A Meditation To Reduce Fear and Anxiety

We often devote enormous amounts of energy to suppressing our feelings of anxiety, worry and fear.

Unfortunately, this only makes our fears worse! We often push these uncomfortable emotions to the dark corners of our minds, or hide it in areas of our body. Often we make ourselves overly busy to avoid having to sit with anxiety or uncertainty. However, fear thrives in the darkness of ignorance, so although these strategies may work in the short term, when we bury our negative feelings, they only tend to grow bigger. Alternatively, when we become attentive to ourselves, and shine the light of awareness on our feelings of fear, we can observe how it immediately effects us, and how it also changes. With a little time and steady practice we can watch our worries dissolve and disappear altogether.

Have you ever wondered what might happen if you took the time to consciously explore your fears and anxiety?

In this video, I guide you through a mindfulness meditation, where we intentionally examine a specific fear or thought that creates some mild anxiety for you.

See this guide for self care and attention:

After becoming comfortable and relaxed, you will then allow yourself to bring to mind a thought that creates a sense of worry or anxiety. This need not be your most concerning thought to begin with. Start with something manageable.

Let yourself feel the associated fear arising, and watch which part of the body this feeling seems to be located in. Where do you feel the sensation? Does it have a particular shape? What does it feel like? Is it hard or solid, is it tingling or tightening? What other thoughts run through your mind when you focus on these sensations? Are there specific images attached to these thoughts and feelings?

Now, soften some of the muscles in your body and continue to breathe slow and deep. Return your attention to your breathing. Allow yourself to relax your body and mind, and simply be attentive to your breath, releasing any lingering thoughts or sensations connected with your sense of worry or fear. Ground yourself in the present moment by connecting to your natural pattern of incoming and outgoing breath.

After a few minutes, return to your exploration of this thought that brings up feelings of fear or anxiety once again. Notice its location now. Where do you find it located in your body now? What sensations are connected to this thought now? Do they have a new shape or location? What associated thoughts or feelings come up for you now? Take your time to thoroughly explore and discover how the fear arises in your body or mind this second time. Your experience of anxious thoughts, like all experiences, is also constantly changing. Observe how it has changed for you now.

Then once again, release the thoughts, relax your body, and return your attention to focus on your breath.

There is something incredibly freeing when we sit with the sensations that arise in conjunction to a thought we associate with fear or anxiety. When we closely examine the images and sensations, we notice that there is nothing ultimately distressing about them in the present moment at all. Perhaps there is an uncomfortable sensation that arises, but when we sit with the discomfort, we can witness it changing, and observe how our imagination causes more turmoil than our actual immediate experience.

The conscious mind is a self-healing system. We are always seeking ways to create balance within. When we bring awareness to those darker feelings, worries, and emotions, we allow healing to happen. Simply by becoming mindful, turning our attention inward, and inviting our fears to come up to the surface, we can observe the reality of the present moment. Then we will clearly see all of the extra accompanying thoughts and sensations, and through our awareness, the anxiety begins to loosen its grip and healing starts to happen.

Here are some additional links to research that you might find interesting.

• This first article shows how meditation literally changes your brain.

• This second article is on how meditation can lower your risk for heart attacks and strokes.

Now it’s your turn…

Give this meditation practice a try. Tell me in the comments below what came up for you.

Did you find it helpful?

Were you able to release your feelings of fear, worry or anxiety?

Will you continue to make this a regular practice?

If you have questions about practicing meditation drop me a note in the comments below.

I’d love to hear more about your experiences with this type of meditation practice. ❤