Meditation Techniques for Depression
If you're anything like I was, you may be skeptical about meditation. Some people think it has to involve chanting weird phrases, or they believe it's something weirdos do.
Don't get me wrong, chanting techniques often help people get into the proper state of mind, but it's not necessary to receive the benefits of this relaxing exercise.
Meditation can simply mean sitting in a quiet place for 10 to 15 minutes, breathing deep and rhythmically while focusing on your breath. Meditation is about training your mind to relax.
If you are suffering from anxiety and/or depression, you probably have a series of negative thoughts that constantly fill your head on a regular basis.
The more these thoughts cloud your brain, the worse you feel and it becomes habitual. This only makes your depression worse.
Meditation can help renew your mind and train your subconscious to focus on the positive things. Many people start their day with a meditation ritual to help them gain focus, clarity and simply put them in a better mood.
Several have found that meditating on a regular basis has helped improve their anxiety, depression and overall thinking patterns.
Understand your mind is extremely powerful. If you've been depressed for any length of time, I'm sure you can attest to this. Your thoughts determine your mood and emotions, so meditation is all about controlling and relaxing that active mind.
Meditation Takes Practice
Don't expect to get it right the first time...or even the 2nd or 3rd. I think it took a good 10-15 times before I really began to feel relaxed and was able to clear my mind enough to reap the benefits. Some people listen to meditation CDs to help them get into the right mode.
What helped me was downloading mp3's from HypnosisDownloads.com. They have a variety of audio downloads on various subject matter (depression, anxiety, fear, etc.) I would simply add them to my mp3 player and listen to them before I go to sleep at night or whenever I need to relax.
In order to benefit from meditation, your mind has to be as empty as possible and it all starts with proper breathing. The first time you meditate, just try it for 5 to 10 minutes and do nothing but focus on your breathing.
Simple Meditation Technique
1. Sit or lie down in a quiet comfortable place and close your eyes.
2. Become aware of your breathing, focusing on the sensation of air moving in and out of your lungs. Feel your belly rise and fall as you breathe.
Feel the air enter your nostrils and leave your mouth. Pay attention to the way each breath changes and is different.
Focusing on the rhythm of your breathing is what helps clear your mind and eventually causes you to relax. Remember, this takes practice so don't get discouraged if you have trouble focusing at first.
3. If you find that your mind began wondering to other things, observe those thoughts without judging, and simply return to your breathing. Don't quit if this happens, just realize it will get easier the more you do this.
4. Meditate for about 5 to 10 minutes and open your eyes. Do you feel more relaxed? If not, you may need to practice. Keep repeating steps 1 through 3 until you feel your mind relaxing. It will get easier the more you do it.
Trust me. I was one of the biggest skeptics! My mind kept wondering and I kept saying to myself how it didn't work. But the more I did it, the easier it became.
Tip: It's best not to meditate when you're sleepy because if you become too relaxed you'll fall asleep. (Been there, done that too!) :)
Visual Imagery Meditation
This is a powerful meditation technique if done properly and often. Before you do any kind of meditation you should always spend the first few minutes relaxing and focusing on your breath as described above.
That's why I like HypnosisDownloads.com. No matter what session you listen to, they always start off with getting you into a relaxed mode. The more relaxed you are, the greater the benefits.
When you visualize yourself in positive situations while you are relaxed, it begins to change your unconscious thinking so you start to respond in a different, more positive way.
The more you imagine yourself being happy or involved positive situations, the easier it will become to develop a positive attitude about whatever is bothering you. It's important that you practice this on a regular basis to reap the benefits.
I've found that when I meditating on visual imagery it helps me to have someone walk me through the process. HypnosisDownloads has an mp3 session on "Overcoming Insecurity" that guides you through a visual imagery exercise to help you train your mind to be more confident.
And if your depression was brought on by other situations not related to self esteem, lack of confidence, etc. you can still use visual imagery.
Simple exercises such as lying down, closing your eyes and visualizing positive situations in your mind for 20 to 30 minutes can really help as long as you make a point to do this regularly.