A Guide to Meditation for Anxiety and Stress Relief

A Guide to Meditation for Anxiety and Stress Relief

Life can be stressful. Work, family, relationships, kids, and now the COVID-19 pandemic – all of these potential stressors can impact your life and your health. Anxiety and stress can have serious consequences on your health. These ailments have been linked directly to serious medical conditions like heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

The good news is that you don’t have to allow stress and anxiety to rule your life. The key is understanding the source of your stress and finding ways to overcome it. Meditation for anxiety and stress relief, for example, is a tool that anyone can use to find calm in their life.

Why is Stress Bad for You?

Stress affects your body and mind in many ways. It can impact your health, your mood, and your behavior. If unchecked, stress can cause long-term or even permanent damage to your body. If you are having symptoms associated with stress, it may be time to consider your options for managing it.

Some of the signs that your anxiety or stress may be out of hand include:

• Headaches

• Chest pain

• Fatigue

• Muscle tension

• Upset stomach

• Difficulty sleeping

• Changes in sex drive

These are some of the ways that anxiety or stress can manifest in your body. Anxiety can be especially physically taxing if you have an anxiety attack, which can present symptoms similar to a heart attack – chest pain, heart palpitations, dizziness, and more.

Anxiety and stress can also affect your mood and behavior. Most commonly, people who are overwhelmed are fatigued and may lack motivation. This can further lead to depression and social withdrawal. Extreme anxiety or stress can also lead to changes in behavior, such as:

• Angry outbursts

• Alcohol misuse

• Tobacco use

• Overeating or undereating

Not only do these behavioral changes affect us, but they also affect those around us. It is important that we realize when our stress levels are too high and make an effort to protect our health and mental wellness, and that of those around us.

Meditation for Anxiety and Stress Relief

Fortunately, there are some fairly simple ways that you can reduce anxiety or stress and improve your overall health. Meditation, for example, is an increasingly popular way to relieve stress and improve quality of life. What’s more, meditation is something that anyone can try. There is no required skill level or special equipment.

Not sure where to start? Below, we offer a guide to meditation for anxiety and stress relief that will give you the tools you need to get started living your best life.

How Does Meditation Reduce Stress?

Meditation has been helping people reduce anxiety and stress for thousands of years. Initially, people practiced meditation as more of a spiritual practice than one aimed at improving physical health. Now, however, meditation is highly regarded as a method to reduce anxiety and stress and improve physical and emotional wellbeing.

Meditation is a process of changing your focus, clearing your thoughts, and resetting your body. By focusing your attention and eliminating thoughts, anxiety, and stress, you can achieve a better sense of health and wellbeing, and control of your stress.

Not only does meditation help you relax in the present, but it teaches you how to better manage your stress. Meditation can help you:

• Gain a better perspective on stressors

• Increase self-awareness

• Learn how to manage stressful moments

• Help you focus on the present

• Learn how to reduce negative emotions

These are valuable tools that you can use anytime, anywhere to manage anxiety or stress and overcome them.

Choose Your Meditation Method

Meditation is a broad term for many ways you can enter a related state of mind and/or being. There are many techniques that are strictly different types of meditation practices, as well as combinations of techniques used together.

No matter what type of meditation you use, the goal is the same – to reduce anxiety and stress and help you find inner peace. Depending on your preferences and goals, there are several types of meditation that you can try. Some you can practice on your own, and others are most successful when guided by a skilled meditation instructor. Some of the types of meditation you can choose from include:

• Guided Meditation: Guided meditation uses your senses to guide you to a relaxed state. You can use images, smells, sounds, or textures with this method. The best guided meditation experience is one that is led by a skilled instructor.

• Mantra Meditation: A mantra is a sound, word, or phrase that you use to focus your mind and prevent distraction. During meditation, you can repeat your mantra silently.

• Mindfulness Meditation: Mindfulness meditation helps you focus on the present moment. This type of meditation involves broadening your conscious awareness as you focus on what is happening in the moment. You are encouraged to let your thoughts come and go while keeping your focus on the present moment.

• Transcendental Meditation: This type of meditation involves entering a deep state of rest and relaxation. By repeating an assigned mantra in a specific way, you enter a relaxed state without much effort. The goal is to help you achieve inner peace.

• Yoga: Yoga is a series of postures, movement, and breathwork. When you practice yoga, you are moving your body, but you are also using breathwork to focus your mind. Your balance and concentration help to focus your mind, which can remove stressful thoughts or worries. Yoga and meditation are not the same thing, but they go hand-in-hand.  

There are numerous variations and combinations of techniques you can use to meditate. What is most important is to try various methods and see what works best for you. Everyone is different, so don’t settle for something that sort of works, when you can find something that really works.

Practice Meditating

Once you know what type of meditation you want to practice, the next step is to, well, practice. Not everyone can successfully enter a relaxed state of meditation during their first session. Many people practice for years before they feel like they have mastered their practice. As you begin practicing meditation, there are a few things to remember that will help you on your way:

• Focus your Attention: Focus your mind on something that distracts you from your worries. This could be an image, object, mantra, or breathwork technique.

• Relax your Breathing: Breathe slowly and deeply, using your diaphragm to expand your lungs. When you slow your breathing, you intake more clean oxygen. As you breathe, relax your upper body and let the tension melt away.

• Find a Quiet Setting: When you are practicing meditation, it is helpful to find a quiet setting where you are not distracted by phones, televisions, or other people. As you hone your skills, you may learn how to enter a meditative state anytime, anywhere.

• Find a Comfortable Position: It is a misconception that meditation involves sitting cross-legged on the floor. You can meditate anywhere, in any position you find comfortable. Some people meditate while sitting, and others prefer to lie down. Many people meditate while walking or doing other physical activities.  

• Open Your Heart and Mind: Perhaps the most important tool for learning and practicing meditation is an open heart and mind. As you meditate, let your thoughts come and go without judgment. Open your heart and mind to the endless possibilities in your life. Possibilities that become realities when you let go of the anxiety and stress that holds you back.

Get Help Learning to Meditate

If you have trouble relaxing and clearing your thoughts, it can help to work with a meditation instructor. An instructor can help guide your meditation experience and find techniques that work best for you. An instructor can also help you integrate breathwork, yoga, reiki, or other techniques into your meditation routine to help facilitate successful anxiety and stress relief.

If you want help learning how to meditate, contact Nalaverse or sign up for one of our classes. With our online yoga classes, you can practice meditation from anywhere with the help of a loving instructor. Find out more about our meditation for anxiety and stress-relief classes by contacting us!