Meditation - Can you quiet a restless mind?

Here are some tips for meditating when you're anxious: 

• Focus on your breath

  Inhale and exhale slowly through your nose, feeling your breath and listening to it. If your mind wanders, gently return your focus to your breath. 

• Practice body scan meditation

  Focus on each part of your body, starting at the top of your head and working your way down to your toes. Notice any sensations you feel, and release any tension you're holding onto. 

• Try guided visualization

  Imagine yourself in a peaceful, serene, and safe environment, such as a beach, forest, or garden. 

• Practice loving-kindness meditation

  Silently recite positive phrases, such as "May I be happy, may I be healthy, may I be safe". Then, extend the same well-wishes to someone you care about. 

• Be mindful of the present moment

  Notice your sensations, feelings, and thoughts as they occur, but don't become swept up in them or attempt to alter them. 

• Don't worry if it doesn't feel right

  Everyone's experience of meditation is different. The most important thing is to find a brief sense of peace and stillness in a way that works best for you.

Please don’t worry if meditation does not come easily to you. It is something that takes practice. Just WORKING on meditation can have profound benefits on your mental health. In fact, a Randomized Clinical Trial (meaning patients do not pick whether they get medication or meditation) found that using meditation for anxiety was just as effective as using Lexapro for anxiety. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2798510

Meditation is another free intervention for mental health symptoms. I really enjoy the meditations from The Mindful Movement. On YouTube you can subscribe to their channel. They also have an excellent website. They have specific meditations for specific conditions like anxiety, stress and ptsd. These are all the excellent ways that technology can have a positive impact on your life. Instead of endlessly scrolling Facebook, I suggest using your phone to find a meditation practice today. If one does not feel right - there are several others to try.

https://www.youtube.com/@TheMindfulMovement

https://www.themindfulmovement.com/foundations-of-meditation

The BENEFITS OF MEDITATION:

Mental health

Meditation can help reduce anxiety, depression, and stress. It can also help with social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, and fears. 

• Physical health

  Meditation can help lower blood pressure and heart rate, which can reduce strain on the heart and blood vessels. It can also help with chronic pain, asthma, cancer, and heart disease. 

• Sleep

  Meditation can help you fall asleep faster and improve the quality of your sleep. 

• Brain health

  Meditation can increase gray matter, which is responsible for emotional regulation, planning, and problem-solving. It can also increase cortical thickness, which is responsible for learning and memory. 

• Other benefits

  Meditation can help you develop mental discipline, improve your memory and mental clarity, and increase your attention span. It can also help you be more creative, patient, and self-aware.