Sometimes the best treatments for anxiety do not include modern medicine at all. In fact, a holistic approach may be more effective at treating anxiety disorders for some people, or it may fall closer in line with your personal philosophy of care. Meditation and anxiety seem to be the perfect couple – centering thoughts to help calm the mind and body while naturally reducing anxiety symptoms.
Relaxation techniques in general are shown to be effective at treating anxiety, but there is something about the total body involvement of meditation that can be really effective. Beginning meditation for anxiety can be difficult, because the very nature of anxiety makes it difficult to turn off your mind and release the stress.
Effectiveness of Meditation and Anxiety
Two types of meditation were studied to see how they affected anxiety disorders. Transcendental meditation is a method where a person focuses on an object to achieve complete stillness of the mind. In mindfulness meditation, a person strives to remain detached while being aware of their thoughts. Both of these methods of meditation were found to be effective at reducing anxiety, improving mood, and reducing symptoms of distress.
One area meditation does not appear to be particularly effective is at improving sleep disturbances. This may be because those disturbances are more physiological in nature and less likely to be improved solely by mental efforts.
Side Effects of Meditation
There are no known side effects to meditation, which makes it an excellent alternative treatment method. If medication or therapy does not help relieve your anxiety, you really have nothing to lose by trying meditation.
Overall, using meditation for treating anxiety can be an effective way to reduce symptoms of anxiety and help promote better mental and physical well-being. Meditation methods can be learned online, through videos or in books available at most libraries.
