Stressed Out? Mindfulness Meditation Successfully Treats Anxiety

For those of you dealing with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), researchers found that mindfulness meditation might be the relief you welcome because it was proven to reduce levels of stress hormones and markers of inflammation during stressful moments.

A study conducted at the Georgetown University Medical Center and published in Psychiatry Research observed 89 patients with GAD, described as a condition of chronic and excessive worrying about the future; fear will be in the back of a person’s mind for months and even years.  More than 3 percent of the U.S. population is affected by GAD, which is mentally draining and causes fatigue, problems with concentration, muscle tension and inability to sleep well.

Half of the study’s participants took an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction course while the other half attended classes on stress management for the same span of time. Researchers monitored blood-based markers that showed a patient’s stress levels. It was learned that those who participated in the meditation class experienced reduced stress.

The most common mental illness diagnosed in the United States is anxiety disorders, which affect 40 million adults, or 18 percent of the country’s population, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.  

Mindfulness training, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, teaches participants meditation techniques that increase awareness of present-moment experiences, including thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations, with a gentle and accepting attitude toward oneself.

Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation include the following:

·      Longer attention span

·      Pain management

·      Support overcoming addiction

·      Lowered blood pressure

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