Anxiety Superpower: How to Tolerate Meditation

I have a confession: I hate meditation.

Like so many who live with an anxiety disorder, it is difficult, if not impossible, to quiet the mind. The idea of sitting quietly with our own thoughts does not necessarily sound like a calming experience to me.

With that said, meditation doesn’t have to be a practice of “quieting the mind.” In fact, for those of us with overactive thoughts, it may be beneficial to learn to interact with our minds in a healthier way rather than try to suppress our thoughts and force quiet on ourselves, because how often does that work?

We are going to keep thinking during meditation. We’re going to remember that phone call we need to make, we’re going to think about the difficult conversation we need to have, we’re going to think about that kid who insulted us 30+ years ago… That’s what our brains do. They think. For many of us, a little too much.

If instead of suppressing our thoughts, we acknowledge our thoughts without judgement, and then let them go, the practice of meditation can become far more meaningful and beneficial. We begin to calm our minds through acceptance rather than suppression of thought. We find that balance we were so desperately looking for.