Calling a Time-Out Through Mindfulness Meditation

Anxiety is truly an overwhelming force for many of us.  For periods it consumes us like fire, touching every corner of our lives, and sometimes for weeks or months without break.  And then when it subsides we are left wondering what happened to all that time we lost.

I’m reminded of this as I began reading Calming Your Anxious Mind by Jeffrey Brantley, MD.

He opens the introduction with these words:

“Who are we apart from agitation of anxiety, fear, and panic? Can we learn to re-member ourselves, to re-collect our greater wholeness and meet the intensities of anxiety, fear and panic – especially in a world that seems too often to be going mad?”

For those lost periods in our lives we do lose ourselves, who we are and what we care about.  We lose touch with the world – despite being consumed by it – and we lose touch with friends, family, compassion and hope. Why? Because we are so overwhelmed by the craziness going on inside our head.

This is why practices such as meditation or mindfulness can be so relaxing and recharging. It helps pulls us back into the moment – this very moment – and push aside all the worries and fears so that we can experience a blissful moment of peace.

What is mindfulness?  Brantley describes its benefits as:

“Mindfulness and compassion can free you from anxiety, fear and, panic as you learn to be present with an awareness  that remains soft and open to pain and suffering. Learning to remain present with compassion for yourself as you bear the pain of anxiety, fear, and panic is an important part of your inner journey in meditation. As you learn through meditation to remain soft and openhearted in the presence of pain and fear, you will also learn what it means to be free of their control.”

Is it easy? No, especially for anxious souls like ourselves but the benefits are worth the effort. I recommend reading a couple good books on the topic and then finding a class or instructor for one-on-one training. I truly believe that the personal attention of an instructor, guru, etc can help with learning this wonderful practice and is well worth the expense.

Have you tried meditation or mindfulness techniques?  How did it go?  Did you find a particular resource that helped you learn?  If so, share it in the comments below.

Photo Credit: Sarchi