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How Mental Health Meditation Can Help You Fight Agitation & Anxiety?

According to 2017 statistics, it was found that 792 million people suffered from some type of mental health condition. Looking at gender differences, we see that it was 9.3% of males whereas 11.9% of females suffer from depression. Moreover, 284 million respondents suffered from anxiety disorders. Gender differences show that there were 2.8% of males and 4.7% of females suffer from anxiety.

Mental illness has the power to impact all areas of one’s life- personal and professional. On a personal level, it affects relationship quality, ability to cope and understand. . It means that people experience thought disturbances, anger, and irritation. Sleep disturbances are commonly observed as well. Physically, people see a decline in heart health, unmanaged blood pressure, and frequent illnesses. 

Professionally, individuals experience a significant decrease in productivity, initiative-taking, and problem-solving. They also experience a reduction in decision making, motivation level, and discipline. 

 

What is Mental Health Meditation?

Mental health meditation means a kind of meditation that focuses on increasing mental health. As per scientific research, mental health meditation can help people deal with anxiety, depression, and irritation. In this way, it is critically significant for boosting self-confidence, creativity, and self-awareness. 

Some people might think that mental health meditation works by getting rid of all unpleasant thoughts and emotions. It is not the case at all because meditation makes it possible by nurturing the positive feelings within. It means that it fosters gratitude, inner peace, and a non-judgemental point of view. Therefore, mental health meditation is crucial for maintaining mental health. 

How Does Meditation Help With Emotional Regulation?

Multiple types of research have backed up the benefits of meditation for unpleasant emotions e.g. anger, anxiety, and fear. As per the research published in NCBI, it was concluded that meditation practices have the power to improve the symptoms of anxiety, depression, and anger. The participants in the research study were women suffering from fibromyalgia. 

Another research study published in NCBI showed that mindfulness meditation had a positive impact on feelings of anger. A total of 37 participants took part and were asked to perform 5-10 minutes of meditation regularly for 7 days. The data were collected on three different parameters of feelings of anger. They were the negative thought cycle (rumination), physiological stimulation (arousal), and duration of the feeling (lengthiness). The researchers also compared the scores with scores of a control group that had 27 respondents. 

Other benefits of meditation that can help with reducing agitation and anxiety are:

  • Looking at a bigger perspective
  • Enhancing coping mechanism
  • Being present in the moment
  • Improving patience
  • Boosting self-awareness

 

Other Types Of Meditation

No doubt mental health meditation has its benefits and influences mental health positively but other types of meditation can be just as beneficial.

 

Loving-kindness Meditation 

It is a famous strategy for nurturing positive feelings within. In life, there are countless times when people feel agitated and anxious because somebody did something or said something uncomfortable. It is certainly upsetting but dwelling on such experiences for a long time only damages the person. In such situations, loving-kindness meditation fits perfectly. 

 

How does loving-kindness meditation work?

In the meditation session, instructors ask the participants to express positive feelings towards themselves and others. They can imagine the person sitting before them and express themselves in the following way.

“I wish you happiness and safety. I want you to achieve your dreams.”

After expressing positivity to others, individuals should not forget to treat themselves with caring statements like the above.

“I am the power. I have the strength to deal with life challenges”.

Now, the practitioners can end the session with a long exhale. It will facilitate calmness and relaxation throughout the day. Therefore, loving-kindness meditation is a great option for handling anxiety and agitation. 

 

Gratitude Meditation

Sometimes gratitude meditation can play an important role in fighting agitation and anxiety. It is because people can feel unpleasant feelings. After all, they feel a lack of material stuff in their lives. Perhaps, they saw somebody with a better car, a house or a mobile phone. The triggers are different for everybody. Gladly, gratitude meditation can help reduce negative feelings. Multiple kinds of research have validated the benefits of gratitude meditation for improving mental health. 

 

How can someone practice gratitude meditation?

It is a simple practice that can take as long as 5 minutes. For this, one should sit in a comfortable position and close their eyes. Now, they should focus their attention on the playfulness and abundance in their life. It can be hard at first because the mind has a strong tendency to focus on the bad stuff. Looking at it from the evolution point of view, it helps with survival. 

However, too much negativity only triggers the fight and flight response. So, forcing oneself to focus on the good things balances the point of view. It also calms the sympathetic nervous system. People can do gratitude meditation several times a day.

 

Transcendental Meditation (TM)

The meditation exercise is a great way to handle distractions in life and maintain inner peace. It is a kind of meditation that originated in India and was introduced into Western culture in the late 1900s. Some people also use a mantra during the TM session. 

How does one reach transcendence through meditation? It happens when practitioners chant a mantra and reach the higher form of consciousness. Following are some signs that indicate higher-level consciousness. 

  • Feelings of relaxation
  • Sensations of stability
  • Presence of order in life

Transcendental Meditation is different from other kinds of meditation in the sense that it requires professional instructions from a coach. An information session that imparts general guidance is usually one hour long. Then comes a 45-minute long lecture which is more specific than before. Individuals who are deeply interested in TM are required to give an interview that is followed by 60 to 120 minutes of individual guidance. Commonly, it is recommended to practice TM two times a day for long-term benefits- morning and evening. Hence, TM is one of the great options for combating irritation and stress. 

 

Final Thoughts

Mental health meditation is not a quick fix for your problems. It takes patience and consistent practice. The benefits of mental health meditation are seeing the bigger picture, enhancing coping mechanisms, and staying in the present moment. It also increases tolerance levels and boosts self-awareness. Fortunately, there are courses available on Sixees that can aid an individual in their emotional maturity. 

Read More: Meditation for Energy – The Road Towards a Healthy Lifestyle

 

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