How meditation on the present moment can relieve anxiety

If you are anxious about the uncertain future, try meditating on the present moment and let God take care of the rest.

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It’s relatively easy to become anxious about the future. We simply do not know what will happen next and that can be a frightening thought.

However, the good news is that God is in control of the future, and the more we surrender ourselves to God, the more our anxiety will disappear.

Read more:
Prayer to St. Joseph in anxiety and distress

One way to do this is by focusing on the present moment, using meditation as a tool to bring our heart and mind into the “now.”

Jesus urged his disciples to do exactly that, and we should use his words in our meditation.

So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil. (Matthew 6:31-33)

Stay with this Scripture passage for several minutes and chew on those words of Jesus. What is Jesus trying to speak to you at this moment? What worries are on your heart?

Archbishop Fulton Sheen is quoted in From the Angel’s Blackboard about living in the present moment, and how it can truly ease our anxieties.

All unhappiness (when there is no immediate cause for sorrow) comes from excessive concentration on the past or from extreme preoccupation with the future … The second remedy for the ills that come to us from thinking about time is what might be called the sanctification of the moment — or the Now … We are to leave the past to divine mercy and to trust the future, whatever its trials, to God’s loving providence. Each minute of life has its peculiar duty — regardless of the appearance that minute may take. The Now-moment is the moment of salvation. Each complaint against it is a defeat; each act of resignation to it is a victory.

If you want to get rid of excessive anxiety in your life, meditate frequently on the present moment and leave the rest to God.