Mindfulness Meditation for people with Generalized Anxiety Disorders

95 Pages·1990·1.17 MB·English

by  Genevieve Tregor

Crystal Calm was designed for people who suffer from excessive, daily anxiety,
who want to heal their minds through meditation. Perhaps you have already
tried, but found it too difficult because relaxing the mind seems virtually
impossible, or you found meditation to be a fearful experience. This site is for
people who move through their day controlled by a fear they can’t easily
explain. Everyone suffers from anxiety, but this website is not specifically for
people who are looking only to relieve the stresses of every day life through
meditation. It has many tips and tools to help anyone do so, but this site is
designed specifically for people who suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder
(GAD), who find themselves searching through a tedious and confusing world of
information about meditation.

Looking for tools to help oneself with this condition is often a very difficult and
disheartening experience. There always seems to be someone who has all the
answers, who lists the steps of meditation one by one, but none of them seem to
work. Meditation can have extraordinary benefits, but if one tries and fails, the
feeling of being incapable of helping oneself gain control of their anxiety is
more than discouraging. This site is not only designed to walk you through the
steps of meditation, it is designed to support you at every step of the way, with
the understanding that learning a meditation practice with an anxiety disorder
includes a host of challenges that are not as common with people without the
disorder. Although this site is tailored specifically for people with GAD, anyone
with a desire to ease their stress and anxiety can benefit from the meditation
exercises and information they’ll find.
This site combines both eastern and western philosophies, and psychology to
help you build an arsenal of tools to help you get control of your mind and body,
while supporting you, respecting you, and giving you as much encouragement as
possible in your search for a more peaceful life. The particular meditation
technique discussed on this site is Vipassana Meditation, or Mindfulness
Meditation; the same kind of meditation used in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive
Therapy. This kind of therapy has proven in recent studies, to rival the effects of
SSRI medication therapy in patients suffering from severe cases of anxiety and
depression. There is, however, no "quick fix" to eliminating anxiety outright,
either through meditation or medication. Retraining your mind to not only stop
the flood of anxiety, but get it flowing in the opposite direction takes time,
persistence, practice and above all, patience, so this site also includes
information to help you keep your momentum when the going gets tough, and
meditation seems too difficult.
For many, a steady meditation practice and a positive, reality-based lifestyle can
help in wonderful ways to re-balance the mind and body, however, sometimes
you need more help in the healing process than you can accomplish on your
own. No matter what stage of GAD you find yourself in, you can find
information, food for thought, inspiration and hope on this site that is tailored
specifically for you. But if your life has become so full of panic that you feel
paralyzed by fear, that your worry is completely out of your control, or if you
have considered hurting yourself, please consider finding professional help as
soon as possible. GAD can advance to become a serious condition that requires
both immediate and long term medical treatment, so the exercises on this site are
not for everyone suffering with GAD. Please click this link to be sure the
information found here will be helpful for you. If you're too scared or nervous
about looking for help, take a look at these tips to make it a lot easier. And most
importantly, although the techniques on this site have the potential to help you
obtain a more balanced and peaceful life, do not consider any advice on this site
to supersede that of a trained, medical professional. In many cases, some of the
techniques on this site can be used in tandem with medical treatment, but if you
are being medically treated, always seek your doctor's advice before practicing
these, or any techniques designed to alter the way the mind responds to the
world around it.
Anxiety doesn’t have to control your life. If you have had a difficult time in your
discovery of meditation, keep this in mind: Meditation is not easy. You are not
weak, unfocused, unmotivated, or doing anything wrong if even 5 minutes seems
too tricky. Starting a meditation practice is a big step, so take it easy on yourself.
Don't shoot to attain enlightenment. Shoot first to try focusing on your breath for
1 single minute, and go from there. And if you can't even do that, know that any
effort you put into gaining control of your mind is helping you. Any effort at all.
Once you decide to take responsibility for the way you feel, and break the
agreement with your anxiety to allow it to determine the outcomes of your life,
the dye is cast. This affirmation makes null and void, any agreement you've
made with fear. So do not be discouraged. Be heartened and comforted. Take
things step by step. Know that you can only do so much in a day, and your
intention to gain control of your fear is making you stronger and getting you
closer to where you want to be. Any work you do is adding another stroke to the
beautiful painting of the life you want to see.
“Mindfulness is “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-
judgmentally”
Mindfulness Meditation

When I was first learning meditation, I didn't want to read a whole book, or go to
a meditation retreat to learn how to do it. I just wanted a clear, concise, easy to
follow list. I wanted to know the steps, and to figure out the rest on my own. So I
searched on-line, looked for guided meditations and information… but nothing
seemed to click. Steps like, "Let all your anxiety go, and breathe in deeply"
seemed silly and trite. I was a girl with a serious anxiety/depression disorder, I
couldn't help but think, "Yeah, I'm gonna let my anxiety go, just like that." That
was step one, so I didn't get very far. I realized after a number of attempts that
there was another way I should go about it, but luckily, I didn't need to go on a
retreat, or buy books or attend seminars to get it right. There were simply a few
more questions I needed to ask before asking "How do I meditate?" I needed to
ask "What is meditation?" and "Why do we do it?" It makes perfect sense, right?
How can you do something if you don’t know what it is or why you’re doing it?
This may be elementary, yet “what” and “why” are often overlooked when a
person is attempting to begin a meditation practice. Ask yourself, can you define
meditation?
If you had never seen a bike before, and someone simply told you that a bike is a
device that enables you to ride from point A to point B, you would naturally
begin to experiment and figure out how it worked on your own… perhaps you
would look to the list of "how to's" to fill in any blanks, and to get the specifics
of how the fancy breaks worked, but you'd know what you were doing and why
you were doing it. This is the way meditation needs to be approached, otherwise,
it can seem very confusing. So before addressing the “How to’s”, what is
meditation, and why do we do it?
What is meditation?
Mindfulness Meditation is the practice of focusing on reality to the best of one’s
ability, by bringing attention to the breath, and non-judgmentally pulling away
attention from thoughts that inevitably arise. Alan Watts defined thoughts as
"The constant chattering inside the scull." Thoughts are the mess of ideas and
concepts that flicker and play on the movie screen in your mind. "Non-
judgmentally" means “not commenting on, or conceptualizing one’s ability to
follow their breath, or one’s overall experience.” When your attention naturally
drifts away from the breath, and back to thoughts, you simply recognize that
you're mind is chattering, and you kindly bring your attention back to the breath.
You don’t judge yourself for thinking, after all, that is what your mind is there to
do. You simply notice, and move the mind back to the breath. Reality is "the
here and now." All day long the brain chatters and flits from thoughts of the past
to dreams of the future, to numbers, and letters, and symbols and metaphors, and
so little time is devoted to what is actually happening in a given moment… the
one and only thing that is real. So the steps of meditation are all intended to
either prepare the mind to focus on reality, or are directly related to the practice
itself. In literal terms, we are engaging and stimulating sections of the brain that
promote balance, mental health, physical health, peace and happiness. The
process of watching ourselves think, noticing that we are thinking, accepting that
we are thinking, and guiding our attention away from thinking, stimulates and
builds the brain in a very healthy way. This is what meditation is.
Why do we meditate?
The physical and mental health benefits of meditation are very well documented
in both eastern and western studies, and more and more benefits are being
discovered all the time. However, these benefits aren’t the “goal” of meditation,
they are simply the side effect. We meditate to make the world a better place. By
focusing on reality, we discover that peace and joy are in no short supply, and
that there is more than enough to go around. We discover that we are in control
of how we interpret the world, and gain empowerment through taking
responsibility for our thoughts and emotions. We are compelled to share our joy,
and compound it when we do. We focus on reality because when we experience
it, and become comfortable with it, we live more healthy, happy, and peaceful
lives. We meditate to stop the "chatter inside the scull" that is responsible for a
huge amount of suffering in our lives. We cling to an imagined past and a
fictitious future. We run conversations, experiences, watery memories and
fantasies in our minds all day. We dream up the future, and rehearse for it, as
though it weren't unwritten. Sitting in reality for just a few minutes a day makes
a world of difference in one's life. We meditate because when we do, and listen
to our real bodies, in the real moment… we meet our true selves, and discover
how extraordinary we really are. This is why we meditate.
What to expect...
So now that you know what meditation is, and why we do it, the "how to's"
should make perfect sense (found below). The tricky part will be simply
following them. The steps of meditation go completely against the grain of what
a fearful mind is used to. It's not used to having the reigns taken away. When you
make an agreement with the mind that you're not going to follow a manic,
fantasy-based thought pattern, if only for a little while, it will most likely make
you quite uncomfortable. You may meet your ego face to face for the first time,
and realize that it doesn't want to be told to sit still and keep quiet. Your mind
may jump like a monkey in a tree from thought to thought, wildly, seemingly
uncontrollable. You may experience massive distractions like itches and pains in
the back or legs. You may fall asleep after 5 minutes, you may be filled with
doubt, and immediately question if meditation is something you can do at all. Or
maybe the sound of a dripping faucet will be so unbearable and annoying that
you're forced you to jump off your seat, and go hunting for a tool to fix it. To put
it bluntly, by default, you're mind doesn't want you to meditate.
The nature of the human mind is to be fearful, not calm. The nature of the human
mind is to be suspicious, short tempered, distracted, uncomfortable, uneasy,
reactive, distrusting, selfish, and doubtful. This is because the brain is still
40,000 years old, and it reacts to the world as if we're being hunted, as though
there isn't enough food or resources to survive, as if everyone that you don't
know is part of a different tribe who must be carefully watched and distrusted.
We’ve developed the ability to conceptualize these aspects of our behavior, but
we haven't developed in such a way that we can conceptualize before reacting. If
you hear a loud bang, you scream first, then ask "What was that?" The brain
reacts first, and asks questions later. It was the Buddha, who 2500 years ago,
realized that this was the cold hard truth: the human mind is a really spooky
place to live. We create so much suffering for ourselves on top of the suffering
that the world inevitably delivers… but it didn't have to be this way!! This is just
the truth by default! Just like a computer comes with all kinds of defaults that
you can customize and upgrade, so does the human mind! The Buddha
discovered that by simply sitting in reality, we can reshape the mind, but
certainly, he stressed that the process was not easy. It had to be practiced every
day with patience and persistence, because again… the mind doesn't want to do
it. Your fear doesn't want to let you go…but you want to let go of it! The most
important thing is to keep up your practice, no matter what happens. If your
mind wanders away from your breath a million times, but you do your best to try
to bring your focus back to your breath, you're still doing it right. If you're not
feeling peaceful and calm, but instead feel scared and uncomfortable when you
begin to see how out of control your mind is, you're doing it right. If you're
doubting that meditation is something you can do, or if it's beneficial, or if it's
worth doing at all, you're doing it right as long as you just do your best to pull
your attention back to your breath, and do your best not to judge yourself when
you do. In fact, in the beginning, one of the best ways to know if you're doing it
right is if your brain is screaming at you to stop. It may feel as though you are
exercising a demon deep inside your mind. Your fearful mind doesn’t want you
in control of your behavior. IT wants control of your behavior. Peacefulness is
not your nature… it just isn't. It isn't the default, so you have to train it into your
mind with persistence, consistency, and a bit of courage to see it manifest in your
life.

The Mindfulness Meditation Practice

For beginners, it is recommended that any one of these exercises be practiced for
about 10 minutes, once or twice a day. When the practice becomes more natural
and concentration can be held longer, one can extend the length of their practice
to 20 minutes or a half hour, but by no means is the length of time one practices
indicative of their progress or skill. There are very skillful meditators who
practice numerous times a day for very short lengths of time, so feel free to keep
the length of your practice open ended. In fact, it is more beneficial not to
constrain yourself to any exact time limit, but to stop when you feel it is right.
It is a very good idea to incorporate a practice of “Metta,” (Loving Kindness)
before your meditation begins. The practice of Metta is a short recitation that
cleanses the mind, and prepares it effectively for meditation. The practice is
considered an essential part of Mindfulness Meditation for all practitioners, but
if you suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder, it is especially helpful. It’s
highly recommended that you read more about the Loving Kindness practice
before you begin your meditation.
There are a number of different Mindfulness Meditation techniques, but the
following are quite common. “Mindfulness of the breath” is, however, the most
traditional form of Vipassana Meditation. Which ever practice feels most natural
and comfortable to you is the one you should choose.
Mindfulness of the breath
Step 1: Sit comfortably either in a chair with your back straight, at the front of
the seat, or cross legged on the floor with a few pillows under your bottom to
raise your pelvis higher than your knees. You don't have to cross your legs in a
full lotus or half lotus position, the most important thing is that you're
comfortable and your knees are lower than your pelvis. You can lift the crown of
your head to be sure your back is nice and straight; not so straight that it's
uncomfortable, but not so relaxed that you're drooping or slouching. You don't
need to look Buddha-like, or statuesque. The intention is to cultivate a seated
position that is alert and balanced.
Step 2: Place your hands either palms down on your thighs, or folded in your
lap. Place your non-dominant hand palm up in your dominant hand, and touch
the tips of the thumbs gently together. Whether your hands are on your thighs or
in your lap, the most important thing is that they are comfortable and relaxed.
Step 3: Either close your eyes or keep them gently open, gazing softly at the
floor, a few feet in front of you.
Step 4: Take notice of the points of contact where your body is seated. Send your
concentration there, and simply feel the sensations of your body on the floor, or
seated in your chair. Then do a scan of your body, noting sensations in your
hands, arms, shoulders, neck, head, back, and so-on throughout your body,
moving your focus slowly from each part to the next. You're simply sending
your focus to these parts of the body, not commenting in your mind on how they
feel, just feeling how they feel. If a thought arises and pulls you away from your
concentration, simply guide it right back to the sensations in your body.
Step 5: After devoting your attention for a few moments to the sensations in the
body, allow your attention to those sensations to fall into the past, and focus your
full attention to your breath. Breathe easily, in any way that feels comfortable to
you, however, watch to see if you're breathing by lifting your shoulders. You'll
want your breath to be sitting low in your body. You should see your belly
expanding, rising, and falling.
Step 6: Bring your full attention to your nostrils, feel the air swirling in and out.
Concentrate on the temperature, the differences between one breath and the