The logo for stephenie dalfonzo.

Meditation vs. Medication for anxiety relief

Facebook
Twitter
Share
Pinterest
Email
meditation vs. medication

Meditation vs. Medication

Meditation vs. medication?  Millions of Americans face that question every day.  1 in 6 Americans takes a psychiatric drug – most are antidepressants, according to a study published in the Journal of American Medical Association JAMA Internal Medicine.

I am not a doctor or medical professional, so I offer no advice on medications, but I do want to share just a few  of the benefits of meditation:

  • Reduces stress and anxiety
  • Slows the aging process
  • Supports cardiovascular system
  • Supports immune system
  • Reduces blood pressure
  • Increased focus and attention

I personally have found meditation to be a profound spiritual practice, helping me to slow down the hectic pace of modern daily life. You can deal with anxiety without medication naturally by practicing mediation.

More and more medical doctors are coming out in favor of meditation vs. medication.  In her book “A Mind of Your Own: The Truth About Depression”, Kelly Brogan MD says “Antidepressants not only over promise and under deliver, but their use may permanently disable the body’s self-healing potential.  We need a new paradigm:  the best way to heal the mind is to heal the whole body.”
Christiane Northrup, MD also recommends meditation in her book, “Making Life Easy: A Simple Guide to a Divinely Inspired Life”, as does Lissa Rankin, MD in her book “Mind Over Medicine”:  “…when we’re stressed out, we crave relaxation.  But too often, we go about it the wrong way, seeking out unhealthy forms of stress relief like alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs, which only exacerbates the problem.  There are however, healthy ways to elicit the relaxation response – such as meditation – that are the best medicine we can take for treatment of life’s stresses”.

These three enlightened doctors have come out with this information on meditation vs. medication recently, but this is not new information!  Herbert Benson, MD (Harvard Medical School) published his book “The Relaxation Response” in 1972!  Since then, there have been thousands of scientific studies on meditation-It has been around for centuries. 

When I was first introduced to meditation, I was told to meditate for 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes at night.  That was NOT going to happen!  Years later, I came back to restart my practice  when I realized there is not only ONE WAY to meditate!

A very common misconception about meditation is you have to empty your mind.  I don’t know about you, but you tell me “empty your mind” and my monkey mind is going to start chattering up a storm!  However you choose to meditate, your mind is naturally going to wander.  When it does, without judging it as bad, simply notice it and bring your awareness back.

When beginning a mediation practice, start small!  Just like if you were going to run a marathon, you would start slowly and then build up, you can always start your meditation practice at just 5 minutes or even 2 minutes!  The important part is to start where you are and then build up to a longer practice.

There are some great  apps that can help you get started.  Some of my favorite are Insight Timer (free), Calm and Headspace,  or you can simply try one of these simple ways to meditate:

4 easy ways to practice meditation:

  1. Mantra meditation – simply close your eyes and bring your awareness to your breath, without judging it or feeling like you have to change it in any way.  Pick a mantra, it really can be anything! On the inhale, think “I’m breathing in”, on the exhale, think “I’m breathing out.”  One my clients love is “Breathe in Love, exhale anxiety.  Breathe in Peace, exhale stress.”  You can do this for as long or as short as you want.
meditation mantra
  1. Walking meditation – this one is another incredibly simple practice!  Just walk, but walk mindfully – really noticing each footfall, perhaps slowing down the pace of your walk.  You can add a mantra to the walking meditation, timing a mantra to each step.  On my morning walks with my sweet Maggie, I will often times do a walking meditation “Thank, you, Thank, you, Thank, you…”  Not only am I getting the benefits of a mindful practice,  but I’m also raising my feel good vibes with gratitude!
  2. Loving Kindness meditation.  I learned this one from meditation master Sharon Salzberg.  It is such a beautiful practice!  You begin sending loving kindness to yourself, then move on to a loved one, then to someone neutral, someone who you have a hard time with and finally out to the world and all beings.

“May I be happy,

May I be healthy

May I be safe

May I live with ease”

Here’s a loving kindness meditation I did on Facebook.

  1. 1 – 8 breath meditation.  Don’t be fooled by the seeming simplicity of this  meditation!  You can have your eyes open or closed or to a soft gaze – whatever feels more comfortable to you.  You are going to count your inhales and exhales from 1 up to 8, back down to 1, back up to 8 and so on.  I guaranteed you that at some point, you are going to find yourself at number 12 or 23 or …. When that happens, don’t judge yourself, simply start again!

Just like any muscle needs to be built up over time, with practice you will get more and more out of your meditation practice.  I’d love to hear how these help you.   Please comment below!

CLICK HERE to get my free guide “5 Easy Ways to Calm Anxiety”.

Curious if private coaching is the right option for you?  CLICK HERE to schedule your complimentary 15 minute consultation.

[contact-form][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Website” type=”url” /][contact-field label=”Message” type=”textarea” /][/contact-form]

Facebook
Twitter
Share
Pinterest
Email

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!

Recent Posts

What Other's Are Saying...

Overcoming Numbing Anxiety and Fear…

I was having a really rough summer, which led to numbing anxiety and plain fear. I woke up in the middle of the...
Stephanie Dalfonzo
2019-04-05T13:04:14+00:00

Jamie Siv Rognstad

I was having a really rough summer, which led to numbing anxiety and plain fear. I woke up in the middle of the night, unable to go back to sleep because my heart was pounding and it was hard to breathe. I had a lot on my plate, fun things, but was incapable of starting anything, so I turned to Stephanie for help. After just ONE session, things changed dramatically, and since then I have launched my program and am sleeping at night again. And the best thing of all, I get to do all the fun stuff!

My PTSD Is Gone

I had a serious car accident when I was 17 which landed me in the hospital and unable to walk...
Stephanie Dalfonzo
2019-04-05T13:11:32+00:00

T.G., NYC

I had a serious car accident when I was 17 which landed me in the hospital and unable to walk or go to school for several months afterward. I had recurrent dreams and moments of reliving the crash for months. Fast forward 38 years, and I had another car accident a few weeks ago. I was shocked to find that same crash recurrence happening again, and creating a lot of anxiety when I drove. Knowing Stephanie's talents, I immediately contacted her and set up a session. What I loved is that she didn't go back and make me relive the crash again but knew that there might be a different cause for the PTSD. Sure enough, we discovered it and healed it. I can't tell you the difference since our session. Not once recurrence, and while I'm still a little nervous driving (which isn't a bad thing) I have the whole thing in perspective, and that out of the blue PTSD is gone! Thanks so much, Stephanie. Your gifts are amazing and appreciated!

Success Is Exponential With Stephanie

If you are thinking that you don’t really need Stephanie . . . you’re wrong!!! I am here to tell...
Stephanie Dalfonzo
2019-04-05T13:12:46+00:00

Elly Kukk

If you are thinking that you don’t really need Stephanie . . . you’re wrong!!! I am here to tell you that you don’t even understand how much she can really help you. Success is exponential with Stephanie. I am now doing things in my business that I have wanted to do for years!! Thanks to Stephanie! The best way I can describe it in a “nutshell” is that she creates a safe space that allows you to release the old stuff that doesn’t serve you anymore. Then she helps you replace it with the things you want and the patterns and thoughts that help you get it. She has the expertise, experience, professionalism and drive to make her one of the best intuitive life coaches I have ever had! She has so many tools to use to help you succeed – from the unconscious to “nuts and bolts” – you’ll get it all. Then she has the methods to motivate and keep you on task. Most importantly for me is that she is intuitive so she can really tap into to what I personally need and want. She is worth the investment! I highly recommend her!!

Booked $20,000 Worth Of New Business…

Working with Stephanie has been life changing. She has helped me to release blockages that I didn’t even realize were...
Stephanie Dalfonzo
2019-04-05T13:25:45+00:00

Vanessa Judelman

Working with Stephanie has been life changing. She has helped me to release blockages that I didn’t even realize were holding me back from achieving the business success that I truly desire. After working with Stephanie for less than two months, the magic started to happen in my business. “Out of the blue” two ideal clients called me and I booked $20,000 worth of new business just like that! I have moved from anxiety and struggle to ease and faith. Thank you a million times over Stephanie. Your patience, guidance and unique talent have had a huge impact on my life and business.

Now I don’t start the day with the world issues crashing down on me

I started to work with Stephanie when I thought I could not fit one more thing into my life. I...
Stephanie Dalfonzo
2019-04-05T17:51:34+00:00
I started to work with Stephanie when I thought I could not fit one more thing into my life. I am so happy to admit that I was wrong and I am so grateful that I got to work with a passionate, compassionate and enthusiastic woman such as Stephanie. I have started a new biz about bringing more peace and love into the world, I work as an artist and writer and you would think I had time for self-care. I kept forgetting me every day. Stephanie helped me to reintroduce myself to myself and find the time to just be and breathe and know that the answers do show up. Now I don't start the day with the world issues crashing down on me. I take the time to meditate, breathe, ask questions and give myself the most positive pep talks I can give myself. Working with Stephanie was like working with a dear friend who has all the answers, but her humanity and kindness really resonated with me. I can't thank Stephanie enough for her willingness to help me see my gifts and that I will not just walk thru my life; I will run thru it with my dreams intact and a really good pair of sneakers!
0
0
Stephanie Dalfonzo