How Meditation Helps Lower Your Anxiety

By Rachel Burt

How often do you shower? Everyday, once or twice a day? Imagine only being able to shower once or twice a week. You would feel very dirty, wouldn't you? Not just dirty but probably exhausted, icky and unmotivated. Well, this is the same way we tend to feel every week when not taking time to quiet our minds. A hot shower not only cleanses you, but helps you feel rejuvenated and revitalized. Waking-up and having my morning shower really feels like it is a new day, a clean slate so to speak.

So, how exactly does showering relate to meditation? In a yoga magazine written by Dr. Michelle Nielson from Barcelona, Spain, she related meditation to a "brain-shower." From 15 years of practice, it has proven to help clear or even "clean" thoughts,  revitalize the brain,  give mental clarity, and lower anxiety. Without meditation, we can go through the day feeling "cloudy" in the brain. All those thoughts coming in and out make it very difficult to stay focused. However, by practicing daily meditation, you can help give yourself that mental purity, i.e., becoming more alert, productive, and achieving better problem solving skills. Imagine a day where you cross-off your whole "to do list," finish all of your work on time, fill your mind with positive thoughts and still have room for relaxing. All of this will certainly help to relieve any anxiety from guilt of indecisiveness and procrastination.

We all have the potential to be buddhas. 

When the brain is relaxed, your brain waves slow down in the alpha and theta state. These states activate your right brain, and this is where your creativity and genius lie. Meditation is scientifically proven to help cleanse your mind by flushing out any negative emotions and thoughts that have been building-up in your mind.

By Ellen von Unwerth from the Face magazine 1998

Many successful people are known to use meditation to help them rest, recharge and reset their minds. With mediation, people can take on the day with any new challenges that may arise. With such an on the go lifestyle, many actors and musicians, such as Nicole Kidman, Heather Graham, Eva Mendez,  Hugh Jackman, Katey Perry, Moby, and Oprah Winfrey, have noted they practice meditation because of the profound effect it has on their body and mind.

Here is a survey, which monitors the effect of mediation after three months on college students:

Notice that meditation lowers your level of stress, anxiety and coping capability. Below is a chart that shows that meditation significantly decreases the likelihood of depression. 

I am a big fan of mediation because its practice is incredibly simple: it all starts by closing your eyes and paying 100% attention to your breath for just a couple minutes. Unwind and bring yourself into the present moment. Until next time fashionistas, signing-off from New York City. Xoxo.