Managing Anxiety: Mindfulness Meditation

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues afflicting Canadians. Researchers claim that 1 in 4 Canadians will experience an anxiety disorder in their lifetime and at any point in time ,12% of us are struggling with clinical levels of anxiety. Anxiety is characterized by worry and ruminating thoughts along with physiological responses such as shallow breathing, rapid heart rate, and tension in the chest it.

Some of the coping strategies we turn to – alcohol, drugs, gambling, marathon TV watching, etc. – seek to numb our anxiety or provide an escape, but may end up creating other problems for us. At times we may try to avoid the anxiety provoking situation such as evading opportunities to speak in front of a group, or engage in ‘small talk’ with strangers or going camping. Over time this can serve to make the feared experiences more anxiety-provoking.

Fortunately there are strategies that you can learn that can help you manage anxiety. One of the most promising strategies to manage anxiety has been shown to be mindfulness meditation. A number of recent studies (for example out of UCLA) show that regular meditation can help your brain and body manage stress and anxiety more effectively. Mindfulness meditation helps you build the skills to slow down your physiological response and to shift your thoughts from racing or ruminating to being in the present. The UCLA website has a number of free guided meditations to help you develop your mindfulness meditation skills.