Adding Meditation To Walking Is Good For Anxiety Reduction

Walking has been known for its many life-saving health benefits. As a matter of fact, regular walking activity has been linked to longevity. Moreover, one study¹ finds that adding meditation to walking reduces anxiety.

Meditation Plus Walking

One of the known health benefits of walking is it boosts the release of endorphin, which is a natural pain and stress reliever.

While this may sound similar to walking meditation practice, it is slightly different. In this study, researchers allow participants to meditate prior or after walking for 10 minutes.

In this study, the researchers found that adding meditation to an exercise has a significant reduction in anxiety than exercise alone.

Although this study only covers aerobic and walking exercises, meditation plus weight lifting can be a good combination, perhaps. Doing weight lifting alone has been shown to be beneficial in reducing anxiety symptoms. Imagine how much benefit can meditation adds to it.

Other Simple Ways To Overcome Anxiety

Tony Robbins shares some quick tips on how to beat anxiety. His quick solutions include practicing deep breathing and visualization.

Additionally, one of the simplest way to gradually overcome anxiety is through grounding. It is as simple as walking barefoot on the ground, grass or even at the beach.

While it is so simple, it has tremendous positive impacts not only on beating anxiety but many other benefits, too. Hence, don’t be shy or afraid to walk barefoot when you can. It’s good for you.

The Role of Nutrition

While many doctors are focusing on treating anxiety with prescription medications, eating the right kinds of foods is better. Of course, pharmaceutical medicines have its place especially when it comes to emergency situations, but not long-term.

Therefore, aim to eat the right foods for your body. There are a wide variety of mood-boosting foods you can eat. As a matter of fact, one unfortunate link to anxiety is fatigue. However, certain dietary changes can have positive impacts on overcoming fatigue.

Therefore, start looking more closely at your diet today. If you have no idea how to eat healthily, start checking the Mediterranean style of dieting or even the ketogenic diet.

One thing you should avoid when it comes to food is added sugars. So, start making efforts to minimize your added sugar consumption and you’ll see and reap the benefits.

There is an actual study² on this that links sugar consumption to anxiety. So, it’s worth doing the work and making the effort to avoid sugar by increasing your fruits and vegetable intake.

Final Thoughts

Now that you have an idea of how walking along with meditation can reduce anxiety, start doing it today. Keep in mind, with regular meditation practice, it will become a part of your life.

Plus meditation does not only beneficial to reducing or even beating anxiety but also increases overall wellness. In one study, meditation is significantly beneficial to curing work addiction. Perhaps, with regular practice meditation can beat any type of addiction including drug addiction and even porn and masturbation addictions.

How To Do A Walking Meditation?

Here are a few simple steps that can you start with in order to practice walking meditation. This is a combination of meditation and walking. Although a little different from the method in the study, this practice seems to be popular and effective.

If you can do this walking meditation on a grassy place, always walk barefoot. Doing this on a beach is also a good idea.

• Bring your hands to a relaxing position. There is no right or wrong feel free to relax your hands however it feels best to you.

• Take a few breathes and feel the relaxation while noticing the sensation of both feet touching the ground.

• Continue breathing in a relax manner and make it natural.

• Start walking naturally while feeling the sensation on both feet as you lift and back on the ground. Feels every shift your feet made, as well as your weight. In short, pay attention to every sensation with the movement of your feet.

• Continue this noticing of sensation throughout your walking meditation duration.

• Then, also take notice how the rest of your body moves such as your arms and shoulders, neck and chest, as well as the back and legs. Just take notice and be aware of the sensations.

• If you encounter distractions, it’s normal. So, don’t fret. Simply bring back your attention to your walking meditation noticing the sensations.