Sunday, June 14, 2009

A Treatment for Anxiety is Meditation

By Gordon Dalwood

Anxiety remains a serious condition that many millions of people must contend with. With such high scores of people, there will be varying degrees of severity with the anxiety they must contend with. For some, the anxiety levels are quite minor but troubling. For others, the anxiety levels they face are severe enough that they face the constant threat of panic attacks. Regardless of the levels of anxiety one faces, it is important to seek treatment for the condition.

As has been the case for quite some time, counseling and medication continue to be the most common forms of treatment. On the other hand, there are many sufferers who for one reason or another, prefer to adopt a more holistic approach such as meditation therapy. Interestingly enough, meditation therapy has frequent accomplished outstanding results for people dealing with all levels of anxiety.

Unfortunately, there tends to be somewhat of a misconception with regards to meditation therapy, in that many people see it as being slightly weird, believing that it has little value to offer in a real world. To the contrary though, meditation is renowned for its ability to help one relax and this in itself, is the very foundation of dealing with anxiety. It is the resulting calmness which helps to block out all the "mental noise" which people have to cope with when anxiety strikes.

Contrary to what many people believe, basic meditation can in fact be done even when you're walking or moving. For the most part, meditation requires that you clear your mind of thought, primarily by distancing yourself from images, thought, events and people. Furthermore, in addition to being able to meditate on something in particular, one can also meditate with a totally clear mind instead. Interestingly enough, one method which has proved to be extremely popular, is to meditate on a Zen koan

A Zen Koan is simply a rhetorical riddle with no real answer. The purpose of the Koan is to develop critical analysis skills designed to gain insight into one's own personal nature. While this may seem complex, it really is not. It is simply a matter of relaxing and allowing the mind to relax with it. This removes much of the clutter in the mind that allows the anxiety it is facing to dissipate.

Learning the basics of mediation is not all that tough. There are many free resources on the internet that detail the subject. Simply following their detailed tips can lead to at least a rudimentary understanding of what is needed to get the most out of a meditation session.

Naturally there are some people who will be leery of meditating alone. Many people would rather be with other people to experience this. A solution to this is to sign up for yoga classes. The process of combining meditation with yoga will help to calm the mind and relieve the feelings of depression, anxiety, stress, and pain.

It is also recommended to practice such yoga sessions at home when you are away from class. This will allow you to get into the habit of meditating on your own. This, in turn, will allow you to alleviate much of your anxiety.

Meditation as a means of eliminating anxiety is nothing new. It has been performed for thousands of years. There is a reason for this longevity: it works. That is why those suffering from anxiety should definitely give it a try. - 14130

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