Mediation: Help for Anxious Thoughts

Tense muscles. Obsessing about the news. Anxiety about the future. Difficulty sleeping. Do all of these sound familiar? You’re definitely not alone.

How can we cope?

Doing Nothing to Cope with Everything

The answer might be as simple as doing…. nothing. Simply sitting still and mindfully clearing your thoughts through meditation has an astounding number of benefits that are vital right at this point in history.  In fact, fostering an ongoing meditation practice can change the structure of your brain, providing benefits that continue even after you finish meditating. In short, meditation may be one of the best things you can do for yourself in troubled times.

The Benefits of Meditation

Some of the many positive things that can happen when you meditate include:

Lower Blood Pressure

Meditation can decrease the “fight or flight” hormones in your body. As a result of this relaxation response, your blood vessels open up, which in turn improves your blood pressure.

Less Stress-Induced Inflammation

Excess cortisol, one of the central stress hormones, can lead to inflammation in many parts of the body – a common example of this is the gut, with digestive issues being common during times of high stress. Because meditation can lower cortisol levels, inflammation is reduced.

Embracing Uncertainty

Despite all of the health benefits, the ultimate goal of meditation isn’t necessarily focused on physical results. It’s more a process of learning to embrace uncertainty.

A More Positive Outlook

Who couldn’t benefit from a more positive outlook? Meditation has been found to actually alter (in a good way) the parts of your brain responsible for positive thoughts. By becoming more aware of your thoughts, you can also fend off negativity.

Reduced Anxiety and Fewer Obsessive Thoughts

It’s perfectly normal to be experiencing anxiety and obsessive thoughts when faced with a pandemic. However, those thoughts can spiral out of control and negatively affect family members as well as your health. High cortisol levels even lower your immune response, and we all want a strong immune system right now.

How Does Meditation Help With Negative Thoughts?

It can be difficult to imagine gaining control of the thought train when world events and changes in our daily lives seem so overwhelming.

 

However, meditation teaches us how to experience and sit with those thoughts – without panicking or feeling like we need to repress them. With a little practice, you should be able to sit with your thoughts and feelings without judgment or analysis and begin processing them without spiraling out of control. You can be present in the moment without projecting into the future or ruminating on the past.

How To Start Meditating

Many people find the thought of taking up meditation a bit intimidating. After all, it has had an esoteric reputation through the ages. It’s important to know that you don’t have to “master” meditation. It’s OK to be imperfect. Your mind will probably wander, and you may feel uncomfortable at first. That’s perfectly normal.

Setting Up Your Practice

The good news is that it’s surprisingly simple to get started. In basic terms, you just need to:

§  Find a comfortable place. Ideally, it will be quiet.

§  Sit in a natural position.

§  Breathe normally.

§  Focus on your breath.

• Try not to overthink this: just focus on each exhalation and inhalation. It’s not necessary to force anything.

§  If your mind wanders:

• (And since you’re human, there’s a good chance that it will) try to sit back and “observe” your thoughts. Don’t analyze them. And don’t scold yourself for losing focus. It’s all part of the process. They are just passing through your brain.

 

 

How Long Should You Meditate?

You may have heard of people going on week-long meditation retreats. That’s great – but it’s not really necessary. Just a few minutes a day is a good start. In fact, studies have found that just five minutes can have significant benefits.

And who doesn’t have five extra minutes?

How Often Should You Meditate?

Consistency is a key component of a successful meditation practice. Try to carve out a few minutes a day to dedicate to your mental health. Some people find that it helps to make it the same time every day.

Resources to Get Your Meditation Practice Started

There are quite a few wonderful resources available to help you get started with meditation, should you need a little help – here are a few of our favorites:

 

Headspace

Calm

Wherever You Go, There You Are

Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics