Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as fear, agitation, edginess or worry. The sense of anxiety can range from mild to severe, and the duration that it's felt varies between people also.
We all develop feelings of anxiety at some point in our lives. For example, if we have a job interview, exam, facing confrontation, or even when we're going to the dentist! During times like these, feeling anxious is expected and nothing to worry about.
However, sometimes, people find it difficult to control their fears and worry. Their feelings of anxiety are felt more often, perhaps regularly, and can impact their day-to-day lives, causing problems.
Indeed, anxiety is a significant symptom of many mental health conditions, such as panic disorder, phobias (such as agoraphobia), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
Meditation refers to a variety of mental exercises which have their origin in ancient times and became increasingly popular in the western world over the last decades. While meditating, we practice different kinds of focus to achieve a more mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state.
Meditative practices were developed as part of the path towards enlightenment, self-realisation and the end of suffering. There are various types of meditation, such as focused attention, or mindfulness meditation, which is the most widely studied form of meditation in modern science. Metta or loving-kindness meditation is another example of focused attention. Other forms of meditation are the chanting of mantras or transcendental meditation.
Getting better sleep does not mean spending longer in bed but obtaining a higher quality of repose. Usually, this will mean being asleep for a set number of hours in each 24-hour period, but the degree to which people need sleep varies from individual to individual. Therefore, obtaining better sleep is about quality rather than quantity for most people. In sleep, there are two known phases, REM sleep and non-REM sleep. To get better quality rest, you need both periods to occur. Non-REM sleep is when the brain lowers its activity, and your heart rate will drop. This is what most people call deep sleep. REM sleep is so-called for the rapid eye movements that go with it. Brain activity picks up at this point, and we tend to dream at such times. Although not yet fully understood, dreaming appears to help us process our waking lives at a subconscious level. Without both types of sleep, we don't get the quality we need to function normally in the day time.
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