I’ve never been interested in meditation. I knew it would probably be good for me but somehow it felt too intense to me.

I would sit in silence and not be able to quite my mind.

It almost seemed like trying to be quite made it even freaking louder.

Lately, I’ve been really into guided meditations.

Here are some of my favorites for when I’m starting to feel depressed or anxious.

I’ve found them really helpful and I hope you find them useful too.

Check out my anxiety survival guide and join the RTP Mental Health Support Group on Facebook to connect with other people struggling with anxiety and depression.

I also have an entire library of free worksheets and resources you can get here.

Why Try Meditation For Your Mental Health?

Depression and anxiety vary so much from person to person.

People experience different causes, symptoms and use different treatment options to manage them.

I struggled with clinical depression and anxiety for over ten years before I finally was able to get help and figure out how to manage it.

My biggest piece of advice for anyone struggling with their mental health is throw everything at it.

That means try A LOT of different treatment options and don’t give up until you have a good selection of tools that work for you.

Meditation really helped me get my anxiety under control and other people have had good luck with it too.

I still used other things (like therapy, exercising and eating a healthy diet) to manage it but meditation is definitely a tool that I still use to help keep my symptoms under control.

Benefits of Meditation

There are lots of great benefits for meditation and the best thing about it is that it is 100% free.

The only thing it costs you is your time. Our culture is so fast-paced and we all have so much going on that slowing down to meditate can be really helpful for your mental health.

Just spending a few minutes to sit down and intentionally notice your breath can help decrease your stress levels.

Some of the mental health benefits of meditation include:

Increased happiness
Less anxiety
Ability to stay in the present moment
Reduces anger
Helps alleviate stress and feelings of overwhelm
Gives feelings of clarity and peace

if you want to start getting some of these amazing benefits to try out these guided meditations below.

These are my favorite meditations for depression and anxiety.

Meditation Tips

Don’t judge yourself if your mind wanders
Start a meditation practice by meditating at the same time every day
If you’ve never meditated before try guided meditations
The Headspace app is great for beginners
Create a dedicated spot in your house for your meditation practice
Sit in a comfortable position

Free Guided Meditations for Depression and Anxiety

This is a great one if you’re a chronic worrier like me. It helps you quiet down the voices in your head that love to worry about every single little thing that could go wrong.