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Anxiety disorders are top of the list for the most common mental illness in America, affecting a massive 40 million people aged 18 or older. A lot of people with an anxiety disorder also experience panic attacks, which are sudden, intense feelings of anxiety. Management of panic attacks varies for everyone as people experience them differently. Some people have psychological symptoms that they battle while others experience very physical symptoms, and some get a mix of the two. Meditation can be helpful in managing both anxiety and panic attacks regardless of the symptoms you experience during a panic attack and can be a really good way to gain back control.
How meditation can help anxiety
Meditation works well if you have anxiety because it helps you to focus on the present. Anxiety is essentially worrying about things that haven’t happened yet and may never happen or things that have already happened and can’t be changed. Your mind thinks about all the potential outcomes of every situation you can think of or stresses over the past, leading to anxious feelings that can become overwhelming and bring on a panic attack due to the sheer amount of anxiety you’re experiencing.
Meditation helps you to navigate away from these thoughts and bring you back into reality where you can focus on what’s actually happening around you. Before you start meditating, it’s important to manage your expectations. You won’t be able to just start meditating when you feel a panic attack coming on, to begin with. It will take time and practice to get to that point, but the more you commit to meditating, the more you’ll get back out of it.
How to start meditating
To being with, try to set aside five to 10 minutes a day for meditation. Sit or lay somewhere comfortable and quiet. Close your eyes and start with a breathing exercise, which can be as simple as being aware of your breathing and taking controlled, deep breaths. Notice any thoughts you have, even if they usually lead to anxiety or a panic attack, and let the thoughts pass without thinking into them or judging them. Let them come and pass, while staying aware of your breathing and the present moment. Lighting some scented candles before meditating can help to give you something else to focus on to keep you present. Once you’re comfortable with this, gradually increase how long you’re meditating for. To finish, take a few deep breaths and slowly open your eyes.
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Using exercise to complement meditation
Exercising can help you deal with anxiety too, as it gives you control over your body while meditating helps you manage your mind. Anxiety can lead to weight gain due to the increased levels of cortisol it causes, resulting in fat building up in the stomach. Exercising can help to gain control of your weight, as well as stimulating the release of dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, which make you feel happier. A lot of people find running is good for weight loss and gives a psychological boost when you hit personal bests. Doing yoga and walking outside to get some fresh air is also good for dealing with anxiety and can tie in well with meditating.
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Getting comfortable with uncomfortable thoughts
For people with anxiety, starting out with meditation can actually make you feel more anxious. This is because you’re sitting down and acknowledging the thoughts that can cause a panic attack. While this can be difficult at first, it teaches you to get comfortable with the thoughts, but not letting them have control over your feelings by staying present. Over time, this helps you to have control over how your thoughts make you feel. It may even help you to stop having the thoughts anymore as you’ll take power away from them and may be able to deal with them just by thinking through and rationalizing them.
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Using meditation when you feel a panic attack coming on
Once you start regularly meditating you’ll find that you feel less anxious in everyday life, which should lead to less panic attacks. However, if you do feel a panic attack coming on you can manage it with meditation by finding somewhere quiet to sit and focusing on your breathing and your thoughts, but making a point of staying present. This can help to stop your anxiety turning into a full panic attack or it may help to make a panic attack shorter and less severe. Once you see results and know that meditation is working, it will empower you to know you have control over your anxiety, which can further help to manage it.
Meditation is ideal for anyone with anxiety who doesn’t want to take medication or has tried it before with little success. It helps to manage what’s causing your anxiety and panic attacks, rather than just mask the symptoms, so it’s easy to use it for other stressful situations too.
About the Author
Lucy Durrant
Guest Blogger
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