Science Says These 2 Touch Meditations Can Soothe Anxiety

Tuning into the senses can help beginner and seasoned meditators alike quiet the mind and focus the attention elsewhere. Sound is probably the most-discussed meditation aid, but what about touch? In this excerpt from Instant Calm: 2-Minute Meditations To Create a Lifetime of Happy, author Karen Salmansohn shares two fun touch meditations to add to your self-care tool box.

I want to help you feel less anxiety—by feeling more things with your hands!

Yes! I'm gonna help you to be less touchy...by giving you a range of things to touch. There are a variety of fun (and G-rated) touch meditations that have you reaching out and touching soft stuff, wet stuff, scratchy stuff, and grassy stuff.

Chances are that you've done a touch meditation before—without realizing it.

When you were a kid, you probably had a teddy bear or some favorite stuffed animal toy. One of the reasons you loved your stuffed animal (other than the fact that it was so gosh-darn adorable) was because it was so gosh-darn soft. Every time you hugged your stuffed animal, you became mesmerized by its comforting softness. You were unwittingly doing a touch meditation.

The feel of its cozy fur wound up distracting you from whatever was making you sad or scared. Eventually, the more you hugged your soft and cuddly stuffed animal, the more comfort you felt. In this way, your stuffed animal became an anchoring tool. Simply touching it lightly made you feel incredibly safe and secure.

This meditation is literally very handy. You practice hand reflexology by touching yourself on the hand at specific acupressure points.

In a 2017 hand reflexology study published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice1, patients who were to undergo coronary angiography were divided into two groups. Group 1 was given hand reflexology. Group 2 got nada. The people who received this simple hand massage wound up feeling a lot less anxiety.

Take a shower and multitask by washing away your stress and anxiety. Concentrate on the feel of the water on your skin.

There's actually a fancy scientific term for the proven feel-good joy a shower brings: hydrotherapy. Translation? It's the curative use of water to help with health, pain, and relaxation.

Hot-off-the-press info: Researchers at the Swedish University of Natural Sciences linked the elements of hot showers to boosts in oxytocin levels and reduced anxiety.

Some very cool info: According to researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine2, a cold shower is both invigorating and mood-boosting. Why? The shock of cold activates beta-endorphins (the molecules famed for creating a sense of well-being) and noradrenaline in the brain—both of which put you in a better mood. (That second one is actually something found in many antidepressants.)

Wash away your negativity: Step into the shower. Become aware of the water's temperature—its balance of hot versus cold. Squeeze out some body wash and feel its soft sudsiness on your skin. Grab a loofah and feel its scratchy surface on your skin. After you've done this for a few minutes, take some time to envision the power of the shower water washing away your negative thoughts! Whoosh! Envision fear, regret, and anger washing off you and swirling down the drain.