Guided Meditation for Anxiety
This 5 minute meditation will help to ground you in the present moment. The goal of meditation is not to rid your mind of any thoughts or emotions. Remember that it’s perfectly natural for your mind to wander. Just notice it - non-judgmentally - and bring your attention back to the present moment.
If you’re interested in learning more about how meditation works, read below!
The science behind meditation
When your mind wanders, it lights up the Default Mode Network (DMN) in the brain. The DMN is what allows us to engage with memories of the past or thoughts about the future. It’s also the part of the brain that allows us to endlessly ruminate about our anxiety, stress, and fears.
The active ingredient in meditation is “attentional switching” - the act of bringing your attention back to the present moment each time your mind wanders. When you do this, you activate areas of the prefrontal cortex (our brain’s “control center” that helps us focus). Meditation causes the DMN to quiet down and, over time, to be less active even when not meditating.
Meditation doesn’t work by allowing you to get rid of your emotions. It helps you control your relationship to your emotions.
Want to get into the nitty gritty? Read more here!