5 Minute Anxiety Relief Meditation

This is a 5 minute "emergency" meditation for anxiety reduction. It will help shift your mind/body out of the "fight or flight" stress mode, into a calm, relaxed state. It will help switch your nervous system from a sympathetic (stressful) state into a parasympathteic (peaceful) state, thus helping to lower your heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones (e.g., cortisol, adrenaline). Give yourself the gift of a quick mind/body "reset."

Transcript

Meditation done by Liz Burkholder. Begin by settling in, Getting comfortable, Either lying or sitting. And just close your eyes. We're going to drop into a place of relaxation. Take in a deep breath in your nose. Hold it. One, Two, Three, Four, Release. Hold, Two, Three, Four. Breathe in again in your nose. Hold, Two, Three, Four, Release. Beginning to feel relaxed. Breathing in relaxation, Breathing out any cares and worries. Just for these few moments, Letting go of all of your cares and all of your worries. Breathe in your nose. Hold, Two, Three, Four, Release. Feeling a wave of relaxation washing over you from your head all the way to your toes. Repeating the mantra in your head, Calm and relaxed. Calm and relaxed. Breathe in. Hold, Two, Three, Four, Breathe out. Letting go. Allowing yourself a few minutes to just relax. Relaxing the mind, Relaxing the body, Calming the nervous system, Restoring yourself to a calm state. Breathe in. Hold, Two, Three, Four, Breathe out. Knowing and trusting that we are calming the nervous system, Settling back into a natural state of peace. You have nowhere to be at this moment. Nothing to do at this moment except just be and relax. And as thoughts come into your mind, Just acknowledge them and then go back to the words, Calm and relaxed. In your mind, Repeating this mantra over and over, Slowly, Calm and relaxed. Calm and relaxed. Taking a deep breath in your nose. Holding, One, Two, Three, Four, Release. Shifting out of the fight or flight stress mode and into a calm and relaxed, Peaceful state. Just continue to breathe normally, Repeating the words in your mind, Calm and relaxed. Calm and relaxed. When you are ready, Open your eyes, Coming back to the room, Feeling calm and relaxed.

Reviews

Simple and clear:)

This was needed way more than I thought. Thank you for reminding me of the fight or flight.

An incredibly good session, specifically helpful for anxiety but a brilliant meditation overall! Thank you :)

Thank you! This was really relaxing.

Thank you for offering this. I wasn’t having an anxiety attack. I like to have helpful meditations ready for those moments. I found the teacher’s voice soothing and the background music pleasant. I appreciated the manta and the reminder to take a pause while breathing. 💜