Meditation On Dealing With Anxiety

Anxiety is a common and natural human experience, but it can be challenging to manage when it becomes overwhelming. It's our body's response to stress, often preparing us to deal with perceived threats. However, chronic anxiety can interfere with daily life and well-being. Join me for this meditation to help with your anxiety. Music by Chris Collins. #89

Transcript

Welcome,

And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.

Today I'm going to talk a little bit about dealing with anxiety,

And this meditation is based on a live session that I did recently.

Anxiety is a common and natural human experience,

But it can be really challenging to manage when it becomes overwhelming.

Anxiety is basically our body's response to stress,

And it's often preparing us to deal with perceived threats,

But chronic anxiety can interfere with our daily life and well-being.

Anxiety activates the body's fight-or-flight response,

And that releases stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol,

And this can cause physical symptoms like increased heart rate,

Sweating,

Tension,

Rapid breathing.

Anxiety can stem from various sources like past experiences,

Current stressors,

Or concerns about the future,

And it often involves a cycle of negative thoughts and fears.

There are a few ways that you can help to manage your anxiety.

Mindfulness and meditation can help to ground you in the present moment and reduce anxiety,

And things like deep breathing can calm your nervous system.

Exercise,

Physical activity,

Is a great outlet for stress and anxiety.

It helps relieve endorphins,

Which are natural mood lifters.

Having a healthy lifestyle,

A balanced diet,

And adequate sleep can also help reduce your level of anxiety.

Some people find that journaling and writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you to process emotions and identify triggers.

You hear me say it all the time,

But you have to be kind to yourself.

You have to remember that it's okay to feel anxious.

Everyone experiences anxiety at some point,

And you need to treat yourself with compassion and set realistic goals for yourself.

Break things into smaller,

More manageable chunks and celebrate your achievements,

No matter how small they might seem.

Anxiety can be difficult,

But there are many strategies to manage it effectively,

And the key is finding what works for you.

What I know from history,

And what I know from my own experience,

Is that all the things that make us anxious will pass.

They always have,

And they always will.

And I also know that most often we are the biggest factor in our own anxiety and stress.

We wrap ourselves up with our words and our thoughts.

Words have power.

Thoughts have power.

And what we need to do is harness that power so it benefits us.

Because those thoughts and words trigger our biologic reaction.

And what we need to do is believe in ourselves.

Close your eyes now,

And let's get in touch with our breath.

It doesn't matter if you're sitting,

Standing,

Or lying down.

The only thing that matters when you meditate is that you're comfortable and alert.

So if that means laying down or sitting in your comfy recliner,

Then that's what you need to do.

As long as you can be alert,

You're in good shape.

Take in a breath and let it go,

And then just breathe normally.

And let's scan our body.

Relax your face.

Unfurl your brow and unclench your jaw.

Relax your neck and shoulders.

Maybe roll your neck around in a circle to help loosen it up.

And shrug your shoulders and let them drop.

Relax your arms and your hands.

Look for any tension in your chest and belly.

And feel yourself getting heavier with each and every breath.

Relax your legs and your feet.

And as you begin to relax,

Let's focus even more on our breath.

Our breath is like a river as it flows in and flows out.

Just inhale slowly and then gently exhale.

And notice your breath as it flows in.

Notice where you feel it in your body.

Maybe a cool sensation in your nostrils as the breath flows in.

Or the movement of your chest and belly as the breath flows out.

Just continue to breathe at your normal pace and don't force anything.

Just let your breath move in and move out.

Let your breath flow like a river,

Sure and tranquil and calm.

And if you have thoughts,

They're a constant part of our world.

But you needn't concern yourself with them when you meditate.

Just continue to follow your breath and listen to the sound of my voice.

The practice of meditation and mindfulness can change your life.

Let me say that again.

The practice of meditation and mindfulness can change your life.

Learning to relax your body and learning to follow your breath can actually change your physiology.

That's one reason you always hear me say that the more times you get in touch with your breath each day,

The better.

And I don't say that because I'm a finicky old man.

I say it because it's true.

And I've seen the effects in my own life.

Meditation and mindfulness has changed me.

And in doing so,

It has made me calm.

It has made me centered.

And it has given me peace within myself.

And what each one of you needs to know is that you can do it too.

Breathing in and breathing out.

Just one breath at a time.

And then the next.

And then the next.

As you take in a breath,

You're breathing in peace.

And as you're breathing out,

You're breathing out tension.

Breathing in again,

You're breathing in calm.

When you breathe out,

You're breathing out stress.

Feel the tension leave your body.

Feel the stress melt away as your body relaxes and your breathing slows and becomes more regular.

In this way,

You can breathe away anxiety.

You can breathe away stress.

And it's the easiest kind of therapy because all you have to do is breathe.

Just breathe.

Here I'm going to pause for a minute so you can just breathe and think.

And I'll be back in a minute.

And besides getting in touch with your breath more often,

You need to start using positive words and thoughts.

When you're talking with yourself and with others.

Thoughts carry weight.

Thoughts can create your reality.

And when you fill your mind with negative thoughts,

It affects your mind.

And your brain releases chemicals that cause all the symptoms of anxiety.

Rapid heart rate,

Problems concentrating,

Restlessness,

Feeling fatigued,

Trouble sleeping,

And all the rest.

And if you teach yourself to put a positive spin on things,

That's a plus.

And if you begin to use positive words and positive phrases in your language,

That's another plus.

And if you can do your best to remove negativity from your thoughts,

That's also a plus.

And by keeping a positive attitude,

And by keeping our words and thoughts positive,

We can change our world.

We can change our perspective.

Remember,

Words are powerful.

Thoughts are powerful.

And the power of your thoughts and your words can shape your life.

Let me say that again.

The power of your thoughts and your words can shape your life.

Now if you'd like,

I'd like you to repeat the following affirmations.

Either out loud or to yourself.

I'll say each one twice.

I can do hard things.

I can do hard things.

Words and thoughts have power.

Words and thoughts have power.

And lastly,

I have the power to change my life.

I have the power to change my life.

By altering your thoughts and altering your words,

You can have a dramatic effect on your life.

You have to ignore people who say negative things about you.

You have to look into the way you interact with others.

Your words mean something.

So stop using negative words.

Don't talk about how stressed you are,

Or how fat you are,

Or how stupid you are.

Or how broke you are.

You have to get rid of that negativity.

Negative words and negative thoughts only serve to drag you down.

Now as we come to a close,

Open your eyes and come back into the room.

Wiggle your fingers and toes and stretch.

And feel how good it is to be alive.

How good it is to be in this moment.

Just breathing.

Breathing in and breathing out.

One breath at a time.

You can do this,

And I know you can because I did it.

You have to start using positive words when talking about yourself.

Use positive words like joy,

Or inspiration,

Or satisfaction,

Or possibilities.

And start putting these affirmative phrases in your language.

Say them out loud.

I can do this.

I will make it.

I know I can accomplish this.

I'm making positive strides in my life.

For the most part,

We can't change the distressing things going on in the world.

But we can control how we react to things.

And by keeping a positive attitude,

And by keeping our words and thoughts positive,

We can change our world.

We can change our perspective.

And we can make our lives better and more free from stress and anxiety.

We only have to try.

I hope this has been a beneficial and calming session.

Till next time.

Reviews

This covers all of the bases beautifully. Thank you for the encouraging, upbeat delivery - as always. I will return to this throughout my day to unwind & calm down. Best to you. ❤️

Positive as usual.Well received. Passing it on to my daughter. Bless you and your family.🙏🏻

Another very helpful recording- brilliant idea with using positive words like 'inspiration', 'possibility', etc. Thank you, Michael🙏🏽🤗💖🍀💚