Let’s be honest: for someone struggling with anxiety or high stress, the advice to "just sit quietly and clear your mind" can feel terrifying. When your internal world is loud, silence isn't peaceful; it's overwhelming.
If you have tried traditional meditation and felt like you failed because your mind wouldn't shut off or your body wouldn't stay still, we want you to know something: you aren't doing it wrong.
Meditation doesn't have to mean sitting motionless in silence. True mindfulness is simply about paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). Sometimes, you need a physical tool to help you get there. We like to call this "active anchoring."
Giving your restless hands something to do—like using a tactile breathing tool, watching the slow trickle of a visual sand timer or engaging with a minimalist fidget—isn't a distraction. It's an anchor. It gives that nervous energy a safe place to go, allowing your mind the space it needs to settle without a fight (Shapiro, 1992).
Don't force yourself into a box that doesn't fit. Find the tools that support your unique brain. You can find our selection of gentle anchors in our Feel Calm and Find Focus categories.
References
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. New York: Hyperion. Shapiro, D. H. (1992).
A preliminary study of long-term meditators: Goals, effects, religious orientation, cognitions. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 24(1), 23-39.
