In addition to bringing inner peace, meditation can help us calm feelings of anxiety and eliminate everyday stress . Anyone can practice it, wherever they are: walking, in traffic, waiting for a doctor's appointment, etc.
When practicing this complementary medicine, the objective is to focus our attention and eliminate the flow of confusing thoughts that overload our mind and cause us stress , allowing us to achieve greater physical and emotional well-being.
Emotional benefits of meditation
- Helps you gain a more optimistic perspective on stressful situations;
- Increases our self-awareness;
- It helps us to focus on the present;
- Reduces negative emotions;
- Makes us more tolerant;
- Increases our creativity.
A 20-minute meditation to calm anxiety
The website mindful.org suggests a meditation by Bob Stahl to understand the causes of feelings of anxiety with the aim of controlling it. Take note of the steps to follow.
1. Start by acknowledging what you feel in the moment.
Take a few minutes to try to understand how you feel at the moment. Pay attention to everything that is on your conscience. There is nothing that needs to be analyzed or resolved. You just need to allow yourself to be present in this experience.
2. Focus on your breathing.
Focus on your breathing. Consciously feel each inhalation and exhalation. Focus on the air coming in and going out. If your mind becomes distant from this process, try to understand where it wants to go and then return all your attention to inhaling and exhaling.
3. Reflect on a specific experience.
Reflect on a specific experience where you felt anxiety. Recall this situation in detail, invoking part of this emotion in the present moment.
As you imagine all of this vividly, feeling every detail, pay attention to how anxiety feels in your body. Feel and acknowledge any physical sensations you are experiencing in your body and let them flow without altering them.
4. Feel whatever you have to feel.
Now, feel all the emotions that arise: anxiety, fear, sadness, anger, confusion, etc. Just as you did with physical sensations, recognize the way these emotions feel, without worrying about analyzing or deciphering them. Whatever arises in this practice is part and natural.
Being aware can amplify feelings of anxiety, but this intensity will lessen as you open up and acknowledge what you are experiencing. Acknowledging anxiety rather than turning away from it is, in itself, healing.
5. Release phase.
As you recognize your sensations and emotions, they can bring to the surface a series of memories, thoughts, feelings and physical experiences that may have created limiting beliefs about the person you think you are. You may start to look more clearly at those old conditioning patterns that drove your anxiety. This understanding can set you free, making you feel freer than you ever imagined.
6. Transition to breathing again.
Now gradually transition back to breathing, consciously inhaling and exhaling. Then move your awareness from the breath to the sensation in the heart. Take some time to feel self-compassion, recognizing your courage in dealing with your anxiety. In this way, this emotion can become your teacher, helping you open your heart to greater wisdom, compassion and tranquility within your being.
When you are ready to finish this meditation, congratulate yourself for taking the time to meditate and heal. Then, gradually open your eyes and become present again in your surroundings.
Sources: Mayo Clinic and MINDFUL.ORG
