Meditation is a proven way to relieve anxiety. Unfortunately, many people are unaware how to start practicing meditation. What’s the best way to use meditation to relieve your anxiety?
How can you clear your brain and soothe your anxiety right now? Keep reading to find out.
Why There’s a Connection Between Meditation and Anxiety
There’s a natural connection between meditation and anxiety. That’s because anxiety is like chaos: it demands our attention and is jealous of our peace. Meditation, on the other hand, is calmness and quietness. The two forces live in opposition of each other. By applying your energy towards meditation, you weaken the energy of your anxiety.
The Basics of Using Meditation to Soothe Anxiety
Use the following step by step guide to soothe anxiety through meditation:
Step 1. Anxiety and physical stress are intricately linked. To relieve physical stress, breathe in and invite space into your entire body. Then, breathe out to release tension.
Step 2. Use meditation to visualize yourself floating above whatever is giving you anxiety. This gives you a wider perspective on the conflict.
Meditate to Manage your Anger
Many people manage their anger through meditation. Anger is a type of anxiety. It consumes us, causes chaos in the mind, and weakens the quiet, calm side of your body. To manage your anger through meditation, follow the steps listed below:
Step 1. During meditation, try not to think too logically about the reasons you feel angry. You can worry about the logic of that anger – however practical or impractical it may be – later. Right now, your goal is to breathe in and out while quietly observing your anger.
Step 2. Understand that meditation temporarily delays your anger and puts it into perspective. Once your meditation period is over, you may need to take action to resolve the source of your anger. Don’t let this overwhelm you once your meditation period is over: prepare for it.
Step 3. Use meditation as a safe space away from your anger, where you can step away from your emotion and observe your anger from afar.
Meditation to Improve your Overall Health
There’s a growing trend of using meditation to improve your overall health and wellness (isn’t that always what meditation has been about?). One specific technique is called Mindfulness-Based Stress Relief (MBSR), where patients learn how to use the resources inside themselves to encourage coping and healing.
MBSR is particularly popular when dealing with symptoms of a chronic illness, or symptoms that no longer respond to standard medical treatment. By boosting your mindfulness, you reduce the effects of stress on your mind and body.
Some of the specific tips people use to improve their health through meditation include:
- Focus on specific physical ailments to fine-tune your meditation practice
- Visualize the parts of your body involved in your physical stress; use your mind’s eye to picture your muscles relaxing, joints loosening, and organs working more efficiently
- Breathe healing energy into the areas of pain and discomfort in your body
By practicing the tips listed above, you can effectively use meditation to manage chronic pain and other physical ailments.
Meditation to Simplify your Life
One of the best ways to use meditation to soothe anxiety is to visualize a simplification of your life. Many of us suffer from anxiety because our lives are too complicated, or there are too many things going on that we cannot control.
In that case, meditation can help you achieve simplicity by eliminating the unimportant thing from your mind. This can relieve anxiety by giving you fewer problems that need to be addressed.
Some of the ways to use meditation to improve simplicity include:
- While meditating, visualize life without any “extras”. What things can you do without? If you no longer had those things, would you miss them? Or would you have more room for joy and calmness?
- Focus your meditation on intangible qualities instead of the “extras” in your life; focus on things like beauty, peace, and love instead of your possessions; don’t let your possessions dictate your emotional state
Ram Dass Meditation to Clear your Path and Soothe Anxiety
Many people feel anxiety because they’re unsure of life’s path. Are you making the right decisions in life? Are you heading down the right path? Is all of your energy going to waste? If you’re facing anxiety due to these problems, then meditation can help.
As you mediate on the big picture of your life, you should begin to see how the pieces fit together. You can see how you fit into the world and how you enjoy peace and anxiety relief by recognizing your place in the world.
Are you using Ram Dass meditation to seek clarity on your life? Here are some of the tips and strategies to consider:
- Choose a mental picture that represents the complete situation you are facing; by focusing on the big picture, you prevent your mind from getting lost in the little details
- Allow your subconscious to work on the situation itself, without actively thinking about it; you may be surprised how effective this can be at guiding your path
- At the end of your meditation, focus on any solutions that rose up during your meditation, and make a mental note to consider those solutions later, after you’re done meditating
How to Meditate to Relax your Body
Anxiety is primarily found in the mind, but it manifests itself in physical symptoms. If you’re experiencing the physical symptoms of anxiety, then you can use meditation to relax your body and soothe your anxiety.
Anxiety and stress may be conditions in the mind, but they can cause serious physical symptoms. They clog your arteries, for example, and signal your body to stop burning fat. With meditation, you can break this cycle and create a healthier state of mind.
To relax your body through meditation, consider the following tips and strategies:
- Practice yoga or research yoga strategies, which can soothe physical and mental anxiety simultaneously
- Use meditation to help relax and recuperate your body after major surgeries or traumatic physical events; meditation is often a key part of this recovery process
- If you’re having trouble relaxing your muscles, try clenching your muscles tightly while you breathe in; as you breathe out, release all the tension in your muscles; you should feel tension and stress literally be “pumped away” from your body
Ram Dass Conclusion
Ultimately, anxiety relief differs between individuals. The tips and strategies listed above will help some people relieve anxiety in their mind and body. Using Ram Dass meditation, yoga, and other mindfulness strategies can help you gain control over your anxiety – or at least let you witness your anxiety from afar to help you gain a broader understanding of it.
Find the anxiety relief strategy that works for you, then continue practicing that strategy regularly to discover the powerful connection between meditation and anxiety relief.
