Deep Breathing/Meditation for Anxiety

[Natron247]

My doctor has stated that dedicating time every day to deep breathing exercises/meditation will help control anxiety.  I have had anxiety for the better part of the past 10 years but it only flares up when either (a) I tweak my medication (b) try to come off medication.  Currently I am on 15mg of Lexapro and 1mg of Clonazepam (Klonopin) taken both at nighttime.  Does anybody have any success stories on implementing breathing techniques/meditation for relief of anxiety.  I don't want to be on medication all my life if at all possible.  

[mammo]

I think you've got a very healthy attitude about this....good for you!  We do need to stay on top of everything, and you're doing just that!  We do all we can and go from there.  I think you'll do very well!

[Natron247]

Thanks mammo!  I have played baseball all my life and the doc thinks that the sudden stop of doing that when I got out of college is what originally gave me the anxiety issues.  Of course I have just compounded it over time.  I have a problem with pushing away the negative thoughts as well, but I try.  I understand that I may never be off medicine and have accepted that, but I want to try any and all things that I can to help the problem be as minimal as possible.  Thanks again for your message!

[mammo]

Breathing exercises are excellent for anxiety, and I know meditation is too.  For me it was keeping my mind and self too busy to think about things. When I tried meditation I couldn't clear my mind and just dwelled on negative things.  So, I got into exercising and activities to occupy my mind.  Have you tried therapy to determine if you have a root cause for your anxiety?  Often there is one, and it's normally something that happened in our past that we either never dealt with, or tried to forget. Once you find out what this is, you can get it out and deal with it, relieving your anxiety.  None of us want to be on medication for the rest of our lives, but often we have to realize that anxiety can be a life-long illness.  It's no different than any other illness that we may need to take medication for every day.  I think because it's mental, we feel we should be able to take care of it on our own, and some do, but it's rarely the case.  I hope this helps.  I wish you all the best and take care!