Ready to put an end to all that worrying?
 |
| Getty |
Have you ever found yourself unable to tackle an important item on your to-do list
because you can't silence all the nagging, anxious thoughts running
through your mind? Those annoying and uncontrollable mental
interruptions can be frustrating, but the good news is there just might
be a simple fix you can do on your own: According to new research
published in Consciousness and Cognition, meditating for just 10 minutes could help get your mind back on track.
[post_ads_2]
In the April 2017 study, University of Waterloo researchers asked 82 participants, all of whom had problems with anxiety,
to complete a task on a computer while regularly experiencing
interruptions. They used the results of this portion of the experiment
to gauge participants' ability to stay focused on the task at hand.
The
researchers then split the participants into two groups — one that
listened to a short audio story and one that engaged in a 10-minute meditation session — before being asked to complete a task on a computer for a second time.
The results? Participants who engaged in a simple 10-minute meditation session were significantly better at focusing
on the task the second time around. This, the researchers said, was a
sign that practicing mindfulness (aka bringing our attention to the
present moment) could help us banish repetitive, off-task thoughts —
which, of course, are a common symptom of anxiety disorders.
[post_ads]"Our results indicate that mindfulness
training may have protective effects on mind-wandering for anxious
individuals," said Mengran Xu, one of the study's authors and a PhD
candidate in the department of psychology at Waterloo, in a press release.
"We also found that meditation practice appears to help anxious people
to shift their attention from their own internal worries to the
present-moment external world, which enables better focus on a task at
hand."
It's important
to note that this was a small study and more research needs to be done
to confirm the link between short 'n' sweet meditation sessions and
improved focus for people with anxiety — not to mention that you should absolutely consult a doctor if you think you might have an anxiety disorder or if your anxiety symptoms worsen.
[post_ads_2]
But
if there's a possibility that 10 minutes of meditation could improve
your focus and send your inner worrywart packing, why not give it a
shot? The New York Times' guide to meditation is a great place to start if you're new to mindfulness practices.
More:
