Meditation helps with Anxiety

Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive, exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life events. People with symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder tend to always expect disaster and can’t stop worrying about health, money, family, work or school. In people with anxiety disorder, the worry often is unrealistic or out of proportion for the situation. Daily life becomes a constant state of worry, fear and dread. Eventually, the anxiety so dominates the person’s thinking that it interferes with daily functioning, including work, school, social activities and relationships.

The symptoms of Anxiety include:

1. Excessive, ongoing worry and tension
2. An unrealistic view of problems
3. Restlessness or a feeling of being “edgy”
4. Irritability
5. Muscle tension
6. Headaches
7. Sweating
8. Difficulty concentrating
9. Nausea
10. The need to go to the bathroom frequently
11. Tiredness
12. Trouble falling or staying asleep
13. Trembling
14. Being easily startled

A study conducted at the University of Vienna found a significant beneficial effect of Sahaja Yoga Meditation on state and trait anxiety in healthy adults.

A group of 37 adults was taught Sahaja Yoga Meditation for 8 weeks and compared to a group of 32 adults who received no intervention and a group of 32 adults who had to listen to music of Mozart.

The group who received meditation showed a significant reduction in their levels of state and of trait anxiety compared to both controls and to the group that listened to Mozart.

http://www.meditationresearch.co.uk
Hackl, W. (1995) Die Auswirkungen von Sahaja Yoga auf das Drogenkonsumverhalten (The effect of Sahaja Yoga on drug consumption). Doctoral thesis submitted to the University in Vienna, 1995.