Is mediating good for helping anxiety?

[JustBenn]

Does anyone do this and does it work?

I don't know how to do it, please tell me how? Thanks.

[ankietyjoe]

Yes, it absolutely works.

But you have to know what it is and what it's for. It's not a relaxation technique and it's not about 'emptying your mind'. It's simply the practice of focusing on something and then re-focusing when your mind wanders, which it will. That's pretty much it. Focus on something, and then re-focus when you lose focus. Succeeding isn't the point, it's the practice that's the point.

It doesn't work selectively either. There are very few cases where it's not advisable (usually severe trauma victims can actually make things worse by meditating), and some people notice that their anxiety apparently increases when they try and meditate, but that's almost always because they're just focusing on the sensations of anxiety and not just allowing it to happen.

I would recommend a book called 'Mindfulness' by Mark Williams.

[Fishmanpa]

Any step toward healing is better than doing nothing.

Positive thoughts

[JustBenn]

How many minutes to do it for a beginner? If a bad thought comes up, do i block it out or let it happen and then refocus on the object?

How does it make an anixety sufferer feel after being consistent for a month?

I do not want to use anxiety meds right now, maybe if it doesnt help.

[Fishmanpa]

This would be a pretty safe thing to Google as there are many sites and good articles on how to do so.

Positive thoughts

[ankietyjoe]

How many minutes to do it for a beginner? If a bad thought comes up, do i block it out or let it happen and then refocus on the object?

How does it make an anixety sufferer feel after being consistent for a month?

I do not want to use anxiety meds right now, maybe if it doesnt help.

Try for 5 minutes, twice a day at first.

You cannot 'block' thoughts, it's impossible. In the same way you cannot 'empty' your mind.

Let it happen, re-focus on the object of your meditation (usually one specific aspect of your breathing).

It's impossible to say how it'll make you feel after a month, but consistency is key. If you start putting stipulations on its efficacy (I'll try it for a month) then you also increase the mental opportunity for failure. It's like asking how much weight you'll lose if you go on a diet. Who knows?

Meditation works by training your brain to pause between a stimulus and a response. It's not something that works for some and not for others (with the aforementioned exception of serious trauma victims with severe PTSD). Anxiety is a reactionary disorder, and meditation re-trains the immediate reaction to thought and stimulus.

There's no downside to trying, and there's no need to over analyse it. Just get on with it.