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Meditation to help you reduce anxiety

Anxiety sucks, right?

By Samuel AbebePublished 10 months ago 4 min read
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Meditation to help you reduce anxiety
Photo by Omid Armin on Unsplash

Meditation helps reduce anxiety. focus on breathing. sit in a quiet place. close your eyes. breathe in, breathe out. repeat. let thoughts come and go. don't judge them. just observe. practice regularly. feel calmer.

I would like to invite you to close your eyes and take a nice slow deep breath. Breathe in deeply, deeper than you have ever breathed in the day so far. As you exhale, focus on the sound of my voice and allow it to ground you into the present moment by giving yourself permission to focus on yourself. For the next few minutes, you have nothing else to do or nowhere else to go. Your well-being will be your top priority.

I would like to invite you to close your eyes and take a nice slow deep breath. Breathe in deeply, deeper than you have ever breathed in the day so far. As you exhale, focus on the sound of my voice and allow it to ground you into the present moment by giving yourself permission to focus on yourself. For the next few minutes, you have nothing else to do or nowhere else to go. Your well-being will be your top priority.

Take deep, slow breaths, allowing each inhale to be deeper than the previous one. Feel your lungs expanding as you do inhale, holding it for a beat and contracting back in as you exhale. As you continue to breathe this way, feel the journey of the breath through your body and notice any places where you may be holding stress or anxiety in your body. This technique can help to reduce stress and promote relaxation by increasing oxygen flow to the body.

To begin the meditation, relax your facial muscles, drop your shoulders, and open your palms. Focus on your breath and allow it to be your anchor. If you get distracted, acknowledge the thought or sound and then return your attention to your breath. Stress and anxiety can stem from a lack of control, causing heightened emotions. Trying to control the situation further or judging it can add more stress. It's important to recognize these patterns and break the cycle.

Think of a situation that's causing you anxiety. Identify the judgments you have about it and acknowledge their presence. Allow those judgments to drop away as you don't need them anymore. Also, recognize the story you've been telling yourself about the situation and give that story permission to drop away too. You might notice your mind pushing you harder to hold on to those judgments or stories, but acknowledge those thoughts and allow them to drop away as well. Use your breath to anchor yourself back in the present moment if you get distracted. Now, look at the situation again without the judgment or story you're telling yourself. As anxiety or stress levels fluctuate, viewing situations with curiosity is suggested. During the silent portion of meditation, allow for clarity and direction towards the next step to arise. Focus solely on the immediate next step, rather than the future steps.

As you close your eyes and focus on my voice, it's important to remember that our judgments and stories can often amplify our feelings of unease, anxiety, and stress. These thoughts can distort our perception of reality, preventing us from seeing the truth of a situation and hindering our ability to find comfort. When feeling anxious, take a moment to breathe and acknowledge any judgments or stories you may be telling yourself. By doing so, you can gain a clearer understanding of the situation and allow yourself to find ease.

In this meditation, we were advised to let go of our worries and focus on the truth of the situation in the present moment. The speaker encouraged us to take three deep breaths together, holding each inhale for a beat before exhaling. With each breath, we were instructed to feel the oxygen weaving through our muscles and cells, sending it all the way through our entire bodies. The meditation ended with a final deep breath, sending oxygen to the top of our heads. The speaker thanked us for joining and encouraged us to have a great rest of our day.

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