointing, because they want to throw a prescription at you right away, rather than try to find the cause and help treat it most of the time. I have been tempted to seek a prescription to make it all go away, but I know there is much more to it than that. Most prescription drugs have a long laundry list of risks and side effects, and more often than not we don't understand completely what the drug consists of. I have a fear of becoming dependent on a drug, so I started to seek out alternative treatments for anxiety.



One simple thing you can do to treat some of the symptoms of anxiety naturally is meditate. I have always been one to dismiss meditating because it was different from what I was used to. I used to think that it was what people did in place of praying, until I learned that instead it is how some people pray. By definition meditation is continued or extended thought, or reflection. Some say that meditation is simply being aware, or being completely present in the moment. Either way you look at it, meditation can be a blessing in disguise for those of us who suffer from anxiety. These helpful tips help make meditation for beginners a little simpler.



Anxiety can be triggered by external factors, and often are. Seemingly little things like stress from work, financial problems, or home life stress can cause your anxiety to flare up in dangerous ways. Meditation can help you be more aware of your thoughts, while ensuring that you don't spend too much of your time focusing on the negative. Anxiety for me is usually irrational thoughts and fears that have spiraled out of control and snowballed into a much bigger issue than they really were. Meditation helps you get centered and calm, while becoming aware of irrational thoughts and worries.



Becoming mindful through meditation can not only calm you down presently, but it can help transform the way your mind works on a day to day basis. By being mindful you can more easily spot when anxiety is creeping in, giving you more of a chance to stop it in its tracks. Clearing your mind from every thought except for your breathing in and out is greatly effective in dispelling anxious feelings. You are more likely to be rational and realize the reason for your worries is not as likely to happen as you originally thought. Getting rid of irrational worries with rational alternatives is a great way to train your mind not to get carried away with the "what-ifs."



Everyone is different, of course, and there is nothing wrong with finding the treatment that works the best for you. Whether its medication, meditation, or mind exercises, your main goal should be to find inner peace and stress reduction within your own mind. Anxiety is something that can be very difficult to live with, but there are natural ways such as meditation that could reduce the struggle even a little bit.

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