Can Meditation and Yoga Help Relieve Social Anxiety?

meditation for anxiety and stress

This is a guest post by Dan Fries:

Dan Fries is a science writer and published author in the field of translational oncology. Dan’s work has been featured in journals such as Cancer Discovery and Cancer Research. His contribution is exploring the natural health approach to relieve social anxiety and panic attacks. Find out more about Dan’s mission at www.corpina.com 

 

Have you ever felt a cramping sensation in your gut or beads of sweat forming on your forehead when you enter a room full of people? Clearly, anxiety is killing your professional as well as social life. Fear, stress and anxiety are in the driver’s seat and you end up being a passenger who is traveling into the depths of the unknown.

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown” – H.P. Lovecraft.

Yoga and Meditation to beat social anxietyThis quote tells us that it is normal to have slight fear, as it is in human nature to be afraid of unforeseen circumstances. But you need to be focused, disciplined and dynamic to overcome and fight this fear. The problem begins when this fear becomes intimidating and persistent, and starts to take control of your everyday life.

Slowly this leads to anxiety disorder, worry, a state of overly-uneasiness, etc. which if left unchecked can require medical treatment. That is where yoga and meditation can help. Of course, yoga and meditation alone are unlikely to be your only treatment options. Both of them should sync with each other and then only after consulting a specialist or a doctor. The medical practitioner can guide and help you to know what kind of anxiety disorder you are having – OCD, Panic Attacks, Social Anxiety Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), to name a few.

Symptoms of Social Anxiety

  • Having obsessive and uncontrolled thoughts related to past traumatic experiences
  • Feeling uneasy, scared and panicky
  • Tendency to repeatedly wash hands
  • Waking up from frequent nightmares
  • Having problems getting sound sleep
  • Sweating hands and feet
  • Frequent heart palpitations

Relieving Social Anxiety Through Yoga

The regular practice of yoga can assist you in staying relaxed and calm in your day-to-day life. It can give you the energy for facing events as and when they occur without being restless. The practice of yoga consists of a complete package of body postures (asanas) and breathing techniques (pranayamas).

Yoga Postures for the relief of Social Anxiety

Yoga postures or asanas can help in getting a healthy body and mind. Stress and negativity are released from the system through the following postures –

  • Matsyasana (Fish Pose)
  • Shirshasana (Headstand)
  • Janu Shirsasana (One-Legged Forward Bend)
  • Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)
  • Shavasana (Corpse Pose)
  • Marjariasana (Cat Stretch)
  • Setubandhasana (Bridge Pose)
  • Hastapadasana (Standing Forward Bend)
  • Paschimottanasana (Two-Legged Forward Bend)
  • Adhomukha Shavasana (Downward Facing Dog)

Once you’ve finished the yoga postures, you need to lie down so that your body and mind can get a few minutes of relaxation. This flushes out the toxins in the body which are the major cause of stress for your biological system.

Breathing Exercises to relieve Social Anxiety

Proper breathing techniques can help free your mind from unwanted clutter and thoughts. This avoids the breeding of anxiety and keeps the mind fresh. You can try the following breathing methods –

  • Bhastrika Pranayama (Bellows Breathing Technique)
  • Kapalbhati Pranayama ( Skull-Shining Breathing Technique)
  • Bhramari Pranayama (Bee Breathing Technique)
  • Nadi Shodhan Pranayama (Alternate Nostril Breathing)

Meditating Your Way To A Relaxed Mind

meditation for anxiety and stressMeditation is a great technique for relaxing a mind which is distracted. It provides a sense of peace and calm. You can observe that with daily practice your mind gets involved with petty and insignificant things. Plus, meditation can help you to avoid worrying or getting anxious about the unforeseen future.

You will most likely be familiar with the term ‘adrenalin rush’. This occurs when you are too anxious or scared about a potential threat. For example, at the time of an adventure ride, your adrenalin levels would be higher than usual, leading to a faster heartbeat. It could also make your muscles tense and your body sweat profusely.

Various scientific researchers have shown that regular practice of meditation can lower the stress hormones. A study was conducted by the Department of Psychology of the Standard University for the participants of social anxiety disorder. They underwent a two-month meditation training which resulted in reducing their anxiety and transforming their thoughts to a more positive outlook.

Supplements For Controlling Stress And Relieving Anxiety

Did you know supplements are one of the best options for taking control of your anxiety and stress? You could, for instance, try the nootropic supplement of Phenibut, which is available in tablet as well as powder form. This supplement is not only safe; it has already been used by people for several decades. Phenibut is a derivative of the brain chemical GABA but is able to pass the blood-brain barrier more effectively, it is one of the most significant neurotransmitters in the human body. It effectively calms the hormones related to anxiety and stress and brings a positive change to the mood and confidence of the user.

Summing It Up

Social anxieties and stress can be traumatic and create majorly off-putting experiences in your life. With the regular practice of yoga and meditation, you can minimise the negatives and hopefully kick them out of your life. However, if they are still persistent in your life, you can take mood and memory enhancing supplements to counter their ill-effects and reduce it safely and gradually. So go ahead and enjoy a stress-free life!

 

Thank you to Dan Fries for this guest blog post!

 

If you have suffered in the past or currently suffer from stress and social anxiety we would love to hear about how you’ve managed to relieve it. Have you been successful using meditation and yoga or other types of natural therapies, or have you been successful in taking supplements to cope?

Please leave a comment below, we love to hear from our readers!