Meditation and Breathing Techniques Can Help You Alleviate Anxiety and Panic
Find yourself feeling depressed, anxious, or fearful due to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak and the uncertain circumstances it has brought? The CDC assures us that it’s a natural reaction to the stress of having our normal routines and usual social interactions changed so drastically in such an abrupt manner. While social distancing is necessary to preserve our physical health and well-being, it is also important to remember to take steps to maintain our mental health.
A widespread health scare can cause you to have:
Trouble sleeping or focusing
Changes to your diet and sleep patterns
Deterioration or flareups of chronic health conditions
Increased reliance on alcohol or other substances as a coping mechanism
Meditation and Anxiety
Meditation and its role in treating anxiety is gaining more attention as more people and health experts explore mindfulness and how that approach to life can ease stress and assist you in better responding to things in your daily life that are triggers for you.
Confronting Anxiety with Mindfulness
To begin, open yourself to what is happening at the present moment. The intention is to purposely make yourself open to be more in tune to what is happening right now, without focusing on any singular thing or allowing a worry to distract you. Allow yourself to receive as many ideas, feelings, and sensations as possible.
Concentrate on your breathing. Take long, slow breaths taking the time to hear and feel each inhalation and exhalation as air enters and leaves the body.
Listen to your body and pay attention to how it reacts to your awareness of the moment as you slow down to focus on your breath.
Guided Meditation with Guru Ranjit
Charlotte Meditation was founded by meditation master Guru Ranjit, who had the opportunity to receive instruction in meditation, yoga, and ayurvedic health practices from Guru Dhirendra Brahmachari, a renowned expert in mindfulness practices. Ranjit spent two years studying with Guru Brhmachari on a regular basis.
Guru Ranjit chose to further his studies into mindful practices by visiting numerous monasteries and shrines in India and Nepal to receive instruction from the monks. What Ranjit learned about mindfulness and successfully applied in his own life gave him the inner peace to deal with the stresses faced while he worked in the corporate world.
Are you self-isolating and/or working from home due to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak? Find a quiet, comfortable place in your home and play this video to let Guru Ranjit guide you through a meditation exercise you can do at home twice a day to help you cope with your anxiety in a healthy, productive manner.
How Meditation and Mindfulness Soothes Anxiety
Mindfulness helps by allowing you to deal with difficult feelings by learning to experience them as they come without over-analyzing them. Mindfulness encourages you to acknowledge and validate all your feelings, an action you can take that assists you in refraining from worry that only increases your anxiety level. It is better to experience the feelings, painful memories, and worrisome thoughts honestly than to try and suppress them.
Meditation is a helpful mindfulness exercise as it encourages you to be present in the moment, finding a release from painful memories of the past or fears of what may come in the future. We have the tendency to use our energy in a negative way, attempting to suppress painful memories or push down fearful thoughts. Mindfulness encourages us to embrace all our feelings and thoughts so that once we have accomplished this, we look deeper and understand the root cause of our anxieties and fears. This is where true healing can begin.
Dr. Bob Stahl explains:
“In essence, practicing mindfulness is a process of learning to trust and stay with feelings of discomfort rather than trying to escape from or analyze them. This often leads to a remarkable shift; time and again your feelings will show you everything you need to know about them—and something you need to know for your own well-being.”
Eventually, coronavirus will be adequately addressed, and we will all return to our normal routines. While you are at home with some extra time on your hands, take the time to learn about our Mindfulness Meditation Program. By learning valuable tools that will aid you in achieving calmness, you can find the ability to relax and enjoy every aspect of your life.
For more information about Charlotte Meditation, email or call 704.277.6049.