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.
This is a great one to try if you are having trouble sleeping.
This one has a magical feel that I’m really into.
Another good one to try if you are having trouble sleeping at night.
I like that this one has a female voice. This is a good one to try if you’re struggling with managing depression
This one has the ocean in the background which I am a big fan of. If the beach gives you peace I recommed trying this one.
This channel has a ton of awesome meditations. This is one of my favorites.
I hope you fond these guided meditations for anxiety helpful. I try to do one a day and I find it helpful to do it first thing in the morning.
If you’re interested in more mental health related articles check out my other posts on anxiety.