Anxiety affects over 40 million adults in America, and it can be debilitating, depending on the intensity of the disorder. It's a cognitive state that prevents a person from managing feelings of nervousness, fear, and worry. Various medications and treatments are prescribed to those who suffer anxiety, with one of the top remedies being meditation.
Meditation is something anyone can do in any place at any time, as often as they like. Tips on how to meditate successfully were previously published on this blog to help you begin your practice.
But the big question is: how exactly does meditation quell anxiety?
A Vicious Cycle
Source: Unsplash, Jared Rice
It's human nature to worry, but a person can only handle it up to a certain extent. Anxiety causes the fear center of your brain to be more reactive, leading to an unending cycle of worry and anxiety. The condition also has the power to make a negative thought seem worse than what's actually happening.
Meditation helps by quieting the mind and canceling the effects of an overactive imagination. Massachusetts General Hospital psychiatrist and Harvard Medical School psychiatry professor Dr. Elizabeth Hoge discussed the effects of mindfulness meditation on a person having an anxiety attack. In the wake of a stressful event where lots of negative and unproductive thoughts enter your brain, mindful meditation can help a person pause and make sense of what's going on.
"Mindfulness teaches you to recognize, ‘Oh, there’s that thought again. I’ve been here before. But it’s just that—a thought, and not a part of my core self,'” says Dr. Hoge. Thoughts provoked by anxiety may feel larger than life, but the ability to realize that it's all mental can help a person manage his or her feelings and reactions better.
Since anxiety may also be caused by events in the past or obsessing over things that have not happened yet, meditation assists people in focusing on the present moment. Taking a mental break by focusing on what's happening now does wonders and helps calibrate the mind.
What Does Meditation Do to the Brain?
In a more scientific front, technology has been able to find that meditation transforms the brain in a healthier and positive way, even going so far as to reverse the damaging effects of anxiety. A study revealed that researchers were able to detect areas of the brain that were activated and deactivated during meditation-related anxiety relief.
15 subjects who had anxiety took four 20-minute mindfulness meditation classes, and each session reportedly reduced their anxiety. Brain imaging found that the anterior cingulate cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and anterior insula were activated during meditation. These three areas of the brain are responsible with the function and control of worrying. If these effects were observed after only four sessions of meditation, it's suspected that long-term practice will provide even better benefits.
Who Can Meditate?
Meditation is recommended for those who experience anxiety, and even those who don't. In short, everyone can do it. Even high profile individuals sometimes face the condition. In fact, there is evidence which suggests that they are especially prone to it due to their status. A number of celebrities suffer from anxiety, and some swear by meditation to combat the episodes. Leaders of top ranking companies also experience mental pressure and turn to meditation techniques to regain composure. Notable business personalities like Padmasree Warrior, Chief Technology and Strategy Officer of Cisco Systems, use the practice to cope with the stress of holding high positions. Warrior meditates for 20 minutes every night, which helps her deal with tough decisions on a daily basis. Even the mightiest in the business sector turn to meditation for a moment of calm in their busy lives, too.
The easiest way to start is to download free meditation apps on your phone. Just plug in your headphones and unplug from the rest of the world for a few moments, and come back feeling rejuvenated. Over time, a steady practice will help you become more confident in leveling your thoughts and managing your feelings in stressful situations. The best part is it's free, and it's something you can always take with you.