Meditation And High Functioning Anxiety: Here’s How It Helps
If you struggle with anxiety then you’ve probably been told that meditation can do wonders to calm your anxious feelings. But for those of us with high functioning anxiety (HFA), just the idea of sitting quietly with our own thoughts for an extended amount of time can be nerve wracking for two reasons.
One, because as overfunctioners we try to suppress our anxiety and pretend like it’s not there. Two, because we are constantly in a state of go, go, go, so the last thing we want to do is take time out of our already busy lives.
If you get frustrated with meditation because it’s “supposed” to help but never does, these two reasons account for a lot of your struggles. When we try to meditate, our thoughts race and then we have to face our anxiety head on because we don’t have anything to distract us from our inner monologues
Over the years of being an anxiety coach, I’ve learned how to use meditation for anxiety. You don’t have to spend a lot of time doing it, in fact, most of my suggestions for meditating only take a few seconds.
Can I really meditate in only a few seconds? That’s right! Meditation doesn’t always have to be hours or even minutes of humming to yourself or attempting downward dog. Sometimes, meditation just consists of taking the time to catch your breath and reflect. In fact, one of my favorites is simply taking three deep breaths.
If you’re still not fully convinced, keep reading to learn more about why meditation can help anxiety and what meditations you can do that won’t interfere with your busy schedule and will help you conquer the voices in your head.
How Meditation Helps Anxiety
Meditation is often suggested to those with anxiety because it’s meant to help you focus and get your attention away from the cloud of anxious thoughts in your mind. The goal is to produce a tranquil mind and bring you back into your body. Ideally, the more you can ground yourself to the present moment, the more you’ll be able to calm your anxious thoughts.
But as someone with high functioning anxiety, I found it hard to commit to these meditations that took up my time but didn’t offer results. After all, everybody says meditation is supposed to help anxiety - so why didn’t it help me?!
For those that struggle with HFA, it can be hard to slow ourselves down and we tend to shame ourselves if we can’t do it perfectly or for long enough, which can spin us out even more. We also can’t seem to fully commit to the meditation and instead think about the hundreds of other things we have to do that day.
What I suggest instead are mindfulness hacks - ways to get into your body and out of your mind where you spend way too much time overthinking and judging yourself.
Meditations To Calm Anxiety
I know the idea of sitting with your thoughts can be anxiety-inducing in and of itself, which is why I took the time to develop some simple but effective hacks for those that suffer from over-functioning like me.
You don’t have to do these practices for 20-30 minutes to get the benefits. It’s easier for me to do a few of these throughout the day for short periods rather than one for 20-30 minutes (think in seconds, not minutes). Frequently I will set a timer on my phone to remind myself to take a break and slow down.
Take a deep breath
Many meditations use your breath as a way to calm your mind. Like I mentioned before, one of my favorite versions of this is simply taking three deep breaths. You can also inhale to a 4 count, hold for 7, exhale to a count of 8, and repeat 4 times.
Go for a walk
The Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh talks about walking meditation (even wrote a book about it), which is simply slowly walking and coordinating your breath with your steps. You can walk on the street, on a labyrinth, or in your living room.
Use your senses
Wherever you are, take a breath and do an inventory of your 5 senses. In the moment, what do you see? What do you feel? What do you hear? What do you taste? What do you smell? This meditation brings you immediately to the present moment. I often practice this in the car, in the shower, and in my office.
Stretch throughout the day
Anxiety has been proven to cause physical problems like muscle aches, tension, or even a clenched jaw. You might not even notice the toll that it takes on your body. Commit to something as simple as touching your toes everytime you leave the bathroom.
Repeat a mantra
If you want to try 'traditional meditation,' repeat a phrase in your mind. Set your timer, close your eyes, take a breath, and repeat the calming word or phrase. As your mind wanders throughout the rest of your day, keep coming back to the phrase.
Work With An Anxiety Coach Today
Meditating has amazing health benefits, both for physical and mental health, and while you can’t meditate anxiety away completely, I’ve seen first hand how it has helped my clients and myself.
For those that still have concerns about meditation and anxiety, my mindfulness hacks are a great starting point. If you want a more one-on-one approach to look deeper into your HFA, I also offer coaching services. If you aren’t ready to dive head first into anxiety coaching, my self-guided course allows you to learn how to quiet your feelings of anxiety and move at your own pace.
Schedule a free consultation today to see how I can help you work through your anxiety and overfunctioning.