The Usefulness of Meditation in Depression Treatment

Giving your mind a break by meditating can help ease depression. People experiencing depression commonly feel sad or lose interest or pleasure in their normal activities. Often those experiencing a depressive event, have problems sleeping, feel irritable, find it hard to concentrate, notice a change in their appetite, isolate themselves from others, feel low energy, etc. Depression affects a person not only psychologically but physically, as well. Depression can cause reduced functioning of the structures in the brain. One of the ways to combat the effects of depression on the brain is to create a meditation practice.

  Although meditation on its own is not a cure for depression, it can help clients feel better and provide relief to an often-busy mind. Harvard Health Publishing*, stated that a regular practice of meditation can help the brain deal with the stress and anxiety that causes depression. Resistance to the idea of meditation is somewhat normal in a society that often wants a quick fix. Meditation is not instant, but the work you put into it will be rewarded if you continue the practice. 

The Benefits of Meditation

Some of the benefits of using meditation in the treatment of depression are the following:

 1.       Decreases stress by reducing the stress hormone cortisol that is activated during a stressful event.

2.       Decreases anxiety by reducing the associated stress.

3.       Reduces negative thoughts.

4.       Improves self-awareness by helping people understand themselves better.

5.       Meditation has been found to be like exercise for the attention span resulting in an increase in attention.

6.       Partially improves memory in patients with dementia.

7.       Improves sleep.

8.       Decreases blood pressure.

9.       Helps in treating addictions.

10.   Helps control pain.

 How to Meditate: Mindfulness Meditation

Meditation is simple but not easy. If you have an active mind that is busy, busy, busy, it may seem hard, if not impossible, to slow it down. It is important to understand that meditation is a practice in teaching your mind to relax and slow down. At first you may only be able to meditate for a minute, and that is just fine because learning meditation is a process, and you will become better at it.

 Step One: Find a private and quiet place and set a timer. At first, you may want to try five minutes.

 Step Two: Focus on the present moment and notice the breath. Notice your breath as you breathe in and out. If your mind wanders and starts planning the rest of your day, bring it back to the present without judgment. Just notice what comes up for you. Pretend you are observing yourself from the outside. Return to your breathing. There is no perfection in this practice.

 Step Three: Notice your feelings as they arise. Are you bored? Are you frustrated? Just notice what comes up without judgment. Practice accepting the experience exactly as it is.

 Step Four: As often as you can, concentrate on your breathing. Continue with the practice until the time ends or you are done.

 The awesome thing about meditation is that it is free, and you can do it just about anywhere. You can also find free YouTube videos and apps to use to time yourself and even guide you through meditation. You may find that you prefer guided meditations where a facilitator guides you through the practice. There are guided meditations for different topics that you may find helpful and in line with your goals. Some of the apps that are popular include Calm.com, InsightTimer, Headspace and more. Most of these apps offer some free meditations. Also, being with nature can be a great way to meditate and be mindful. When you are outside, look up at the sky, listen to the birds, feel the grass, pet your cat or dog, and notice what you smell. There are so many ways to practice mindfulness meditation.

I wish you the best as you start your meditation practice!

If you are looking for more information about depression therapy in the Flower Mound and surrounding areas, please contact me for a free 15-minute phone consultation. I would be happy to answer any questions you have!

*Source:

How Meditation Helps with Depression (2021). Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/how-meditation-helps-with-depression

Reduce Anxiety by Using the SMART Method to Set New Year’s Goals

It’s pretty common to make New Year’s Resolutions at the beginning of a new year. However, studies have found that only about 10% of people who make New Year’s Resolutions will achieve them*. There are various reasons that New Year’s Resolutions are not always attained including readiness for change, being realistic about the goals you would like to achieve and setting attainable goals.

If you have anxiety, you might be intimidated by the idea of setting goals because you may be limiting your daily activities to stay within your comfort zone. If you have extreme anxiety, the idea of doing something out of the norm may cause the fear to become debilitating, and these feelings may cause you to stop trying to set goals. Using the SMART method, may be the best way to make goal setting easier.  Setting SMART goals is a step-by-step process. The idea is to set small, realistic, and achievable goals.

If you would like to work on setting goals for yourself this year, you may start by asking a few questions. What would I like to work on in 2021? What goal would I like to achieve by the end of the year? A frequent goal people strive to achieve at the beginning of a New Year is to make fitness a priority. For someone with anxiety, becoming physically active may be beneficial for their physical and mental health. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America found that some individuals who participated in physical activity experienced less stress and a reduction in anxiety symptoms*.

If you have hope that exercise might help alleviate some of your anxiety symptoms, and you would like to know the steps to take to set achievable goals, keep reading for more information about how to set SMART goals.  S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely.

Questions & Answers

How to create SMART Goals: 

Q:  How do I make a specific goal? 

A:  Ask yourself, “What am I going to do?” and “How will I know I have done it?” For example, this is what a walking goal might sound like, “I will walk 20 minutes a day, five days a week, over the next month.” 

Q:  How does a goal become measurable?

A: You can choose to track either the amount of time, number of miles, or number of steps taken each day to measure your goal. The length of time and how many days a week you will walk is a measurable part of creating a goal.

Q:  How do I know if my goal is achievable?

A:  The main question to ask yourself is “Am I physically capable of walking for the amount of time and distance I have allotted myself?”  If you are physically fit, walking 20 minutes a day, five days a week is probably very achievable.  However, if you have never taken regular walks and are not physically fit, you may have to alter your goal to ten minutes a day, three days a week and work up to walking 20 minutes a day, five days a week.

Q:  How do I know if my goal is realistic?

A:  It is important to think about what you are realistically capable of doing when it comes to setting the amount of time you are able to commit to a goal.  If you are a student who spends most of your day in class and studying or someone who works 60 hours a week, you should look at how much time you can give to a goal on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. In order to achieve goals, you should set goals that are realistic so that you do not undermine your success at achieving your goals.

Q:  How do I set timely goals?

A:  Time-orientation is an important part of having a goal.  With respect to a walking goal, you may choose to keep your goal of walking 20 minutes a day, five days a week in place for one month and increase the time and frequency over the next month. The following month’s walking goal may sound like this, “I will walk 30 minutes a day, six days a week, over the next four weeks.” Once you are successful in meeting the timeline you set for a goal, you can add to that goal in order to achieve even more!

Using the SMART method of goal setting is a great way to keep yourself on track and in a good state of mind to achieve your goals. When it comes to reaching for goals, it is a good idea to be flexible and not too rigid. Rigidity in your thinking can sabotage your best efforts and could lead you to quit when you do not immediately reach the goals you set.  That’s why it is important to make your goals realistic and attainable. Flexibility is key to lowering your anxiety levels and being successful in achieving your goals.

Sometimes life throws you a curveball, and you get off your normal schedule. Maybe you set a goal to walk after school or work, but you become ill and it throws your walking schedule off for a week.  Try not to get down on yourself if you do not get your walking in that week. Simply take that opportunity to practice good self-care. When you feel better, start back on your regular walking schedule without feelings of guilt or failure. Do the best you can in any given situation and move on.  Remember, you set your walking goal in order to feel better physically and mentally! 

Wishing you good luck using the SMART method to reach your goals this year!

Are you interested in finding out more about Anxiety Treatment?

If you are looking for an anxiety therapist and feel that I can assist you in learning more about anxiety treatment, please call me for a free 15-minute phone consultation.

To find out more about my services, click here: Anxiety Treatment

*Source:

Exercise for Stress and Anxiety (2020).  Retrieved from https://adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/managing-anxiety/exercise-stress-and-anxiety

You Might Be Doing Your New Year’s Resolutions All Wrong (2020).  Retrieved from https://www.psycom.net/mental-health-resolutions