Anxiety can tie you in knots. Can a mind/body practice like meditation help loosen anxiety’s grip when used in conjunction with medication and other traditional anxiety treatments? It’s possible.
According to MindWorks, the word meditation derives from the Latin word ‘meditatum,’ which means “to ponder.” While meditation has been practiced for thousands of years, many practice it today to reach a state of relaxation and reduce stress.
“Meditation trains the brain to achieve sustained focus, and to return to that focus when negative thinking, emotions, and physical sensations intrude – which happens a lot when you feel stressed and anxious,” Dr. John W. Denninger, director of research at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, told Harvard Health Publishing.
“When you meditate, you are better able to ignore the negative sensations of stress and anxiety, which explains, in part, why stress levels fall when you meditate,” said Dr. Denninger.