How to Meditate for Depression

If you think that you can combat anxiety with meditation, you can also do it to fight any form of depression. If fear is the trigger that causes anxiety, it is despair that causes people to feel depressed. For the most part, they feel that they lack the energy and they also find it hard to concentrate. At the same time, others feel irritable at all times without any reason at all. Nevertheless, symptoms vary from one person to another. So, if you are feeling down for a couple of weeks already in which such feelings are interfering with your day-to-day life, then you could be in a state of depression by now.

The act of meditating has been found to be effective in the treatment of depression, based from clinical studies. The use of mindfulness meditation is one of the ways to treat this type of condition. Here are several ways on how to meditate.

1. Sitting Upright

• In order to achieve a mindful meditation to combat depression, it is good to choose a particular room that should not have any distractions.
• Secure a posture that should make you feel comfortable. This will enable you to focus on your breath and yourself without feeling any discomfort. You can use the floor, a chair or a cushion to do that. If you use a chair, make sure that it doesn’t wiggle.
• Put your hands on top of your thighs on a downward position. Just keep your eyes slightly opened as you focus gazing on the floor or wall. Ensure that your hips are over your knees.

2. Sitting for a Moment

After being seated for a while, you should be able to be aware regarding your environment, your body, and your posture.

3. Feeling Your Breath

When you have made your focus on the present, you can now turn your attention to your breath. Thus, you need to pay attention to the air that comes in and out of the lungs.

• You need to channel your attention to your breath. Just don’t manipulate the way you breathe by just keeping it natural.
• Find a way to focus your attention to the environment and your body together with the breathing. If you think that your mind has been wondering already, try to bring it back to the present.
• Diaphragm breathing can also be helpful when lying or sitting down the floor. When you opt to sit, make sure that you do it upright so that you can easily breathe. You need to put one hand to your chest, while the other on your stomach.

4. Enable Your Thoughts to Flow

Give a chance to your mind to wander, but don’t analyze or judge your thoughts. Simply allow them to come naturally in and out.

5. Perform a Routine of Mindful Meditation

If you have already started meditating, make it a point to do it on a regular basis. You should at least spend 2.5 hours of weekly mindful meditation.

Not everyone is confident enough to do this alone. So if you think that you need assistance to gain better results, there are lots of professionals who can help you out with the routine. Just make it a point to commit to this routine, otherwise depression will remain a painful and frustrating experience.