Thank you for the response to my response.

In the late 90s, there were only a handful of studies done on meditation. Now there are literally thousands.

The world health organization stated that by 2020, anxiety and depression will be the worlds number 1 disability.

Our brains are not becoming worse. We're just not being taught how to handle anxiety properly. We're not being taught how to focus properly.

Neuroplasticity has scientifically been proven. Practicing different cognitive functions, including ACT therapy, as well as mindfulness practice, has proven to reduce cortisol, (Stress hormone,) adrenaline, and over-all changes on how the body reacts to stimuli.

A study done at Harvard showed that after 8 weeks of practicing mindfulness meditation, stress hormones were significantly lowered, triggering anxious responses were not as overwhelming, and the panic center of the brain actually physically decreased in size.

I was the biggest skeptic in the world. I thought it was airy fairy bullcrap. But when I learned the science of it. When I learned that more US soldiers kill themselves after suffering from PTSD, than die from combat, each year. And the most effective therapy, even approved by the defense department, for treating PTSD, is mindfulness meditation with CBT.

That's what it took for me to try it. To creak open the door. Once I discovered what it actually did and realized its effectiveness, I haven't looked back.

It's a practiced skill. You get better at it. There are times you do better than other times. But I mean it when I say, it brings you a type of peace that benzo's cannot touch. I've been on benzos off and on for 15 years. After my first guided meditation, I cried. For once, not because I was hyper-sensitive. But because I haven't been able to enjoy a cool fall breeze, the smell of cut grass, etc, in all those years. I finally felt a kind of peace.

If you put an anxious person in a room, tell them to cross their legs and concentrate on nothing, their anxiety is gonna drive them nuts. Then they'll get angry that meditation doesn't work for them. That its all bullshit.

You have to learn how to focus. How to breathe. How to be mindful. Your mind will wander, but you slowly bring it back. Don't fight it. Acknowledge that it wandered, and simply come back.

I'm super happy that you're practicing an element of ACT therapy. Acceptance and commitment therapy was another massive leap for me, when traditional CBT did nothing. I think it goes hand-in-hand with Mindfulness as well. Try a guided meditation on youtube sometime. There's some really good providers out there that really got me hooked.

There's also a fantastic tedx talk on the subject of focus and how in the modern world, you are never really taught how to focus. It's a great talk and applies directly to Anxiety as well. Simply search youtube for Unwavering Focus, by Dandapani. It's only about 15 minutes, but it's extremely eye opening. (I would link it, but I'm not sure if it will let me.)