How To Lessen Anxiety in an Anxious World

​In today's world, it's very difficult not to feel anxious.  With the advent of the 24 hour news cycle, an infinite amount of information coming at us from a multitude of devices and recent current events, people are more anxious now than ever before.  Everyone seems to be worried and it is significantly impacting our physical health, our mental health, our relationships and our lives.
 
What can we do about this?  It turns out that we can start with some advice from our elders.  In an article in Psychology Today, the author interviewed hundreds of older people over a 10 year period about what they would like to pass on to younger people.  You would think they would talk about their regret of a big decision they made or an affair.  As they reflected on their lives, over and over they said "I wish I'd spent less time worrying."  We need to take this advice from our elders and worry less!
 
The best way to decrease anxiety and worry less is to be in the moment.  When you're truly in the moment, you can't be anxious.  Often we spend inordinate amounts of time thinking about the past or the future.  When thinking about the past or the future, you aren't in the present moment.  Being in the moment means looking at the beautiful colors of the fall leaves or noticing the curve of your child's face.  It means taking some deep breaths and smelling what's cooking on the stove.  It means being in your body, not in your head. 
 
Sounds simple?  Obviously it's not that easy to do.  One very important method to help stay in the moment is meditation.  Meditation takes time and practice.  There are several meditation apps and YouTube videos that can teach how to meditate.  Meditating once or twice a day, it could be for only 10 minutes, has been shown to change the way the brain works and decrease anxiety.  The apps that I found helpful are:  Take a Break, Headspace and One Moment Meditation - all are free!  Also, there are many YouTube videos with instructions on how to meditate.  Just type meditation in the search bar and look at all of the options.
 
So the next time you find yourself worrying, tell yourself, "Stop".  Refocus your thoughts to the present and use your meditation skills to decrease anxiety in your busy life.  You may find that when you become an "older person", you'll have less to regret!