7 Highly-Effective Tips To Help You Banish Anxiety By Developing A Quiet Mind
Life has a million ways to make you turn into an anxious mess…
And regardless of the causes, it is quite possible that your mind is in overdrive while you’re waiting for total catastrophe to befall you.
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental illnesses for people worldwide and like so many others looking for relief, you may have tried helping yourself through medication. But even though anxiety drugs can help to an extent, this comes at a price in the form of side effects that include decreased libido, trouble sleeping, jumpiness, increased hunger, and more.
Thankfully, there are other ways besides stuffing yourself with pills that can help you drive your nerves into a healthier state, and they include a tactic called the quiet mind method (adapted from Meditation Interventions to Rewire the Brain by Dr. Jeff Tarrant.)
So here are 7 highly effective tips to help you fight anxiety without the use of medication by developing a quiet mind.
1. Don’t try to eliminate your thoughts
You need to know that simply trying to force thoughts out of your head almost never works and can only bring you something called “over-efforting”, which is the opposite of a peaceful mind state.
2. Relax your mind and body
In order to relax your mind, you need to relax your body. You can achieve this through physical exercises such as yoga, stretching, or muscle relaxation.
3. Give your mind something to pay attention to
By pointing your attention in a direction of empty space, your mind will naturally become still. When you start noticing the silence between sounds, focus on the darkness behind your eyelids and imagine the vastness of the night sky or space itself.
4. Recognize that you are already aware of what this state feels like
Whether you’re aware of it or not, there are moments when your inner world goes quiet. These moments may be slight and almost unnoticeable, but they are there nevertheless. If you can recognize them you already experience a calm state of mind, and you can learn to dive into those experiences, allowing them to develop naturally.
5. Be patient
This type of meditation is called Automatic Self-Transcending. The name highlights the crucial importance of allowing to process to come forth. It is an automatic process that will unfold as you give into it.
6. Don’t expect it to be flawless
It is unlikely that you will go through any long periods of time without any internal images interrupting the process unless you’re an absolute master meditator. And that’s alright. When something comes forth to distract your mind, just acknowledge it and get back to focus your attention on the emptiness.
7. Start it slow
According to the research, the benefits of meditation appear only if the process is practiced on a regular basis. Start with short meditations and gradually increase them to 20 minutes daily.
While the Quiet Mind process can help many people with various problems if for some reason you’re finding it discomforting, consider meeting with an experienced instructor to help develop the best possible guide for you.
And here’s something to get you started…
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