{"id":221,"date":"2020-08-19T23:13:58","date_gmt":"2020-08-20T04:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dontpanicdothis.com\/?page_id=221"},"modified":"2023-10-13T17:05:51","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T22:05:51","slug":"meditation-for-panic-attacks-and-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dontpanicdothis.com\/meditation-for-panic-attacks-and-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Meditation for Panic Attacks and Anxiety: Everything You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I first started having panic attacks as a teenager, I was desperate to learn any way of getting them under control. Somehow, I completely overlooked the possibility of meditating for panic attack and anxiety relief. Years later, I finally gave the subject some real attention. Can meditation really help with panic attacks and anxiety?<\/p>\n

While often overlooked as a solution, meditation is a powerful method for managing panic attacks and anxiety. Meditation works like an exercise for the brain, training the mind\u2019s ability to focus, pay attention, and exert self-control. Meditation is easily one of the best coping mechanisms for panic attacks and anxiety.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I struggled with severe panic attacks for several years before getting my panic disorder under control. In fact, I didn\u2019t even attempt<\/em> meditation until more than 10 years after my first panic attack. This was mostly due to my own misconceptions and ignorance about meditation.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t make the same mistake I made!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Meditating for panic attack and anxiety relief can be a powerful coping mechanism as you take back control of your life. Don\u2019t leave this tool untouched.<\/p>\n

Stick with me through the rest of the article, and I\u2019ll tell you absolutely everything you need to know to use meditation for panic attacks and anxiety.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get started.<\/p>\n

Meditation for Panic Attacks and Anxiety: How Does it Help?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

At its core, meditation is about learning to control the mind. While meditating, we train our ability to purposefully focus and redirect our thoughts. Additionally, meditation can also be used to improve one\u2019s anxiety symptoms, mood, sleep, pain tolerance, and discipline. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The ability to purposefully focus and redirect our thoughts is especially important for people with anxiety since anxiety disorders typically involve the inability to calm and control the mind.<\/p>\n

We experience anxiety when something sets off our fight or flight response. The amygdala tells us to panic and suddenly it’s impossible to slow our thoughts or relax.<\/p>\n

Meditation takes us in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n

We are taking a few moments to practice having control over our thoughts.<\/p>\n

For first-timefight-or-flight meditators, especially anxious ones, this can be a difficult process. The mind may constantly try to wander away from the meditation.<\/p>\n

Over time, however, meditation becomes easier, as we learn how to better control our own thoughts and incorporate effective calming breathwork techniques<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Due to neuroplasticity, repeated instances of anxiety can lead to a more active amygdala, making us more prone to anxiety over time. Habitual meditation, however, can actually shrink the amygdala and<\/em> increase cortical thickness in the brain, making us less prone to anxiety and more receptive to the benefits of meditation over time. <\/strong>[1] [2] <\/a><\/p>\n

In other words, meditation gets easier and more effective the more you meditate, while training you to turn off your anxiety.<\/p>\n

The last thing an anxious person may want to try is sitting still with their thoughts, but it’s anxious people who can benefit the most from meditation.<\/p>\n

The 3 Meditation Myths<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve never meditated, chances are you might have some of the same hang-ups that I did before trying it. When most people think about meditation, they tend to think about ancient Buddhist monks and elusive mysticism. Skeptics might easily dismiss meditation as placebo, concluding that it just isn\u2019t for them.<\/p>\n

The sad fact is, meditation is one of the most poorly branded exercises to ever exist. If meditation had a PR and marketing team they\u2019d have been fired long ago. However, one must consider the fact that many health and fitness trends such as bodybuilding were also all but unheard of until the past few decades.<\/p>\n

Although it\u2019s had a slow and rocky start, meditation has finally begun to pick up steam in Western culture. It\u2019s finally getting the respect it deserves, and you\u2019d be doing yourself a disservice to overlook such a powerful mental resource and anxiety coping mechanism.<\/p>\n

But before we go any further, I\u2019d like to clear up a few of the biggest myths surrounding meditation \u2013 these are the things that I had wrong in the beginning.<\/p>\n

Myth #1 \u2013 Meditation is a Spiritual Practice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There was a time when I\u2019d have never considered trying meditation for anxiety.<\/p>\n

I used to think meditation was something for hippies and monks; not for people like me.<\/p>\n

As with practicing yoga for mental health<\/a>, many people have a hard time separating the spiritual from the physical when it comes to meditation. This can turn some people off right away so that they never experience the psychological benefits of meditation.<\/p>\n

But the fact of the matter is…<\/p>\n

Meditation is not<\/em><\/strong> just for those seeking spiritual or religious growth.<\/em><\/p>\n

Not even close.<\/p>\n

While true that many religions do incorporate meditation into their practices, meditation is by no means an innately religious act. <\/strong>Meditation is incredibly effective<\/em>, which is why so many different belief systems have found ways to intertwine various meditative acts into their rituals. But meditation in and of itself<\/em> can be an entirely secular act, without any spiritual connotations whatsoever.<\/p>\n

This article will only be referring to secular meditation \u2013 nothing spiritual or religious. You may certainly find ways to incorporate your own belief system if you choose, but this is not required to derive benefits. Anyone can meditate and experience real, tangible benefits over time, especially if they are meditating for anxiety relief.<\/p>\n

Myth #2 \u2013 Meditation Doesn\u2019t Work!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re naturally skeptical like myself, you may initially assume that meditation just doesn\u2019t work. When I first heard about meditation, a lot of the people I saw doing it were the same people adorning themselves with \u201chealing crystals\u201d and using homeopathic remedies; it immediately put me off.<\/p>\n

But, once you remove all the crazy pseudoscience tacked on by various subcultures, you\u2019re left with something that can actually bring scientifically measurable results. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 47 trials with 3515 participants concludes that meditation programs can result in reductions to multiple negative dimensions of psychological stress. [3]<\/a><\/p>\n

Studies consistently find meditation to be helpful for reducing anxiety symptoms. [4]<\/a><\/p>\n

Dismissing meditation as ineffective is just plain lazy. Scientific studies show time and time again that meditating for anxiety relief can be quite effective.<\/p>\n

Myth #3 \u2013 Meditation Just Isn\u2019t for Me<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Like I said before, I used to think that meditation was something reserved for hippies and monks; and I couldn\u2019t have been more wrong.<\/p>\n

Saying that meditation isn\u2019t for you is a lot like saying that physical exercise isn\u2019t for you. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Meditation is an irreplaceable practice that covers several vital aspects of your mental health. As far as I\u2019ve been able to tell, there really is no substitute or alternative capable of doing what meditation does for us.<\/p>\n

Large corporations<\/strong><\/a> and even the U.S. Military are taking advantage of meditation to increase cognitive resilience and performance while decreasing stress and anxiety. If that\u2019s not cool enough for you, check out the STRONG project<\/strong><\/a> to see how the military is using resilience training to provide soldiers with \u201cmental armor<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

If meditation is credible enough for organizations like Apple, Google, and the U.S. Army, it should certainly be credible enough for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After some trial and error with different forms<\/em> of meditation, you might conclude that a certain form<\/em> of meditation is not your favorite; much like someone might prefer running over weightlifting, or hiking over swimming. But, to dismiss all forms of meditation as a whole (especially before trying them) would be a mistake.<\/p>\n

Later in the article we will discuss some of the different types of meditation. You\u2019ll be able to experiment a bit and find exactly which form of meditation is<\/em> for you.<\/p>\n

Different Types of Meditations for Anxiety<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Meditation can be confusing at first since there are so many different forms of it.<\/p>\n

Just a quick Internet search can pull up hundreds of different types of meditations, all serving a different purpose. Some of these might include:<\/p>\n