How to Use Meditation as a Coping Mechanism for Anxiety

Anxiety can cause crippling moments in a person’s life. It clogs up the brain with fear and worry that seems almost impossible to get rid of. Many Americans find themselves at doctors or therapists in search of a medical remedy that can help aide in coping with anxiety. This process–doctor visits, copays, prescriptions–can add up financially and is time consuming. There is a holistic way of dealing with the feeling of anxiety and that is through meditation.

What Is Meditation?

Meditation is the ability to understand your mind better through a variety of techniques. In meditation, a person sits with his or her thoughts and trains the mind on how to process these thoughts. Our brains are clouded with wanted and unwanted thoughts. We appreciate when happy thoughts come into the forefront of our mind; however, when the negative or unwanted thoughts appear, we tend to lose focus and feel the effects of anxiety.

When a person tries meditating, he or she takes a look internally at the human body and mind. Meditation focuses on the physical sensations that we may not even notice in our busy lives. But, it also looks at how we process all of our thoughts. When we allow ourselves to feel each emotion rather than suppressing it, we can find solace in knowing that we spent time with a thought without letting it linger in our minds for hours or even days.

Where Do Thoughts Come From?

Meditation can show a person where his or her thoughts come from. It can answer the questions, “why do I feel this way? or “why is this thought causing fear or apprehension?” Practicing a variety of meditation techniques allows a person to be in the present moment. He or she finds themselves enjoying what is happening within their own bodies or minds, without thinking of the past or future or what is going on around them. This “living in the present” suppresses the anxiety that comes from dwelling on things that happened in the past or are going to happen. We become more aware to feel how we want in the moment we are living in. Basically, feel the moment and acknowledge your feelings without fear.

Types of Meditation

There are many techniques a person can use to meditate. One type is focus meditation where you focus on a particular object or idea and learn to concentrate specifically on it. You can also focus on your breath as a form of meditation.

Connecting with the breath is important. The breath is that constant in our body that keeps us going. Learn to appreciate it and what it can offer you when you truly connect. There is also mindfulness meditation where we focus solely on what is going on and not letting thoughts fleet in and out of our mind. Each meditation should be entered into with a non-judgmental mentality to fully benefit.

Anxiety can cause mental and physical problems if untreated. Finding a safe way and a way that suits you is beneficial in reducing the problems that may arise. Meditation is a safe and holistic approach to combating anxiety. A person should learn how to respond appropriately to the reactions anxiety produces and this response system can be best understood while meditating.