Creative Anxiety: Meditation: Finding YOUR OWN Meditation and What Works For YOU

Monday, October 22, 2012

Meditation: Finding YOUR OWN Meditation and What Works For YOU

We all have our views on meditation, right? Some think it’s laying in a “zened-out” room, on a mat, with incense burning, calm instrumental music playing in the background and no distractions. I should say that MOST of the general population think that this is the only way they can find any sort of calm or experience the benefits of meditating. I am here to give you A LOT more options that you can fit into you daily lives to reduce your anxiety. Once you get the hang of it and find a style of meditating that works for you all the benefits will start flowing and you will feel SO GOOD!

Before yoga I have NEVER experienced meditation and always thought “who the hell has that much time to lay still, I do that when I’m sleeping”! I was SO WRONG! The point of meditating is SHUTTING OFF YOUR BRAIN. A lot of us anxiety sufferers can’t do that, even when we sleep. There is no point in the day that my brain rests, I have to consciously shut it off and the only way that is accomplished (for me) is meditating. There are a lot of different ways you can meditate so there is no excuse for not getting your daily meditation in.

For those of you who like FACTS (like me), meditation is scientifically proven to benefit you and your physical, mental and spiritual health. Here are a few facts…

Meditation…

- Decreases respiratory rate

- Increases blood flow and slows heart rate

- Lowers levels of blood lactate that have direct links to anxiety

- Enhances the immune system

- Enhances energy

- Improved flow of air to the lungs

- Asthma relief

- Relaxes your nervous system

- Helps weight loss

- Increases serotonin levels

- Resolve phobias and fears

- Increases brain wave coherence

- Increased emotional stability

- Opens communication between both brain hemispheres

- Decrease in restless thinking

- Builds tolerance

- Body, mind and spirit are balanced

- Attain enlightenment

- Helps you experience life in the present

- Harmonizes your endocrine system

…there ya go! I have only listed 20 benefits, but there are hundreds, even THOUSANDS of more benefits. Look it up! You will be shocked! Meditation looks a little more appealing now, doesn’t it?

I can tell you how I meditate and it might help you incorporate your own meditation practice. I have a few favorite meditation practices, but my daily meditation is done while I’m….WALKING! Yep, you read it correctly…WALKING! I have a dog who I take out and walk every day when I get home from work. It is something that I have to do daily which now forces me to meditate. A dog lives a simple life and is always living in the NOW. My lovely dog is anxiety free and is experiencing her WHOLE LIFE as opposed to always thinking about the past or the future, which is the root of all anxiety. When we walk I start with deep breathing through my nose as soon as we head outside. I notice the ground (ex: wet, dry, leaves, grass, color, smell), then focus on what is in front of me (ex: trees, houses, plants, bushes, people), then listen to my feet, focus on my pace, and then focus back on my breathing. During this time I let nothing else run through my head except for what I see, smell or hear. When something pops into my head I simply take another deep breath and look at what is around me. I feel refreshed, at peace and rested when I’m done and it is amazing. It is a wonderful break to a day full of worrisome thoughts and anxious jitters.

I am simply mimicking my dog, in all honesty. I am smelling, listening and looking at what is around me and experiencing it for what it is in that moment. With anxiety, you rarely are experiencing the NOW, you are always in the past or creating a story of the future that doesn’t exist yet.

If you don’t have a dog, it’s okay, just go for a walk. Simple. Walk around your block, your neighborhood or even your yard and try this little walking meditation. Consciously turn off your head for 10 minutes and give yourself a break. The more and more you meditate, the more your brain will crave the feeling of CALM. It will become more and more easy for you to find your place of calm in a moment of distress when you regularly practice meditation. I promise!

Two of my other favorite meditation styles are Focused Meditation and a type of Mindful/Grounding Meditation. With Focused Meditation I like to sit or lay down and focus on one thing such as a tree. Everything about that tree I look at, examine and try to experience (ex: the color of the bark and leaves, the wind swirling through the branches, the water it drinks from the ground, the sunlight that bounces around the leaves). You can find something simple to focus on, like a tree, and use this as your meditation. I sometimes use this when I am at work and I have 10 minutes to myself. With the Mindful/Grounding Meditation I take my shoes off when I am outside and place my feet on some EARTH. Grass is my favorite, of course, but dirt doesn’t bother me either. I will place my bare feet on the ground and breath in as if I am breathing from my feet. If you have never tried this PLEASE try it at least once. The energy you receive from the earth is so balancing and amazing for anxiety.

Both of these meditations I LOVE, but do take time out of my daily flow so I incorporate them once in a while. My walking meditation is a daily exercise I do for my brain and for my anxiety. My dog can even sense when I am meditating and she becomes calm as well, doesn’t pull her leash or try to run after another animal. Just try it and let us know what you think. There will be a little meditation challenge coming up here soon that I cannot wait for.

So, all I ask of anyone is to try it ONCE! If you are needing a little assistance then just send me a private email and I would love to help you. Give your brain a chance to relax and take a break from ANXIETY. Do it for your health, your mind, your spirit and your body!

Let us know how you feel…! It will help!!!

Off to meditate. Peace. Love.

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The girls who started it all...and their stories.

Well hello there! My name is Megan and here’s my little tale:

It’s safe to say that the person I am today is a far different one than I was many years ago. As many of you know, dealing with anxiety seems like an uphill battle some days, and I’ve felt like for most of my life I have been struggling to get to the top of that hill to safety. My anxiety started very young and mainly revolved around the constant fear of something medical going wrong with me. I was definitely a hypochondriac, and gave myself unnecessary amounts of anxiety over little to nothing at times. After passing out a few times due to seeing my own blood, both fainting and blood became huge triggers for me. This led me to avoid many situations, namely doctors’ offices, etc. My anxious symptoms were like that of fainting or having a heart attack and at any given time, I felt like my world was crashing and I was about to die.

…which brings me to my next chapter with the “beast”. By the way, I call anxiety the “beast” because it truly takes on its own entity at times. Anyhow, my next chapter is one of quite the lengthy time frame. It was all exacerbated when one day a tragedy hit close to home. My dad had got into a motorcycle accident and died instantly. This, as for anyone, sent my world spinning at the speed of light. It was then that my fear of death and dying amplified. I was constantly feeling sick, or like an 80 pound elephant was sitting on my chest. I didn’t know what I was feeling, nor did I really talk to anybody about it, which made it worse. Junior high, high school, and even my first few years at the junior college were plagued by constant worry; self esteem issues, horrible panic attacks, and so on. I somehow managed to make it through as normal as possible but I was hurting on the inside and most definitely not living a full life.

Once I went away to college my anxiety had stabilized. It was by no means gone, but for some reason it had subsided to a point of decent comfort. Those few years were as relaxed as they could be, and life seemed to be pretty good. It wasn’t until about a year ago that the “beast” began to really rear its ugly head again. This time it was back tenfold, however, and I was determined to find a happy place…one of comfort and happiness. And that my friends is where I’m at today, trying to find a true life of bliss. This last year has been a hard one, but through a lot of self discovery and branching out into new avenues, I am slowly piecing together what works best for me. So far I have found inner strength through trying new things such as yoga, supplements, and creative outlets such as photography, dance, and art. My hopes in build a community through Creative Anxiety is that I can reach out to others who strive to better themselves and others who deal with this unfortunate beast.

Hi there, I’m Chrissy!

My journey with anxiety has been a long one (or so it feels), dating back to when I was in high school. I had been struggling for a while in social settings and changes, but had chopped it up to being an average teenager. It was my first anxiety attack that painted a clearer picture as to what I had been dealing with. And so began the journey…

My first attack was something I will never forget and has created a foundation for where I stand today. My first attack also explains a lot of my history and was a breakthrough for me in getting the necessary help I needed at the time. It was triggered by a past traumatic experience. When I was fourteen I had been raped. The setting in which it took place was visually recreated which induced my first and most horrific panic/anxiety attack. This was a breakthrough in a lot of ways for me. I had not told anyone, spoken about it or personally revisited the memory for four years until that day. When my family was informed I gained the support I needed to start my battle against ANXIETY!

After learning what anxiety was, how it works and being fed drug after drug by doctor after doctor I was really getting nowhere. I was feeling zombie-esque on the medicine, having bad withdrawals and feeling sedated for the majority of the time. This is when I decided to take a different path.

See…my brain automatically links my anxiety now to being raped and the feelings that were felt in that situation. It is such a feeling of disgust and helplessness that motivate me to free myself. I have problems in social situations and trusting others with anything and everything. I have a fear of being attacked, which feeds my anxiety daily in everyday situations and the constant negative self-talk is something I have to keep battling.

I have really two choices (the way I see it)…I can either lay down and feel sorry for what was and what now is or I can fight like hell to live the BEST life I can possibly live. I’ve chosen to fight! I believe there is a fix for this thing we all call ANXIETY and I am determined to find it. Through trial and error, trial and success and a lot of support I believe it is something that is attainable. Holistic, drug free, all natural healthy ways to heal is what I’m all about. So let this new journey begin in sharing what I’ve learned with other who might have walked in my shoes or who choose to walk right alongside me. Let’s fight on!