Lots of people talk about the benefits of meditation—it can reduce blood pressure, relieve stress, help you pay attention, improve your memory, and ease insomnia. As you learn to be present in the moment, you’ll find yourself a better listener, a stronger worker, a more compassionate partner, a kinder friend.
For those of us with anxiety, we understand intellectually that meditation can help. But the idea of getting started, of trying to figure out if we’re doing it right, and sticking with it despite our fears can be overwhelming. That’s where Mindfulness Meditations for Anxiety comes in.
Author Michael Smith, Ph.D. has been studying meditation and practicing it himself for decades. In addition to that, he’s a psychotherapist, so he understands how to add in tested cognitive behavioral techniques to help keep those with anxiety moving forward in a regular meditation practice.
Smith offers 100 meditations, divided into sections. There are meditations to Calm the Mind, Calm the Body, Calm the Emotions, Morning, Evening, Moving, 5-Minute, and Do Anywhere.
Starting with the meditations to Calm the Mind, you will learn the basic techniques to build from, like observing without judgment, dealing with distraction, learning awareness, finding insight, and dealing with uncomfortable feelings. From there, you can learn to Calm the Body, and use meditations to breathe more deeply, to make better choices in your diet, to relax, to find balance, to move with mindfulness, and even to face fearful experiences like going to the dentist. When you move on to Calm the Emotions, you work on healing by quieting your inner critic, forgiving, and making amends.
There are also meditations for morning, for getting up when you don’t want to and starting your day with focus and intention; for evening, for winding down, dealing with insomnia, and being grateful; for moving, walking, cooking, taking tests, and even for flying; and for 5-minute increments, to stop the cycle of anxiety, resetting, and getting unstuck. There are also meditations that can be done anywhere, from standing in line or sitting in a waiting room.
Smith also includes resources for anyone who wants to do some more reading on mindful meditations or to look up websites on meditation.
Mindfulness Meditations for Anxiety offers hope for those of us who suffer from anxiety, in small doses of daily meditation that we can try anytime and anywhere. I have been wanting a book like this, with meditations especially for my anxiety that includes short meditations that I can use at work or at home, when my brain starts to spin out of control. This book gives me exactly that, with 100 options for me to choose from, depending on where I am and how I’m feeling in that moment. And with repeated, consistent practice, I could lessen my overall anxiety just by using the mindfulness techniques here. I am excited to get started and find some relief!
A paperback copy of Mindfulness Meditations for Anxiety was provided to be by Callisto Publishers, with many thanks, but I also bought the Kindle version, so that I could keep a copy of the meditations with me via my phone for anxious moments.
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From the Publisher
This exercise helps release stress from the body by teaching what to do with your mouth and jaw in breathing exercises. It’s a simple but straightforward and essential exercise.
SAMPLE EXERCISE
- Sit comfortably, back reasonably straight, and ideally sit slightly forward so your back is not resting on anything.
- Your neck should be straight and neutral, with your head neither forward nor back.
- Take a couple of minutes to breathe and become aware of your breath, and let yourself settle.
- Let your jaw drop slightly, so your mouth is open one to two finger widths. Your mouth and jaw should still feel relaxed, not strained by trying to open too widely.
- Sit like this and breathe for a few minutes, with the air going in and out through your nose and mouth, and get used to breathing with your mouth slightly open.
- Next, try going back and forth between breathing into the chest through the nostrils, and breathing into the chest with the mouth slightly open. See which one is easier and feels more open.
- If you’ve done any of the breathing into the body exercises before this, try using this open mouth breathing with those exercises. If not, just continue with this exercise.
- See if your anxiety is decreased and if you are more at ease. Make notes and go about your day.
Reviews with images
A Book Written from the Heart on Meditation
I am posting a picture of Michael Smith's dearly departed friend, Paul Sibcy, because Paul Sibcy so admired Michael and he would have been so proud to have read this excellent book. As it is, the privilege has been mine. I particularly like the introduction where Michael talks from his heart about his personal history, his struggles with anxiety, and his road to healing, self-discovery and his study of meditation and spirituality from various traditions.Michael has put together a beautiful book with meditation, mindfulness and personal discovery exercises that he uses himself and has employed with his clients for many years. The book is great at teaching about Mindfulness and healthy mental practices to improve the quality of life by teaching the reader how to live in the hear and now. Thank you Michael for putting this valuable wisdom in a lovely book, which is a pleasure to read. --Deborah Olenev
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2019
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2019
Michael has put together a beautiful book with meditation, mindfulness and personal discovery exercises that he uses himself and has employed with his clients for many years. The book is great at teaching about Mindfulness and healthy mental practices to improve the quality of life by teaching the reader how to live in the hear and now. Thank you Michael for putting this valuable wisdom in a lovely book, which is a pleasure to read. --Deborah Olenev
A Book Written from the Heart on Meditation
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2019
I am posting a picture of Michael Smith's dearly departed friend, Paul Sibcy, because Paul Sibcy so admired Michael and he would have been so proud to have read this excellent book. As it is, the privilege has been mine. I particularly like the introduction where Michael talks from his heart about his personal history, his struggles with anxiety, and his road to healing, self-discovery and his study of meditation and spirituality from various traditions.Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2019
Michael has put together a beautiful book with meditation, mindfulness and personal discovery exercises that he uses himself and has employed with his clients for many years. The book is great at teaching about Mindfulness and healthy mental practices to improve the quality of life by teaching the reader how to live in the hear and now. Thank you Michael for putting this valuable wisdom in a lovely book, which is a pleasure to read. --Deborah Olenev
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2019
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2019
Top reviews from other countries
Sarah Tompkinson
Good articles, not all relevant
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 9, 2019