I have been using and recommending L-theanine, kava, GABA, saffron, 5-HTP, passionflower, lavender, ashwagandha, and others for years to help my patients with anxiety and depression.
They work relatively quickly.
Some boost mood. Some calm anxiety. Others support medication reductions during a taper plan. This stuff works.
What I really like about them is they give “space.” With symptom relief in mental and emotional wellness, we can do the greatest work of all – build resilience.
Today I want to share with you how to build that resilience.
Here’s the x-factor:
Mindfulness meditation is anti-anxiety and an antidepressant.
A 2022 meta-analysis by Goldberg and colleagues reviewed 143 randomized controlled studies on mindfulness meditation.
They found that both Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) significantly reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression.
The results were similar to medication.
Although both types of mindfulness were helpful, MBSR was better for anxiety and MBCT was better for reducing the risk of depression returning.
Results only take about 15 to 30 minutes daily.
And here is what makes mindfulness special: the benefits last long after you stop. Studies show mindfulness cuts depression relapse risk in half. And those skills stay with you.
Medication, by contrast, requires continued use – relapse rates jump from 16% to 36% or higher when people stop taking antidepressants.
For those with depression or anxiety, mindfulness is powerful medicine. And the effects will last a long time.
I have been an off-and-on meditator for decades.
I have found that it helps slow my mind down and helps me focus on what is important. How does this translate to health?
Easy. When there is a goal I am working on, it is much easier to keep to the path without a monkey mind and fear, doubt, and worry. Focus and discipline are easier for me when I have a positive outlook, when I am not down emotionally.
This is what mindfulness offers.
You might be thinking: I am not a meditator. I do not know how. I do not have experience. I do not even know anyone who meditates.
I did not either. No worries. Keep reading.
Weight Loss Is Harder When Your Mind Is Against You
Almost any health goal becomes easier when stress and mood are under control. Weight loss. Blood sugar control. Cholesterol reduction. Blood pressure management. All of these benefit from better mental health.
Why? Because the journey is so long. Because we have to stay focused and on point with our lifestyle day in and day out. This requires a healthy mind.
Let me focus on weight loss as an example.
Stress and depression lead to unconscious eating. Nighttime eating. Broken patterns. When you are anxious or depressed, you lose touch with hunger signals. You lose touch with energy levels and sleep cues.
You miss opportunities for wellness because you are stuck in your head.
In our practice, we often discuss the implications of unconscious eating and habits around food and movement. We try to implement active processes to change these patterns. To reshape your approach.
But in anxiety and depression, this is very difficult.
Say, for example, I want a person to stop eating three hours before bed – a reasonable lifestyle choice for someone trying to reduce their intake. There is only one challenge: nighttime eating is their ritual. It is the only time they get to themselves. They do not smoke or drink alcohol, so it is their only vice. That is good, right? The habit brings them comfort and joy. It is what they look forward to all day.
I get it. I was there. During my late twenties, my go-to was chocolate-covered almonds. Just a few turned into a whole bag. Not only is it a lot of calories, but it also negatively impacts sleep, further blunting weight loss.
The Good News
The techniques that help are evidence-based. You can do them at home. And they create lasting change.
MBSR and MBCT: What They Are and What They Do
There are two main types of mindfulness that have strong scientific support.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
MBSR was created by Jon Kabat-Zinn in the 1970s. Research studies typically use an eight-week format with weekly sessions and daily home practice. Sounds like a lot, right?
No worries. You can start learning these techniques on your own with as little as 5 to 10 minutes per day, and it will start to help.
Best for: Daily stress, anxiety, and burnout prevention.
MBSR teaches you to shift from “doing mode” to “being mode.” You learn to be present with what is happening right now. Not what happened yesterday. Not what might happen tomorrow. Right now.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
MBCT combines mindfulness with talk therapy techniques. While formal programs exist, the core practices can be learned and applied at home with the right guidance.
Best for: Preventing depression from coming back.
MBCT cuts the risk of depression returning by about half. If you have experienced depression multiple times, this approach can break the cycle.
Honestly, this practice unlocks a new level of being. If you do not have anything you do just for “you,” trust me—this could be your best ever lifestyle hack.
The Results Keep Working (Even When You Stop)
I love programs that have lasting results. Ones where you do not have to take that supplement forever. Ones where real healing occurs. Like, for example, bringing balance to the hormones. We do a treatment, the cycle resets, and then the treatment is not needed any longer.
This is where mindfulness becomes truly remarkable.
When you stop taking medication for anxiety or depression, the benefits fade quickly with minimal lasting effect.
When you stop mindfulness practice, about 80 to 85 percent of the benefits last for months. A decade ago, I needed to meditate a lot to get the basic results I needed. Now, only a little. It is that powerful.
Talk therapy is similar. About 85 to 90 percent of the benefits stick around because you learn coping skills. And I think talk therapy is a really, really good option. This is not a “this or that” post. But there are limitations to talk therapy that make it not possible for some people: cost, time spent, finding the right fit, feeling comfortable opening up. Those were the limiters for me.
Why This Matters
Meditation teaches your brain new patterns. These patterns stick around. You build mental muscle that does not disappear overnight. Even if you stop practicing, your brain remembers.
Think of meditation like learning to ride a bike. Once your brain learns the skill, it never fully forgets.
How This Works (The Science Made Simple)
Mindfulness creates three main changes in how your brain responds to stress. I see these as the core benefits to expect. Of course, there are “newbie gains.” If you have not tried this before, the first few weeks will be transformational.
1. You Stop Fighting Your Thoughts
Anxiety and depression make us battle our own minds. We try to push away bad thoughts. We argue with ourselves. We demand that our brains behave differently.
Mindfulness teaches a different approach. Acknowledge thoughts but do not grab onto them. Treat racing thoughts like old friends visiting. You can wave hello without inviting them to stay.
These principles might seem “woo-woo,” or you might be saying, “But I am my thoughts, right?” There is more to our story as conscious humans. Tapping into that consciousness is a good goal.
2. You Rewire Your Stress Response
Your breath becomes a tool to ground you. You learn to shift from panic to calm. The power is always available to you.
When stress hits, you have a choice. React automatically or respond with awareness. Mindfulness builds that gap between trigger and response.
Have you noticed what makes the gap larger or smaller for you? Here are a few items to consider beyond stress and low mood: hunger, fatigue, busyness, unprocessed thoughts. These all shorten that gap for people I work with. This causes increased reactivity, which has a negative impact on healing.
3. You Build Self-Compassion
Depression makes us cruel to ourselves. We say things to ourselves that we would never say to a friend.
Mindfulness teaches you to talk to yourself like a dear friend. “I am doing my best” becomes your new default. This is not positive thinking. This is compassion over criticism.
Compassion is a funny thing when you consider giving it back to yourself. We are so influenced by our environment and past experiences. Getting compassion from someone might make it easier for you to accept this. What if you have not received much compassion? This is your chance to build something positive from nothing except your own consciousness.
The Key Takeaway
We all have habits of the mind. The monkey mind. Autopilot. These habits are not ideal for wellness.
Mindfulness helps us wake up. We turn into the present moment and become aware of what is going on in our body and mind. Both positive and negative.
Let’s try this:
A Simple Practice You Can Start Today
Watching Your Thoughts (5 Minutes)
This is the foundation of mindfulness. Here is how to do it.
Step 1: Sit comfortably. Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Step 2: Notice your breathing. You do not need to change it. Just observe. Feel the air moving in and out.
Step 3: Watch for thoughts. They will come. This is normal. This is not failure. Your mind will wander within seconds.
Step 4: Label them gently. When a thought appears, say to yourself: “thinking” or “worrying” or “planning.” Name it without judgment.
Step 5: Let them pass. Imagine thoughts as clouds drifting across the sky. You notice them. You do not chase them. You do not push them away.
Step 6: Return to your breath. Every time you notice you are lost in thought, come back to breathing. This return IS the practice.
Why This Works
Labeling thoughts weakens their power over you. You learn that thoughts are not facts. You build the muscle of awareness. Over time, this changes how you respond to stress.
When a challenging moment arrives, those negative thoughts can be treated like old friends coming to visit. You find a different way of being when they occur. You give them less energy. You spend less time battling or dwelling. You soften and accept them.
Tools to Help You
This is my go-to: The Insight Timer app offers free guided meditations for beginners. Start with 5 to 10 minutes daily. The same time each day works best. Headspace is another good option.
Insight Timer is really great. I want everyone to try it. There is a bit of a learning curve, but it is worth it. Here is how to start:
- Download the app
- Choose the free account
- Skip through all the questions—do not worry about them
- When you get into the app, choose “Search” on the bottom bar
- Write “mindfulness” or “MBSR” in the search bar—start trying free meditations
- Idea: A great one to start with is a simple body scan
- Try 10 minutes daily—let’s create a 60-day streak
The hardest part is starting.
The best part is realizing after a few weeks that you are less reactive, more kind to yourself, and making better lifestyle choices because of it.
What to Expect (The Timeline)
Weeks 1-2: You might feel frustrated. Your mind will wander constantly. This is normal. Everyone experiences this (especially me).
Weeks 3-4: You start noticing moments of calm. Brief. But real. The voice in your head gets a little quieter.
Weeks 5-8: Stress feels different. Less overwhelming. More manageable. You catch yourself before reacting.
Beyond 8 weeks: The benefits keep growing. You catch negative thoughts earlier. You respond instead of react. You notice when you are on autopilot and you can choose differently.
This is not magic. This is training. Like building muscle at the gym, you get stronger with practice.
What I find is that after about 8 weeks, the negative thoughts become less frequent for most people. They just stop coming so much.
Meditation Does Not Replace Everything Else
There are three pillars of mental health treatment:
- Movement – Exercise reduces anxiety and depression
- Mindfulness – Meditation rewires stress response
- Professional support – Therapy, medication, and other holistic approaches when needed (like the supplements I started with!)
These tools work together. Meditation is not competing with your medication or your therapy. It is strengthening both. We call this the mental wellness triad.
Other holistic approaches with emerging research are really exciting. Supplements like lavender oil, kava, and inositol for anxiety, and St. John’s wort, saffron, omega-3s, and carnitine for depression can be incredible. Book in with us if you feel like you need to add this part of the triad.
You Already Have What You Need
The truth about mindfulness is this: there is nothing special about the technique. No secret formula. No guru required.
You already have everything you need. Your breath. Your awareness. Your capacity to notice.
The studies show meditation works as well as medication for mild to moderate anxiety and depression. The effects last months after you stop. And you can start today with just five minutes.
But here is what the studies cannot measure. The moment you realize you are not your thoughts. The breakthrough when negative thoughts visit and you wave without inviting them in. The freedom that comes from softening instead of fighting.
That is the real medicine.
Weight loss is easier when you are not stressed and depressed. Blood sugar control is easier. Blood pressure management is easier. Almost any health journey becomes possible when your mind is working with you instead of against you.
If you are struggling with stress, anxiety, or patterns of unconscious eating, mindfulness might be the missing piece. Let’s talk about how to add this to your treatment plan.
Book with us at Noble Naturopathic
Dr. David Duizer ND
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