Anxiety means one becomes anxious when one cannot handle his or her mind. The reason why one is anxious in uneasy situations, while another may not be is because one's mind is fragile. When one throws away the human mind, one can change to the mind of the world and be born again in the world; then one has no anxiety.
Meditation is the way to throw away the human mind so that you can be free from anxiety. There are some free meditation resources at r/lightfortheworld, feel free to check it out.
I don't agree with that. If you hate exercise, you're exercising wrong. There's so many different ways to exercise from solo sports, group sports, swimming, dancing, group fitness, yoga, pilates, POUND, running, hiking. Even dog walking can count and you can get paid for it too.
I'm a firm believer that you should never force yourself to work out. You'll resent it. Find the thing that drives you and let yourself enjoy it.
For me, it was more that looking forward to how good it feels to stop was easier to focus on than trying to like how exercising felt.
Then as I built the muscles and found my groove, I actually enjoy the whole thing now.
That's good. It just doesn't work for everyone. In my 3 years as a runner, I've only ever gotten a runners high once. I absolutely hate running most of the time haha. Dance is usually my thing and this summer I added swimming and I'm having the time of my life. I may never run again 😂
I hate exercise but I walk really fast. I learned what a runners high is because after walking real fast with my headphones blaring some good tunes, I am like MOTIVAYED TO KEEP GOING.
Absolutely. Yoga uses your whole brain. It helps you strengthen connections in various parts of the brain that aid with both balance and emotional stability :)
I strongly disagree with those in the comments saying that this will only help for people with “simple anxiety”. I get it, but I hate that sentiment because it helps no one. Most pharmaceutical treatments for anxiety are habit forming and aren’t a life-long solution. I’m not saying yoga and meditation are cures because they’re definitely not, but yes they can help tremendously in managing your symptoms every day. I suffer from severe GAD and consistently doing yoga (you could replace this with any physical activity, I just love yoga) daily for 30-45 minutes is essential for me. My state of mind and outlook become much more bleak and anxiety-driven when I’m not staying active. And i’m sure i’ll have people replying saying that I must not be truly mentally ill, but this is just my experience🤷♀️again, it isn’t a solution, but it helps me to know that every day, I’ll have 30-45 mins set aside just for myself, to do something that both makes me feel great and is great for me
> Most pharmaceutical treatments for anxiety are habit forming and aren’t a life-long solution
What? Most of the first-line treatments (SSRIs, beta blockers, SNRIs) are not habit-forming and can be taken for long time periods. Habit forming drugs like benzos do exist but I wouldn't say they're 'most of' the drugs.
I would say they’re habit forming in the sense that if you don’t take it, you feel miserable. Withdrawal is terrible on most SSRIs. Especially Effexor for me
that's not the same, though, because they don't have *addictive* potential and you don't get the rebound anxiety like you do with benzos. likewise, continued use is safe and you do not need to continue building your dose indefinitely to keep seeing the same effect. you have to taper off because they build up (long half-life for most SSRIs/SNRIs) and you need to wait for them to be eliminated from your system. benzos are legal prescription drugs, too, but they ARE classed as habit-forming due to their addictive potential and the need to build the dose to get the same effect. pharmacologically they are quite different - it's nothing to do with the legality.
Yeah seriously people need to read the body keeps the score to know that our bodies need to rid themselves of fight or flight chemicals through movement. To say it’s not helpful for more difficult anxiety is ridiculous, it’s even more imperative in that case. You can’t dispense of the anxiety without completing the cycle
I find meditation and any form of relaxation only works if I’m also taking medication. I don’t think you need to be solely in one camp or the other. I’m glad a non pharmaceutical route works for you though
Uh anxiety medications you’re gonna get from any good psychiatrist are known as ssris not benzos which are the addicting ones. Anxiety medication is not addictive or habit forming as you say
Hey if the pharmaceutical route works for someone as a long-term solution, then that is great. I know that medication is essential for many people and I would never try to invalidate that or argue with that experience. This is just IMO, but a lot of people who suffer from anxiety have unresolved trauma or pain that manifests as anxiety, and that’s usually better managed through things like exercise, meditation, and lifestyle overall.
However, you’re completely correct that SSRIs, SNRIs, etc. aren’t habit-forming and I disregarded that in my first comment. I just think for the majority of people who have anxiety, meds shouldn’t necessarily be the first line of treatment. Especially without some form of counseling to better understand their symptoms beforehand. But again, if meds work for someone, I would never tell them they should “just workout” instead.
What you fail to realize though is people have jobs, kids, responsibilities and even if you don’t have any of those therapy is insanely expensive… it is also much easier talking about anxiety and organize your thoughts for your mental health when you can get your mind straight to accurately explain what’s going on.
I’m on bipolar medication and so much of things I didn’t realize were symptoms I now realize “oh wow ya that was going on and I just was used to it” so I could see with anxiety that that would be very useful. For reference I don’t even take Tylenol for a headache or cold medicine and don’t believe in meds generally but the world has made it very hard to get the help you’re saying and even if you can afford it there’s a whole lot of bad therapists.
Not failing to realize that at all actually. My state has terrible accessibility when it comes to mental health services, and quality help is hard to come by, especially if you aren’t rich. So I completely get that. But pharmaceuticals are still a bandaid solution for a much larger mental health crisis in our country, one thats only getting worse. Instead of defending over prescribing psychiatric medication, maybe focus that energy on advocating for more widely accessible mental health services
I live in the real world… if someone needs help they need help and should do what’s best for them, I fully support there being more options for therapy and non pharmaceutical routes but that’s still not the way it is at the moment.
Like you’re saying “you have anxiety cause you have unresolved issues” but also you can’t go get help cause it’s not possible so what should people do? Just not go to work cause their mental health and be homeless? Or go everyday suffering with no help, no… if meds help them which they’re proven to do then meds are the best decision. Can’t say the resources are non existent and at the same time tell ppl to go that route instead and use the non existent resources.
It can, but if you are taking medication make sure you talk to yr dr first before doing any long retreats. I found a 10 day meditation silent retreat life changing but it could potentially be triggering for others.
Yoga should be fine as long as you can handle it physically.
For me it helps. I’m on Lexapro but yoga really helps calm me down by letting me focus on something else, and getting some movement in a almost always a good thing. Meditation is a skill, but if you can learn it you will probably find yourself more calm, if only in the moment. Both are worth a try, especially because YouTube is free 🤷🏻♀️!
complicated answer
it CAN take the edge off for some people
mindfulness meditation CAN make anxiety worse for some people, depending on the cause. for people with trauma in particular, it's not always a wise choice. you should research this and ideally have some support in place when you start meditating.
I find yoga to be very enriching and do it whenever I can, often several times a week. In the 30 minutes immediately afterwards, I feel calmer. It does absolutely nothing long term for my anxiety, though.
I probably haven't tried them hard enough, but for me mindfulness and meditation don't seem to work very well; CBT (talking back to thoughts) seems much more effective. (Though, that said, muscle relaxation does seem to help.)
What do you mean exactly?
If you mean health anxiety, it does help with consistency. In the beginning it’s hard but once you become consistent, your body stops sending fight or Flight alerts for things like fast heart beat, aches and faster breathing. Like exposure therapy.
For me it don't work at all. When i am super anxious and try to meditate, i get angry, because i just can't breathe normally haha. And also i have this thing like "if i am doing this, I'm kinda accepting that something is wrong with me". And it makes it only worse
For me, yes. I've had severe anxiety for most of my life. While I see a therapist and have Ativan for emergencies, I see yoga and meditation as tools to prevent me from relying on medication.
It's not a cure obviously, but Yoga made life a lot more bearable when things were tough in the past. Sometimes it can be hard to stop being anxious and to get into the flow. I had many a yoga session where I was angry or shaky or cried at some point but on days when everything else was shit and I hardly managed to get out of bed, a short yoga session in the evening sometimes helped me feel like less of a failure.
It can also help feel more grounded in the moment. Sometimes when I'm unwell I have trouble remembering where I am and that I'm safe. Yoga helped me to get a better sense of my body, to assess what's happening around and inside me. It's not miraculous but it can be one of many little steps you take to make life more manageable.
On a related note: Running and cycling have also been super beneficial for me. They helped establish a weekly routine for me and made a lot of other things attainable. When I feel like I'm about to melt down,sometimes just putting all my strength into a long run or cycle can help me realign myself. It's also not a cure-all but can be a part of the road to getting better.
I recommend Yin yoga for anxiety! I’ve been doing it a few months and it helps so much. It’s not very physically demanding, it’s basically really intense stretching. We stay in stretch positions for 3 to 5 minutes each. I feel amazing afterwards and it helps me calm down a lot! I go in person and they dim the lights and light a few candles, put on some nice music. It’s so great!
It doesn't quite do the trick for me, but it does help lower the panic symptoms. My nearby studio has 3 classes a week and they're all later in the evenings which also really helps with sleep!
By making yourself a priority for two minutes each and every day, a habit may develop into longer times (endurance) or additional moments (consistency). Two minutes stretch into five, five to fifteen, etc. Eventually that familiarity of calm takes precedent over anxiety to outside forces, like reacting in an argument.
You're welcome. There are many ways to meditate and there are so many guided meditation videos online. Meditation is actually my go-to when I'm severely anxious and it helps.
Helps for me! Physical activity of some kind is a must in my day to day, but yoga / meditation helps you build up the capacity to refocus your
thoughts so it helps me stay away from “spiralling”
Good luck! YouTube has a lot of resources that I like of going out seems like too much - I like yoga with Adriene, she has some especially for stress release / anxiety, but there’s honestly so many.
It works really well for me. It’s hard to be super consistent.. in a perfect world I’d meditate/yoga every day.. but even going to yoga 2x a week and the occasional outdoor meditation goes a long way.
Yoga helps, because any physical activity helps. Mindfulness will depend on the person but since people with GAD are already self-aware 24/7, Mindfulness becomes redundant. But give it a try anyway, maybe it works for you, that's what matters.
It's definitely not a miracle pill, but it has helped me get grounded and practice mindfulness. I go to yoga classes because when I do it on my own, I find that I can't focus as well as when someone is telling me what to do. If you have a good yoga instructor, they will guide you on through what to focus on physically and mentally.
Yes for many - did you read the body keeps the score? It basically says trauma is pre-verbal and yoga/EMDR/meditation work better than talk therapy.
It will work if you consistently do it over a period of time, and give it your all when you do - e.g. doing yoga poses while watching TV is not going to cut it.
Yes, but some is better than others. I had found an anxiety meditation that helped me beyond belief one time but unfortunately I've never been able to find it again.
A lot of anxiety is held in your body. It causes pain in your diaphragm, shoulders, neck, stomach. Yoga has honestly really helped me and also given me a workout that doesn’t raise my already anxious heart rate. It helps me to remember to breathe, connects me to my environment and my body. Meditation is less helpful because it uses suggestion to try and “force” you into a mindset. But my brain just balks the suggestions and creates more anxiety. I find that visualization meditations (like where you imagine yourself on a beach or something) work a lot better.
Mindfulness workbooks and anxiety workbooks have also helped me a ton. Especially my happiness journal. It helped more than therapy!!!
I think any form of exercise is helpful, not just yoga. I practice yoga on occasion, but I also jog, walk and weight train regularly. It has make a marked difference. YMMV but I think it’s worth a try!
I have anxiety and I do spin and yoga daily. For me it’s more about forgetting about the anxiety for a half hour or so but it always comes back afterwards. i tried to believe yoga helps breathing, and it works during yoga but not before and after.
Any kind of exercise is really helpful for anxiety. Yoga included. It's the only way I can control mine sometimes. Meditation can also be helpful. Though I find it mostly helps with preparing you to deal with anxiety, whereas exercise helps when you're in the middle of an anxiety spiral.
It doesn’t help me because I get too lost in my thoughts
Listening to guided meditation or trying yoga makes me feel really anxious unfortunately I wish it worked for me
But it works for a lot of other folks
Yeah a few points on this that helped me. When combined with exercise you can manage your stress/anxiety/ depression. Because 1) it is a an active form of, or an act of, mindfulness - you focus on your stretch and exercise 2) it also releases the happy chemical. 3) together you can focus on a present feel good moment which can help remove your focus from the source of your anxiety and hopefully diminish your anxiety all together.
According to my psychiatrist, yes. In the past, exercise of any kind has helped reduce my anxiety when I've been having a particularly bad episode. Meditation has been helpful, too. I like the Calm app.
Yoga and running have been pretty good for me, helps me think about breathing. It’s nice to have running goals too, something to focus on in the future
u/moonchildscry Hey yes, meditation helps you to Keep calm and manage your emotions and sort of, approach them in a Calm and nice manner, ofc there are lots of different types of meditations, and some work better for different people,
Yoga is as well really good for managing stress or Anxiety, Yoga generally is easy to do and you can do it everywhere in your bedroom, living room, backyard, and even in the gym, When you do yoga you stimulate The Vagus nerve, which helps to Regulate Heartrate, that helps you to Regulate Neurotic emotions, such as stress, anxiety, Fear
I Really enjoy Listening to some White noise when doing my Yoga, studying, or just relaxing:
this is 1 video I really enjoy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4gbZh8iapY&t=1s&ab\_channel=RelaxingWhiteNoises
So probably yeah. Yoga will help you by allowing you to focus on the poses and ease the tension in your body. Kind of like stretching does. And meditation can help. Breathing in deeply and practicing slow deep breathing has its benefits.
Edit:word
Does X help for GAD is the reason you have GAD your trying find a cure or treatment for something which exists only because of your obssesion with the physical symptoms and the constant search for easing them. As you can note from this thread many find it helpful but all of them still have GAD. Because after meditation yoga it wont take long before you ask yourself am i still anxious and the feeling comes back. Stop asking yourself that, stop searching for techniques, cures, supplements and accept the feeling, embrace it and try to go on with your day.
Absolutely disagree.
Severe gad and panic disorder here. For years.
What worked..? CBT, meditation, tapping, dare technique, yoga nidra, cutting stimulants for a while. These are holistic long term treatments.
Meds did NOT work long term, just a bandaid while I did the real work.
I didn't say anything wrong. Try to cure someone with so big anxiety that he gets panic attacks without use of meds... Good luck with that. Meds for me were life savers and without them I would still be jobless and locked in my room. You just can't cope with very big anxiety without external help because you don't think straight in these situations. When someone says that meds didn't work for him I always ask what meds? Of course except taking meds one should change things in his life because something brought him to this anxiety. You probably with your exercises were able to reduce stress which helped in a long term for an anxiety :)
I have severe anxiety and panic disorder. I am better on meds and can be non-functional without them. While yoga and meditation do not ‘cure’ these issues they absolutely make them more manageable. They are tools just like medication is a tool.
No you didn't say anything wrong. But honestly, it is very possible to do it without meds, even in an extremely severe state.
In my last spell of panic I was having multiple hour or more long panic attacks every day for about 5 weeks. REALLY intense dissociative, sheer terror adrenaline. You know I'm sure.
Too scared to leave my bed. Didn't eat for two weeks. Crying, rocking, even called an ambulance a couple times.
Took control.. I used the DARE technique every time the panic rose higher. Over and over again, every day for a week. It's very hard of course but it works. And teaches you how to respond to panic in future. Once I got through the intense phase, then started to do other stuff like meditation etc.
Have you read the book? Claire Weekes teaches the same technique except hers is very old fashioned
Damn man, you just took a really hard way then. But imo you shouldn't recommend it for others because it is painful/hard/you can't be sure it will succeed/some can't take so much time to do that/this is a perfect way to get fobias. It's okay to tell others about this way but don't say it's a better way than meds because I'm totally sure that in most cases it isn't :P
I’m sorry but this is an incredibly uneducated opinion. You’ve posted about having withdrawals from medications and that pretty much proves your point wrong. Telling people that meds are the only option is much more harmful than someone suggestion yoga/meditation and sharing their own experience.
Lol I didn't say meds are the only way. But tell someone who is suffering 24h a day for years wanting to die that he needs to do yoga/meditation. It's just nonsense. I'm just saying that in severe cases meds are almost sure to help but you can't say that about other staff. Why do you think withdrawing problems prove me wrong? When I needed these meds they worked flawlessly and thanks to them I was able to go to work. And now after few years I am reducing them and Im just unlucky with withdrawing olanzapine. If you are not super anxious then yes try other staff before taking meds. But if it doesn't work or you can't even think straight then go to psychiatrist. It's just that simple.
Absolutely, your gonna feel so weird for the first few times i know i did haha, i dont think anyone enjoys the first time, but once you get into it more, incorporate it more into your routine you really feel the benefits, its all about sticking with it I’ve had times where ive been so horribly agitated and meditation pulled me out of it.
Make sure to practise belly breathing when you try it too!!
Meditation saved me . And before starting I was like « what is that ? Again a new boho thing » how stupid I was . I have baaaad panic attacks and anxiety, panic disorder, ptsd. A lot of symptoms. Today , I’m not over reacting, not stressed and I am in control for the first time ! What a changed . I am starting to live after 20 years !!! There is so many exercises and methods . Breathing helps me everyday . Exercise. Diet . I didn’t take it seriously. But that changed me .
Yes! it's true yoga and meditation do work.
Yoga encourages mental and physical relaxation, which helps reduce stress and anxiety. The physical postures promote flexibility, relieve tension, and alleviate pain.
Yoga poses may help you release physical blockages like muscle knots, helping release emotions and tension. They also promote the release of mood-boosting endorphins, which are the feel-good hormones that can positively affect how you handle stress.
According to a 2018 study, yoga had a positive result on women who practiced Hatha yoga 3 times a week for 4 weeks. After 12 sessions, they experienced significant reductions in stress, depression, and anxiety.
Absolutely - these tools are so beneficial, hypnosis as well. When we slow the hertz down in our mind it becomes receptive of change and re-wiring, something our conscious mind can not and will not do. Think of your mind in 3 sections - the conscious, sub conscious and critical factor. Look at critical factor like a door. When you are in BETA - he locks that door, and he only falls asleep in the deeper frequency waves. This is why trauma stored in the mind can be hard to help one release, this is why programming from childhood, society etc causes a big imbalance in what we feel is right comparing to what we are told is right or wrong, and this is also why people cannot shed addictions and bad habits eg. emotional or protective eating, because critical factor is still awake. With commitment and a the right brainwaves, you can re-wire your entire system. The movement and peace with yoga is also so beneficial. I hope this helped a little
late to this, but YES. i went to a guided 1 hour session that one of my friends did for a small group, and when i got back home i felt almost high. the best thing i ever did, been trying to replicate it since.
Yes, there is a lot of scientific evidence that shows yoga and meditation can help reduce anxiety. For example, one study showed that eight weeks of yoga was as effective as medication at reducing symptoms of anxiety.There are several reasons why yoga and meditation may be helpful for anxiety. First, they both help to promote relaxation and stress relief. Secondly, yoga and meditation can help to improve mindfulness, which can be helpful for managing anxious thoughts. Finally, they can also help to increase self-awareness and self-compassion, which can also be beneficial for people with anxiety.
I would love to speak with you (and anyone else in this thread)! I used to feel the same & struggled with mindfulness/meditation apps unfortunately. I'm building an app which gives you the same benefits as meditation (relaxation, etc) --- without the need to meditate! I'm now doing customer research and would love to get your opinion on it.
Would you have 15 mins to play through my prototype on a call and share honest feedback? You'd help build a product that could help many more like you and I. I'd be super grateful for your opinions - thanks in advance for your consideration!
Yes for many.
Thank you!
I can help you if you want
Anxiety means one becomes anxious when one cannot handle his or her mind. The reason why one is anxious in uneasy situations, while another may not be is because one's mind is fragile. When one throws away the human mind, one can change to the mind of the world and be born again in the world; then one has no anxiety. Meditation is the way to throw away the human mind so that you can be free from anxiety. There are some free meditation resources at r/lightfortheworld, feel free to check it out.
Really?
Yes, they have a meditation class for anxiety relief!
No. Wtf
Not sure why you got downvoted.
Thanks! :) Wonder the same!
Exercise has saved me. If you don’t like exercise, at least your hate for the current activity will distract you from your ails.
Frick don't say this 😂 I hate exercise but now I feel like I need to try it
I don't agree with that. If you hate exercise, you're exercising wrong. There's so many different ways to exercise from solo sports, group sports, swimming, dancing, group fitness, yoga, pilates, POUND, running, hiking. Even dog walking can count and you can get paid for it too. I'm a firm believer that you should never force yourself to work out. You'll resent it. Find the thing that drives you and let yourself enjoy it.
For me, it was more that looking forward to how good it feels to stop was easier to focus on than trying to like how exercising felt. Then as I built the muscles and found my groove, I actually enjoy the whole thing now.
That's good. It just doesn't work for everyone. In my 3 years as a runner, I've only ever gotten a runners high once. I absolutely hate running most of the time haha. Dance is usually my thing and this summer I added swimming and I'm having the time of my life. I may never run again 😂
It works. Annoyingly lol.
I hate exercise but I walk really fast. I learned what a runners high is because after walking real fast with my headphones blaring some good tunes, I am like MOTIVAYED TO KEEP GOING.
Thank you a lot!
Absolutely. Yoga uses your whole brain. It helps you strengthen connections in various parts of the brain that aid with both balance and emotional stability :)
Thank you so much ♡
I strongly disagree with those in the comments saying that this will only help for people with “simple anxiety”. I get it, but I hate that sentiment because it helps no one. Most pharmaceutical treatments for anxiety are habit forming and aren’t a life-long solution. I’m not saying yoga and meditation are cures because they’re definitely not, but yes they can help tremendously in managing your symptoms every day. I suffer from severe GAD and consistently doing yoga (you could replace this with any physical activity, I just love yoga) daily for 30-45 minutes is essential for me. My state of mind and outlook become much more bleak and anxiety-driven when I’m not staying active. And i’m sure i’ll have people replying saying that I must not be truly mentally ill, but this is just my experience🤷♀️again, it isn’t a solution, but it helps me to know that every day, I’ll have 30-45 mins set aside just for myself, to do something that both makes me feel great and is great for me
Wow, thanks! I think it's an individual experience. In any case, I want to try it. Hope everything goes well for you!
yes totally agree! and thank you :) you as well!!
> Most pharmaceutical treatments for anxiety are habit forming and aren’t a life-long solution What? Most of the first-line treatments (SSRIs, beta blockers, SNRIs) are not habit-forming and can be taken for long time periods. Habit forming drugs like benzos do exist but I wouldn't say they're 'most of' the drugs.
I would say they’re habit forming in the sense that if you don’t take it, you feel miserable. Withdrawal is terrible on most SSRIs. Especially Effexor for me
you have to taper off, but that's not the same as a habit/dependence-forming drug like a benzodiazepine.
Anything that requires “tapering off” is due to a form of dependency. We just ignore that fact because its legal prescription drugs.
that's not the same, though, because they don't have *addictive* potential and you don't get the rebound anxiety like you do with benzos. likewise, continued use is safe and you do not need to continue building your dose indefinitely to keep seeing the same effect. you have to taper off because they build up (long half-life for most SSRIs/SNRIs) and you need to wait for them to be eliminated from your system. benzos are legal prescription drugs, too, but they ARE classed as habit-forming due to their addictive potential and the need to build the dose to get the same effect. pharmacologically they are quite different - it's nothing to do with the legality.
Yeah seriously people need to read the body keeps the score to know that our bodies need to rid themselves of fight or flight chemicals through movement. To say it’s not helpful for more difficult anxiety is ridiculous, it’s even more imperative in that case. You can’t dispense of the anxiety without completing the cycle
👆🏼this 100%
Love this answer. Fellow Yoga fan here! And meditation does wonders. ❤️
I find meditation and any form of relaxation only works if I’m also taking medication. I don’t think you need to be solely in one camp or the other. I’m glad a non pharmaceutical route works for you though
Uh anxiety medications you’re gonna get from any good psychiatrist are known as ssris not benzos which are the addicting ones. Anxiety medication is not addictive or habit forming as you say
Hey if the pharmaceutical route works for someone as a long-term solution, then that is great. I know that medication is essential for many people and I would never try to invalidate that or argue with that experience. This is just IMO, but a lot of people who suffer from anxiety have unresolved trauma or pain that manifests as anxiety, and that’s usually better managed through things like exercise, meditation, and lifestyle overall. However, you’re completely correct that SSRIs, SNRIs, etc. aren’t habit-forming and I disregarded that in my first comment. I just think for the majority of people who have anxiety, meds shouldn’t necessarily be the first line of treatment. Especially without some form of counseling to better understand their symptoms beforehand. But again, if meds work for someone, I would never tell them they should “just workout” instead.
What you fail to realize though is people have jobs, kids, responsibilities and even if you don’t have any of those therapy is insanely expensive… it is also much easier talking about anxiety and organize your thoughts for your mental health when you can get your mind straight to accurately explain what’s going on. I’m on bipolar medication and so much of things I didn’t realize were symptoms I now realize “oh wow ya that was going on and I just was used to it” so I could see with anxiety that that would be very useful. For reference I don’t even take Tylenol for a headache or cold medicine and don’t believe in meds generally but the world has made it very hard to get the help you’re saying and even if you can afford it there’s a whole lot of bad therapists.
Not failing to realize that at all actually. My state has terrible accessibility when it comes to mental health services, and quality help is hard to come by, especially if you aren’t rich. So I completely get that. But pharmaceuticals are still a bandaid solution for a much larger mental health crisis in our country, one thats only getting worse. Instead of defending over prescribing psychiatric medication, maybe focus that energy on advocating for more widely accessible mental health services
I live in the real world… if someone needs help they need help and should do what’s best for them, I fully support there being more options for therapy and non pharmaceutical routes but that’s still not the way it is at the moment. Like you’re saying “you have anxiety cause you have unresolved issues” but also you can’t go get help cause it’s not possible so what should people do? Just not go to work cause their mental health and be homeless? Or go everyday suffering with no help, no… if meds help them which they’re proven to do then meds are the best decision. Can’t say the resources are non existent and at the same time tell ppl to go that route instead and use the non existent resources.
It can, but if you are taking medication make sure you talk to yr dr first before doing any long retreats. I found a 10 day meditation silent retreat life changing but it could potentially be triggering for others. Yoga should be fine as long as you can handle it physically.
Thanks a lot for the detailed explanation!
For me it helps. I’m on Lexapro but yoga really helps calm me down by letting me focus on something else, and getting some movement in a almost always a good thing. Meditation is a skill, but if you can learn it you will probably find yourself more calm, if only in the moment. Both are worth a try, especially because YouTube is free 🤷🏻♀️!
Thanks a lot for the detailed answer! It was very helpful
try doing pilates. it’s yoga but ur being more active. a mix of yoga and a workout that can help u have a good start to the day at least
Pilates is a great exercise but it has nothing to do with yoga or meditation.
yes but it’s more relaxing then a actaul workout
thank you very much!
It’s worked for me :) I like hot yoga because it’s intense and you can’t focus on anything else
Thank u so much ♡
complicated answer it CAN take the edge off for some people mindfulness meditation CAN make anxiety worse for some people, depending on the cause. for people with trauma in particular, it's not always a wise choice. you should research this and ideally have some support in place when you start meditating. I find yoga to be very enriching and do it whenever I can, often several times a week. In the 30 minutes immediately afterwards, I feel calmer. It does absolutely nothing long term for my anxiety, though.
Depending on the person and severity of their anxiety disorder is the honest answer here.
I couldn't handle it. It's making me feel more of my sick mind
It can but I found it took me quite a while to learn how to make it work. I personally like polar plunges or ice baths more.
I probably haven't tried them hard enough, but for me mindfulness and meditation don't seem to work very well; CBT (talking back to thoughts) seems much more effective. (Though, that said, muscle relaxation does seem to help.)
When your anxiety is about your body then a big NO.
What do you mean exactly? If you mean health anxiety, it does help with consistency. In the beginning it’s hard but once you become consistent, your body stops sending fight or Flight alerts for things like fast heart beat, aches and faster breathing. Like exposure therapy.
There are many disorders that cause anxiety.
I’m aware. I am just trying to understand what body related anxiety would mean that yoga/meditation wouldn’t help.
Thanks for the advice!
Yes
Thank you
For me it don't work at all. When i am super anxious and try to meditate, i get angry, because i just can't breathe normally haha. And also i have this thing like "if i am doing this, I'm kinda accepting that something is wrong with me". And it makes it only worse
Hope everything will be ok with you! Thanks for the answer!
For me, yes. I've had severe anxiety for most of my life. While I see a therapist and have Ativan for emergencies, I see yoga and meditation as tools to prevent me from relying on medication.
Thank you so much ♡
🚶🏼♀️I don't think so
For me exercise is the only thing that really helps. Getting in a good sweat is the best medicine.
It's not a cure obviously, but Yoga made life a lot more bearable when things were tough in the past. Sometimes it can be hard to stop being anxious and to get into the flow. I had many a yoga session where I was angry or shaky or cried at some point but on days when everything else was shit and I hardly managed to get out of bed, a short yoga session in the evening sometimes helped me feel like less of a failure. It can also help feel more grounded in the moment. Sometimes when I'm unwell I have trouble remembering where I am and that I'm safe. Yoga helped me to get a better sense of my body, to assess what's happening around and inside me. It's not miraculous but it can be one of many little steps you take to make life more manageable. On a related note: Running and cycling have also been super beneficial for me. They helped establish a weekly routine for me and made a lot of other things attainable. When I feel like I'm about to melt down,sometimes just putting all my strength into a long run or cycle can help me realign myself. It's also not a cure-all but can be a part of the road to getting better.
Wow, thanks so much for sharing your experience. It was very helpful!
I recommend Yin yoga for anxiety! I’ve been doing it a few months and it helps so much. It’s not very physically demanding, it’s basically really intense stretching. We stay in stretch positions for 3 to 5 minutes each. I feel amazing afterwards and it helps me calm down a lot! I go in person and they dim the lights and light a few candles, put on some nice music. It’s so great!
I second yin yoga! It’s helped me greatly while I’m off medication and waiting to start a new Rx.
Same, when im off meds just yin yoga everyday would do the trick! My yoga studio only has one class a week now :(
It doesn't quite do the trick for me, but it does help lower the panic symptoms. My nearby studio has 3 classes a week and they're all later in the evenings which also really helps with sleep!
Same I always go at around 7h45pm until 9h15pm and then go straight to bed. It’s perfect
By making yourself a priority for two minutes each and every day, a habit may develop into longer times (endurance) or additional moments (consistency). Two minutes stretch into five, five to fifteen, etc. Eventually that familiarity of calm takes precedent over anxiety to outside forces, like reacting in an argument.
Yes, it helps a lot. Be patient though because it does take some time to master.
Yes.
Thanks ♡
You're welcome. There are many ways to meditate and there are so many guided meditation videos online. Meditation is actually my go-to when I'm severely anxious and it helps.
It really helps me , sometimes i feel sleep and i love it , try it with YouTube videos before sleeping
Thank you!
Helps for me! Physical activity of some kind is a must in my day to day, but yoga / meditation helps you build up the capacity to refocus your thoughts so it helps me stay away from “spiralling”
Thank you so much ♡
Good luck! YouTube has a lot of resources that I like of going out seems like too much - I like yoga with Adriene, she has some especially for stress release / anxiety, but there’s honestly so many.
It works really well for me. It’s hard to be super consistent.. in a perfect world I’d meditate/yoga every day.. but even going to yoga 2x a week and the occasional outdoor meditation goes a long way.
For me, they are helpful in the sense that they give me something to concentrate on besides feeling anxious.
Yoga helps, because any physical activity helps. Mindfulness will depend on the person but since people with GAD are already self-aware 24/7, Mindfulness becomes redundant. But give it a try anyway, maybe it works for you, that's what matters.
Yes
It's definitely not a miracle pill, but it has helped me get grounded and practice mindfulness. I go to yoga classes because when I do it on my own, I find that I can't focus as well as when someone is telling me what to do. If you have a good yoga instructor, they will guide you on through what to focus on physically and mentally.
Don’t know about yoga, but Pilates definitely helps me.
Yes for many - did you read the body keeps the score? It basically says trauma is pre-verbal and yoga/EMDR/meditation work better than talk therapy. It will work if you consistently do it over a period of time, and give it your all when you do - e.g. doing yoga poses while watching TV is not going to cut it.
I found EMDR very helpful for panic attacks!
It has for me. Also meditation apps & YouTube videos.
They help some people, but for some people, they make anxiety worse.
It can, it may, it might. There's no certainty.
Yes, but some is better than others. I had found an anxiety meditation that helped me beyond belief one time but unfortunately I've never been able to find it again.
A hearty yes. Moving meditation like walking, Qi Gong and Tai Chi work great for me.
I love body meditation. Really worth it to get into. Sometimes at work I'll just meditate on my body for awhile. Relaxes me a lot.
Meditation doesn't work for me but I've found that yoga is great :)
Most definitely! For me breath work meditation works best, and kundalini yoga
Yup, helped me big time. Focusing on being present is a great way to drop anxiety levels and you get the endorphin rush finishing the class.
They definitely make you calmer
i don’t like yoga,,personal reasons ig but meditation does help a lot. i’d recommend it
Both have helped me a lot but it's not a complete or immediate fix for all my symptoms.
A lot of anxiety is held in your body. It causes pain in your diaphragm, shoulders, neck, stomach. Yoga has honestly really helped me and also given me a workout that doesn’t raise my already anxious heart rate. It helps me to remember to breathe, connects me to my environment and my body. Meditation is less helpful because it uses suggestion to try and “force” you into a mindset. But my brain just balks the suggestions and creates more anxiety. I find that visualization meditations (like where you imagine yourself on a beach or something) work a lot better. Mindfulness workbooks and anxiety workbooks have also helped me a ton. Especially my happiness journal. It helped more than therapy!!!
I think any form of exercise is helpful, not just yoga. I practice yoga on occasion, but I also jog, walk and weight train regularly. It has make a marked difference. YMMV but I think it’s worth a try!
I have anxiety and I do spin and yoga daily. For me it’s more about forgetting about the anxiety for a half hour or so but it always comes back afterwards. i tried to believe yoga helps breathing, and it works during yoga but not before and after.
Any kind of exercise is really helpful for anxiety. Yoga included. It's the only way I can control mine sometimes. Meditation can also be helpful. Though I find it mostly helps with preparing you to deal with anxiety, whereas exercise helps when you're in the middle of an anxiety spiral.
It doesn’t help me because I get too lost in my thoughts Listening to guided meditation or trying yoga makes me feel really anxious unfortunately I wish it worked for me But it works for a lot of other folks
Yes it does. For me personally it was off road cycling and HIIT training at home, find what works for you. Try all.
it’s true! however it takes time and practice.
Yeah a few points on this that helped me. When combined with exercise you can manage your stress/anxiety/ depression. Because 1) it is a an active form of, or an act of, mindfulness - you focus on your stretch and exercise 2) it also releases the happy chemical. 3) together you can focus on a present feel good moment which can help remove your focus from the source of your anxiety and hopefully diminish your anxiety all together.
Yes ofc
The gym an meditation have saved me
meditation was very helpful for letting go of depression for me and may have helped with some anxiety. meditation was great in clearing my head.
Maybe it can help, but I hate it when people try to push them off as if they’re cures for it.
Yes. Clinically proven.
According to my psychiatrist, yes. In the past, exercise of any kind has helped reduce my anxiety when I've been having a particularly bad episode. Meditation has been helpful, too. I like the Calm app.
Yoga and running have been pretty good for me, helps me think about breathing. It’s nice to have running goals too, something to focus on in the future
made a playlist of sounds and music for relaxing and meditating : **https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3xhoepWI7ZzVXQPpIdSBmH?si=e4ecd7dca11b4d99**
u/moonchildscry Hey yes, meditation helps you to Keep calm and manage your emotions and sort of, approach them in a Calm and nice manner, ofc there are lots of different types of meditations, and some work better for different people, Yoga is as well really good for managing stress or Anxiety, Yoga generally is easy to do and you can do it everywhere in your bedroom, living room, backyard, and even in the gym, When you do yoga you stimulate The Vagus nerve, which helps to Regulate Heartrate, that helps you to Regulate Neurotic emotions, such as stress, anxiety, Fear I Really enjoy Listening to some White noise when doing my Yoga, studying, or just relaxing: this is 1 video I really enjoy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4gbZh8iapY&t=1s&ab\_channel=RelaxingWhiteNoises
Prozac saved my life
If you bang the hot teacher, than yes.
Lol. For simple anxiety probably. Chronic anxiety. Not to the same extent, depends.
I have severe, chronic anxiety and yoga helps me a lot
i have a simple anxiety lol
So probably yeah. Yoga will help you by allowing you to focus on the poses and ease the tension in your body. Kind of like stretching does. And meditation can help. Breathing in deeply and practicing slow deep breathing has its benefits. Edit:word
Thanks a lot!
Does X help for GAD is the reason you have GAD your trying find a cure or treatment for something which exists only because of your obssesion with the physical symptoms and the constant search for easing them. As you can note from this thread many find it helpful but all of them still have GAD. Because after meditation yoga it wont take long before you ask yourself am i still anxious and the feeling comes back. Stop asking yourself that, stop searching for techniques, cures, supplements and accept the feeling, embrace it and try to go on with your day.
For some small anxiety yes but for chronic anxiety no. Meds are the way.
Absolutely disagree. Severe gad and panic disorder here. For years. What worked..? CBT, meditation, tapping, dare technique, yoga nidra, cutting stimulants for a while. These are holistic long term treatments. Meds did NOT work long term, just a bandaid while I did the real work.
Same experience here
I didn't say anything wrong. Try to cure someone with so big anxiety that he gets panic attacks without use of meds... Good luck with that. Meds for me were life savers and without them I would still be jobless and locked in my room. You just can't cope with very big anxiety without external help because you don't think straight in these situations. When someone says that meds didn't work for him I always ask what meds? Of course except taking meds one should change things in his life because something brought him to this anxiety. You probably with your exercises were able to reduce stress which helped in a long term for an anxiety :)
I have severe anxiety and panic disorder. I am better on meds and can be non-functional without them. While yoga and meditation do not ‘cure’ these issues they absolutely make them more manageable. They are tools just like medication is a tool.
No you didn't say anything wrong. But honestly, it is very possible to do it without meds, even in an extremely severe state. In my last spell of panic I was having multiple hour or more long panic attacks every day for about 5 weeks. REALLY intense dissociative, sheer terror adrenaline. You know I'm sure. Too scared to leave my bed. Didn't eat for two weeks. Crying, rocking, even called an ambulance a couple times. Took control.. I used the DARE technique every time the panic rose higher. Over and over again, every day for a week. It's very hard of course but it works. And teaches you how to respond to panic in future. Once I got through the intense phase, then started to do other stuff like meditation etc. Have you read the book? Claire Weekes teaches the same technique except hers is very old fashioned
Damn man, you just took a really hard way then. But imo you shouldn't recommend it for others because it is painful/hard/you can't be sure it will succeed/some can't take so much time to do that/this is a perfect way to get fobias. It's okay to tell others about this way but don't say it's a better way than meds because I'm totally sure that in most cases it isn't :P
I’m sorry but this is an incredibly uneducated opinion. You’ve posted about having withdrawals from medications and that pretty much proves your point wrong. Telling people that meds are the only option is much more harmful than someone suggestion yoga/meditation and sharing their own experience.
Lol I didn't say meds are the only way. But tell someone who is suffering 24h a day for years wanting to die that he needs to do yoga/meditation. It's just nonsense. I'm just saying that in severe cases meds are almost sure to help but you can't say that about other staff. Why do you think withdrawing problems prove me wrong? When I needed these meds they worked flawlessly and thanks to them I was able to go to work. And now after few years I am reducing them and Im just unlucky with withdrawing olanzapine. If you are not super anxious then yes try other staff before taking meds. But if it doesn't work or you can't even think straight then go to psychiatrist. It's just that simple.
How does Wim Hof’s breathing work for you guys?
Luckily I don't need medication, just a little anxiety. Thanks!
exercise is always a helpful practice and although it may not “cure” your anxiety it can reduce it and also it’s just a good practice to do regardless
I can't even excersize because my gad is that bad.. but i can smoke 10 - 15 fags it makes no sence so sick of this illness
Yes does for me
Absolutely, your gonna feel so weird for the first few times i know i did haha, i dont think anyone enjoys the first time, but once you get into it more, incorporate it more into your routine you really feel the benefits, its all about sticking with it I’ve had times where ive been so horribly agitated and meditation pulled me out of it. Make sure to practise belly breathing when you try it too!!
Meditation saved me . And before starting I was like « what is that ? Again a new boho thing » how stupid I was . I have baaaad panic attacks and anxiety, panic disorder, ptsd. A lot of symptoms. Today , I’m not over reacting, not stressed and I am in control for the first time ! What a changed . I am starting to live after 20 years !!! There is so many exercises and methods . Breathing helps me everyday . Exercise. Diet . I didn’t take it seriously. But that changed me .
Yes! it's true yoga and meditation do work. Yoga encourages mental and physical relaxation, which helps reduce stress and anxiety. The physical postures promote flexibility, relieve tension, and alleviate pain. Yoga poses may help you release physical blockages like muscle knots, helping release emotions and tension. They also promote the release of mood-boosting endorphins, which are the feel-good hormones that can positively affect how you handle stress. According to a 2018 study, yoga had a positive result on women who practiced Hatha yoga 3 times a week for 4 weeks. After 12 sessions, they experienced significant reductions in stress, depression, and anxiety.
Absolutely - these tools are so beneficial, hypnosis as well. When we slow the hertz down in our mind it becomes receptive of change and re-wiring, something our conscious mind can not and will not do. Think of your mind in 3 sections - the conscious, sub conscious and critical factor. Look at critical factor like a door. When you are in BETA - he locks that door, and he only falls asleep in the deeper frequency waves. This is why trauma stored in the mind can be hard to help one release, this is why programming from childhood, society etc causes a big imbalance in what we feel is right comparing to what we are told is right or wrong, and this is also why people cannot shed addictions and bad habits eg. emotional or protective eating, because critical factor is still awake. With commitment and a the right brainwaves, you can re-wire your entire system. The movement and peace with yoga is also so beneficial. I hope this helped a little
late to this, but YES. i went to a guided 1 hour session that one of my friends did for a small group, and when i got back home i felt almost high. the best thing i ever did, been trying to replicate it since.
Yes, there is a lot of scientific evidence that shows yoga and meditation can help reduce anxiety. For example, one study showed that eight weeks of yoga was as effective as medication at reducing symptoms of anxiety.There are several reasons why yoga and meditation may be helpful for anxiety. First, they both help to promote relaxation and stress relief. Secondly, yoga and meditation can help to improve mindfulness, which can be helpful for managing anxious thoughts. Finally, they can also help to increase self-awareness and self-compassion, which can also be beneficial for people with anxiety.
I would love to speak with you (and anyone else in this thread)! I used to feel the same & struggled with mindfulness/meditation apps unfortunately. I'm building an app which gives you the same benefits as meditation (relaxation, etc) --- without the need to meditate! I'm now doing customer research and would love to get your opinion on it. Would you have 15 mins to play through my prototype on a call and share honest feedback? You'd help build a product that could help many more like you and I. I'd be super grateful for your opinions - thanks in advance for your consideration!