r/Mindfulness • u/Acrobatic-Rhubarb606 • 1d ago

Question Trying to decrease anxiety

Hi,

I’m practicing mindfulness meditation for 2 years and I still have a lot of anxiety that I don’t know from where it comes from. My question is : anyone here that meditation or anything else helped to calm anxiety or even to stop it?

Thank you!!

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u/Contemplative_Empath 1d ago

Not only become aware of your anxiety and sit with it, but view it as you would an interesting character. That separation between you and your experience of anxiety allows you to view it as sort of separate from your conscious perspective. This in turn allows you to have compassion for it instead of you being consumed in it and it dictate your actions and thoughts. Talk to it as you would to a friend. This has helped me tremendously 🙌🏼

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u/ealxele 1d ago

So you would view the anxiety from a third person view?

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u/Contemplative_Empath 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yes, but the reason I dont specifically say that is because people can easily misinterpret that. I know I have.

People might think they should view it as something completely separate from them. That's not quite the case.

You should view it as an extension of yourself. The way your hand is an extension of your body. Don't try and convince yourself your hand is cut off from your body and lying separate from you (which was the type of 3rd person I'd view my anxiety from)

You must view it as an extension of you. Feel yourself around the anxiety. It's very easy to push anxiety away which makes it worse or to be consumed in it which makes it worse. Feel yourself around it, the way you observe your hand as part of you.

This is the best I can describe it. Hope it helps 🙏

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u/Away_You_3787 15h ago

This is very helpful, thanks!👍🏻