Can meditation help with anxiety?

Anxiety has a sneaky way of creeping up on us. Like those 2p machines we used to play at the seaside, everything is being nudged around then with no warning coins are crashing down, waiting to be snapped up by ice cream sticky hands.

Except when anxiety lands, it can be less obvious. Before you know it there’s a murky sheen of worry draped over every part of your life, but possibly with no apparent cause. Instead of ice cream sticky hands we experience clammy palms, a racing heart, stress headaches and many other symptoms besides.

But the one that often causes us to act is the racing thoughts. Possibly served with a side of catastrophising, and a stodgy helping of bad fortune telling. As someone who suffered with anxiety coupled with burnout (can you have one without the other?) I know what anxiety can do, and how lonely it can feel when the overwhelm kicks in.

The good news is that there are solutions, and as a meditation and mindfulness coach I meet people all the time who wish to address their anxiety.

Think of your brain’s activity as whizzing down an information superhighway in your head. The path is quick and smooth, and it doesn’t cost the brain any energy to jump onto it every morning. It is easy for the brain to do that. It likes a familiar route.

If your route is one that induces anxiety, usually caused by thinking a lot about the past and the future, then this is what you will experience.

But what if you could change the route? Give your brain a much more tempting pathway, which is just as smooth and easy for it to use?

Cue mindful meditation and the science of literally changing your mind.

Think of the practice as brain training. Training to lay the foundations for new thinking patterns and behaviour, a new superhighway if you will. This is neuroplasticity and your brain is just as susceptible to change as the next one (even if your monkey mind is currently shouting derogatory remarks at your grey matter!)

There are lots of ways to get started, and the key to making meaningful change is practice. Think of training your brain as like training a puppy. You know that it will not follow commands or pay any attention at all the first time you make a request. Or maybe even the hundredth time! But repetition is key. Over time, and very gradually, new neural pathways are formed and old habits, thinking patterns and behaviour can fade away.

We can feel more in control, liberated from an anxiety that constantly spoiled our enjoyment of the moment. Life can take on new meaning and experiencing positive emotions every day is not only a real possibility, but something that you can come to expect.

Working with me takes various forms. Contact me to discuss your bespoke programme or come to a drop-in class to simply have a go!

Because your mind matters.