Anxiety is an emotion all people understand, but some struggle with it more than others. An anxiety disorder can be debilitating, and ordinary anxiety also causes daily problems. Even moderate anxiety can prevent you from sleeping well or from doing activities you might enjoy.
Meditation is a great way to manage and reduce anxiety naturally. Regular practice will relax you, lower anxiety and stress, and allow you to sleep better. See your doctor if you try to manage anxiety but still cannot control it. Along with treatment, meditation is a natural solution to this common mental health issue.
What Are the Signs of Anxiety?
Everyone experiences anxiety sometimes. It’s a natural human emotional response to stressful and difficult situations. For instance, if you have an important exam, it’s normal to feel anxious the night before you take it.
Persistent worries, as well as an inability to control them, are both indicators of overwhelming anxiety. . It’s not normal to have extreme anxiety out of proportion to your circumstances.
Anxiety disorders are common mental illnesses. About 18% of adults in the U.S. experience an anxiety disorder at some point during a given year. Several types of anxiety disorders generally cause similar symptoms:
- Nervousness and worry
- Feeling tense and restless
- A sense of something bad about to happen
- Panicking
- Difficulty concentrating or completing tasks
- Difficulty sleeping
- Increased heart rate and breathing
- Excessive sweating
- Trembling
- Feeling tired
- Stomach upset
Generalized anxiety disorder is anxiety that persists in all situations, regardless of what is happening in your life. Specific conditions can trigger other types of anxiety disorder. For instance, if you have social anxiety disorder, you become anxious around other people.
Anxiety disorders can also be phobias (fear of certain things). Panic disorders cause anxiety severe enough to result in a panic attack. Anxiety can also be connected to medical conditions, substance abuse, or separation from loved ones.
How Guided Meditation Combats Stress and Relieves Anxiety
Meditation is a useful anti-anxiety tool, whether you have an anxiety disorder or simply feel anxious from time to time and want relief. Meditation is an ancient practice of focusing attention on one thing in the present moment to quiet the mind. Guided meditation is simply relying on someone to direct your practice.
Meditation has its roots in spiritual practices, but today many people use it as a mental health tool. By focusing on a mantra, your breathing, or a specific visualization, you can relax the body, quiet racing thoughts, and manage stress.
The practice may be ancient, but only with modern science has meditation been proven to affect anxiety positively. Studies show that meditation can manage anxiety in people with anxiety disorders. Researchers have found that meditation not only reduces anxiety but can also manage depression and physical pain.
Meditation is an antidote for anxiety because it trains you to focus on the present moment. This forces you to take your mind away from worries and regrets of the past and future. You don’t have to have an anxiety disorder to benefit. Regular practice should reduce your overall stress and anxiety levels regardless.