Anxious moments come in everyone’s lives. Some have them more often and some experience it more intensely. Some bodies react to it – binge-eating, momentary paralysis, many others.
Whatever be the scale and frequency of this emotion in your life, there are ways by which you can minimize it and take control.
#1. Meditation for anxiety and stress relief
When you meditate, you give deep rest to your restless mind. Stress activates your stress hormones, making you anxious. Regular meditation lowers these stress hormones and makes you feel relaxed. Moreover, meditation reduces the impressions of past moments of anxiety. Thereby, dwarfing the emotion in your subconscious. After meditation, the only thing you’ll lose is your worries.
However, you need to make sure that you meditate regularly. Every day adds to your confidence and brings you real inner freedom. So give it a shot! Meditation for anxiety relief could be the answer you are looking for.
Tip: Try a guided meditation which can help bring awareness to your thoughts and emotions.
#2. Enthusiasm & creativity to cope with anxiety
Channel your anxiety towards creative pursuits. You will find your fear dwarfing in the background. Nurture the enthusiasm in you and wear the creative hat. Enthusiasm drives creativity. You can nurture enthusiasm with regular celebrations. Celebrating charges your energy and drives away anxiety. Simply put, you cannot be celebrating and worrying at the same time! Celebrate small moments of life – one does not have to wait for a big occasion to celebrate something.
Tip: Do a service activity with a group. The enthusiasm to help someone can drive away negative emotions like anxiety. Furthermore, meditation after such activity is deeper and more rewarding experience!
#3. Take the Ayurvedic route
Traditional anti-anxiety medicines pose the risk of side-effects and long-term dependency. However, Ayurvedic alternatives come with minimal or no side-effects. Moreover, the approach of Ayurveda is to tend to the root of a disease and offer a more holistic treatment.
In case of anxiety, Ayurveda points the root as an imbalance of the vata dosha. The balance can be achieved with the implementation of vata-pacifying guidelines.
You are advised to consult an Ayurvedic/Nadi Parikshak doctor for a medical prescription.
#4. Change your perspective
Another way to control anxiety is to change your attitude towards your anxious thoughts.
Whenever an anxiety-building thought hits you, question its validity. Remind yourself that everything is changing. For instance, if a thought like ‘I’m never getting a job’ strikes you, ask yourself what is the evidence? Remind yourself that everything is changing – that the joblessness of today has all the chances to turn into employment tomorrow!
Practice this 20 Minute Meditation for Anxiety Relief
(With inputs from Sunanda K, ayurvedic doctor; Prashant Lalchandani and Prajakti Deshmukh, Faculties, The Art of Living)
