Can meditation help anxiety?

Anxiety can rear its ugly head at different times throughout your life. You might feel jittery after a stressful week at work, or shaky and nauseous before a big presentation. You might find yourself replaying conversations in your head over and over again, wondering how you could have done things differently, or whether you’ve accidentally offended a friend or disappointed a client.

When these symptoms start to occur more frequently, they can have a real impact on your life.

How meditation can help anxiety

While meditation is not a ‘cure’ for anxiety, it can significantly reduce the symptoms. With regular practice, meditation can calm your mind, ease tension and quieten those racing thoughts.

There are different types of meditation. Vedic Meditation is one of the simplest to learn and the easiest to do as there’s no need to focus on your breathing or silence your thoughts. Instead, you use a mantra to de-excite the nervous system. This allows the body to enter a state of deep rest, where it can let go of stress and tension.

What if I can’t meditate when I’m anxious?

It’s difficult to meditate when you’re  feeling panicky or extremely anxious. Fortunately, Vedic Meditation isn’t something you just do as a quick fix – it’s a regular self-care practice. Think of it like brushing your teeth. You brush your teeth twice a day to prevent plaque from building up and causing tooth decay. Similarly, by meditating for 20 minutes twice a day, anxiety is less likely to build up and cause issues. Or, to use another analogy, you’re not just trying to fight the fire, you’re trying to stop it from getting out of control in the first place.

Plus, by calming and focusing your mind, you can start to tackle the underlying issues that might be causing your anxiety, such as difficulties at work. Vedic Meditation can also help to improve your sleep, give you extra energy and help you to feel more alert.

A recent student told me, “It's literally changed my life. Helping me sleep, giving me better energy but most importantly, little things that used to bother me just don't nearly as much anymore. Simply, I feel more ‘zen’, less stressed and far more relaxed.”

How to learn meditation to ease anxiety

Vedic Meditation is easy, but you do need to be taught by a professional teacher. I hold Vedic Meditation courses right here in London. If you’d like to find out more, the best way is to come along to a free talk.

Further help

If anxiety is starting to seriously affect your day-to-day life, you may want to contact your GP for support or refer yourself for the NHS’s psychological therapies (IAPT) services. Mind’s website also has a wealth of information and support.