How to meditate if you’re anxious?

When anxiety is high, the idea of sitting still with your thoughts might sound more stressful than soothing. Meditation often gets framed as something calm and serene, but for many people living with anxiety, it can feel anything but.

Still, meditation isn’t about emptying the mind or striving for perfect stillness. At its heart, it is a practice of becoming more present with what you're experiencing. This includes thoughts, sensations, and emotions, and learning to respond with greater awareness rather than reactivity.

In this guide, you'll learn how to begin meditating in ways that feel supportive, especially during anxious moments. You’ll also discover how meditation offers long-term benefits for your overall mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing, not just for anxiety but across different areas of life.

What meditation really means

Meditation is the practice of training your attention. You might focus on your breath, your body, or even a kind phrase. The goal is not to block out thoughts or feelings, but to notice them with more awareness and less judgement.

Types of meditation

There are many different styles of meditation, and they don’t all involve sitting in silence. You don’t need to practice or master all of them, but just being aware of these types can help you decide which ones feel supportive and restorative for you. 

• Focused attention (breath or body): You choose one thing to focus on, such as your breath or the feeling of your feet on the floor. When your attention drifts, you gently return to that focus.

• Open awareness or mindfulness meditation: You allow thoughts, sounds, and sensations to come and go without getting caught up in them. This builds tolerance for discomfort and reduces reactivity.

• Loving-kindness or compassion meditation: This involves repeating phrases like, “May I be well,” or “May you feel safe,” to cultivate kindness toward yourself and others. It’s especially helpful when you’re feeling self-critical or emotionally drained.

• Body scan: You slowly move your attention through different parts of the body, noticing sensations without trying to change them. This helps reduce tension and reconnect with the body.

• Walking or movement-based meditation: Meditation doesn’t have to be still. You can practise while walking slowly, stretching, or moving mindfully. This is a good option when restlessness or agitation makes stillness uncomfortable.

• Mantra or sound meditation: This uses repeated words or sounds as a focal point. For some people, this is easier than focusing on the breath.

How meditation supports anxiety, and so much more

Here are some ways meditating helps with anxiety:

• Disrupts overthinking: Meditation reduces worry and rumination by breaking the cycle of repetitive thoughts.

• Regulates the nervous system: Slowing the breath and increasing awareness helps shift the body into a more relaxed state.

• Improves emotional regulation: You learn to respond to anxious thoughts with more curiosity and less judgement.

• Strengthens resilience: Over time, you develop a greater ability to stay present, even when things feel uncertain.

Meditation also goes far beyond just managing anxiety. Other proven benefits of meditation include:

• Better sleep: Studies show that mindfulness practices improve sleep quality and reduce insomnia by calming the mind before bed.

• Improved focus and clarity: Regular meditation can sharpen attention and reduce mental fatigue.

• Mood support: Meditation helps reduce symptoms of depression, increases feelings of wellbeing, and enhances emotional balance.

• Boosted immunity: Some research suggests meditation can improve immune function, helping the body recover more easily from illness.

• Increased self-awareness: You become more attuned to your emotional, behavioural, and physical patterns, which allows for more intentional choices.

• Enhanced compassion: Loving-kindness practices boost empathy and connectedness, which strengthen relationships and social support.

In a large-scale review published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers found that mindfulness meditation can result in “small to moderate reductions of multiple negative dimensions of psychological stress,” including depression and physical pain.

Meditation guide for beginners

If you're new to meditation, or if anxiety has made it feel overwhelming in the past, these simple steps can help you begin in a safe and supportive way.

1. Start small

• Begin with 1 to 3 minutes.

• Let go of the idea that longer is better. Short, consistent practice is often more effective than occasional long sessions.

2. Settle your body

• Choose a position where you feel supported: sitting, lying down, or even standing.

• Let your shoulders drop. Rest your hands gently. There is no need to force perfect posture.

3. Choose your focus

Pick one thing to rest your attention on. For example:

• The natural rhythm of your breath

• The sensation of your feet on the ground

• A calming word or phrase

• A gentle sound, like birds outside or a quiet fan

If focusing on the breath increases anxiety, shift to something more neutral like sound, body sensations, or a simple mantra.

4. Notice what comes up

Thoughts will wander. That’s normal. Each time you bring your attention back, you're strengthening awareness. Be patient. There’s no need to force calm.

5. Close with kindness

When you finish, take a moment to check in. Notice how your body feels. Place a hand over your chest or belly if it feels soothing. Acknowledge your effort, even if the practice didn’t feel like how you expected at first.

Meditation guide for high-anxiety moments

Anxiety doesn’t follow a schedule. Some days it feels manageable. Other times it builds quickly and without warning. Here’s how to adjust your meditation when that happens.

1. Ground your senses

If your mind is racing, try a different version of the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. Instead of just naming things, you: notice 5 things you can see, touch 4 things around you, listen to 3 distinct sounds, smell 2 scents, taste 1 thing or recall a comforting memory.

This technique can help bring your attention back to the present moment.

2. Use guided meditations

Let someone else guide the practice. Listen to a recording with a calm voice. Many apps and websites offer meditations specifically designed for anxiety.

3. Let your body move

Try walking slowly and focusing on each step. Gently stretch. Let the movement help release tension before trying a seated practice.

4.  Focus on longer exhales

Try a simple breathing technique: inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 6 counts. Longer exhalations help calm the body and mind.

5. Try a supportive phrase

Choose a calming sentence and repeat it silently. For example,

• “This will pass.”

• “I can take this one breath at a time.”

• “It’s okay to feel unsettled right now.”

Use this as your anchor when your breath or body feels too tense.

Final thoughts

Meditation is not about reaching a perfect state of calm. It’s more of a practice in meeting your experience - whether that’s anxiety, restlessness, sadness, or peace - with more awareness and less judgement.

Some days will feel easier. Others might not. That’s part of the process. What matters is that you keep showing up for yourself.

Over time, meditation can become more than just a strategy for managing anxiety. It can offer a clearer, steadier way to move through life, supporting your wellbeing, relationships, and resilience. And if meditation ever feels too intense or ineffective in healing your mental health concerns, remember that it’s okay to pause and seek support from a therapist.