Del BaileyMeditation can help calm anxiety, and the best trial evidence is strong. In a 2022 JAMA Psychiatry trial of 276 adults with anxiety disorders, an eight-week mindfulness course worked as well as the drug escitalopram. Three methods are easy to start at home: mantra meditation, mindfulness meditation and progressive muscle relaxation.
Updated October 11, 2026.
I led meditation sessions for years, and the first five minutes look the same for almost everyone. People expect their mind to go quiet and get annoyed when it does not. That restlessness is the practice. Each time you notice the wandering and come back to the breath or the word, that is one rep. The people who stuck with it treated it like training: short, daily and a little boring on purpose.
Can meditation help calm anxiety? What the research says
The strongest single study is the trial led by Elizabeth Hoge, published online in JAMA Psychiatry on November 9, 2022. It randomized 276 adults with anxiety disorders. One group took mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), an eight-week course with a weekly 2.5-hour class, a day-long retreat and 45 minutes of daily home practice. The other group took escitalopram at 10 to 20 milligrams a day.
After eight weeks, anxiety severity on a clinician’s rating scale fell 1.35 points with MBSR and 1.43 points with the drug. That difference was small enough to count MBSR as noninferior, meaning no worse. Side effects split sharply: 78.6% of the escitalopram group reported at least one study-related side effect, against 15.4% in the MBSR group. Ten people quit the drug because of side effects, and nobody quit MBSR for that reason.
Larger reviews point the same way, with limits. The NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) describes a 2018 analysis of 142 groups and more than 12,000 people with conditions such as anxiety or depression. Mindfulness beat no treatment and worked as well as cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressants. A 2021 analysis of 23 studies found mindfulness better than usual care for short-term anxiety relief. However, the few studies that followed people past two months found no long-term effect.
1. Mantra meditation
Mayo Clinic’s meditation guide defines mantra meditation as silently repeating a calming word, thought or phrase to keep out unwanted thoughts. You can make your own mantra, religious or not, per Mayo. A one-syllable word works well because it fits a single breath.
To start, sit somewhere comfortable with few distractions. Breathe slowly and say the word silently on each out-breath. When your mind drifts to a worry, notice it and go back to the word without scolding yourself. Five minutes is plenty for the first week.
The trials above tested mindfulness programs, so the evidence for mantra practice on its own is thinner. It still uses two elements Mayo lists as central to all meditation: focused attention and relaxed breathing.
2. Mindfulness meditation can help calm anxiety
Mindfulness meditation means paying attention to the present, such as your breath, and letting thoughts pass without judging them, Mayo Clinic explains. It is the method behind MBSR, the program that matched escitalopram in the JAMA Psychiatry trial.
Mayo suggests three simple ways in. First, breathe deeply and put all your attention on the breath, gently coming back when your mind wanders. Second, scan your body from head to toe and notice each sensation, paired with slow breathing. Third, walk slowly and focus on each movement of your legs or feet and the sights and sounds around you.
The walking version helps people who cannot sit still when anxious. In my sessions, the people who swore they could not meditate often managed fine once they were allowed to move.
3. Progressive muscle relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation means tensing one group of muscles, then releasing it, and moving through the body. NCCIH explains the goal: relaxation techniques aim to trigger the relaxation response. That response brings slower breathing, lower blood pressure and a lower heart rate, the opposite of the stress response.
The evidence is decent. A 2018 review of 16 studies with 856 people, described by NCCIH, found relaxation therapy reduced anxiety, depression, phobia and worry. A second 2018 review of 50 studies found it less effective than cognitive behavioral therapy for PTSD and OCD, with no difference for other anxiety disorders. NCCIH notes that most of those studies had a high risk of bias.
To try it, start with your feet. Squeeze the muscles for a few seconds while breathing in, then let go as you breathe out and notice the difference. Work up through the calves, thighs, stomach, hands, shoulders and face. If you only have a moment, tense the whole body at once and release.
Is meditation safe for anxiety?
For most people, yes, with a real caveat. NCCIH describes a 2020 review of 83 studies with 6,703 participants in which about 8% had a negative effect, most often anxiety or depression. The authors said that rate is similar to what psychological therapies show. Relaxation techniques are generally considered safe for healthy people, NCCIH says. Rare reports suggest they can worsen symptoms in people with epilepsy, certain psychiatric conditions or a history of trauma.
Mayo Clinic adds that meditation does not replace medical treatment, and that it can sometimes worsen symptoms of some mental health conditions. NCCIH gives the same warning: do not use meditation to put off seeing a health care provider. Severe or lasting anxiety deserves a professional’s help, and meditation can sit alongside that care.
How to build a meditation habit that helps calm anxiety
Pick one method and one time of day, and keep both for two weeks. Morning works for many people because the day has not started pulling at them. Start with five to ten minutes. The MBSR group in the JAMA Psychiatry trial practiced 45 minutes a day, so treat that as a target to build toward.
Keep a short note of how anxious you felt before and after. After a few weeks, that record tells you more than any single session does.
Does meditation help calm anxiety?
How long does it take for meditation to help anxiety?
In the 2022 JAMA Psychiatry trial, adults with anxiety disorders saw results after an eight-week mindfulness course with weekly classes and 45 minutes of daily practice. Their anxiety scores fell about as much as with escitalopram over the same eight weeks. NCCIH notes that the few studies tracking people past two months found no long-term effect.
Is meditation as effective as medication for anxiety?
In one large trial, yes. The 2022 JAMA Psychiatry study of 276 adults found that mindfulness-based stress reduction was noninferior to escitalopram after eight weeks. Side effects were far less common with meditation: 15.4% versus 78.6% on the drug. That result does not mean anyone should stop a medication without talking to their doctor.
What type of meditation is best for anxiety?
Mindfulness has the most research behind it. Mindfulness-based stress reduction matched escitalopram in a 2022 JAMA Psychiatry trial, and NCCIH describes reviews in which mindfulness worked as well as cognitive behavioral therapy. Progressive muscle relaxation also reduced anxiety in a 2018 review of 16 studies. Mantra meditation has less direct evidence but uses the same focused attention.
Can meditation make anxiety worse?
Sometimes. NCCIH describes a 2020 review of 83 studies in which about 8% of participants had a negative effect, most often anxiety or depression, a rate similar to psychological therapies. Mayo Clinic says meditation might worsen symptoms of some mental health conditions, so people with a diagnosed condition should talk with a health care professional first.
This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Talk to a licensed clinician about your own situation.
Tami Benedict