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Anxiety is a normal part of life. Who hasn't felt a bit nervous on the cusp of a major change, like a new job, or move to a new city? Who hasn't spent a night tossing and turning before a major presentation, or when faced with a big decision? But when anxiety begins to paralyze your life, when something as seemingly innocent as going to a party can make you break into a sweat and keep you home under the covers, when it prevents you from getting the sleep you need, then it's time to get help.

While anxiety can't kill you, it can seriously undermine your health. It can prevent you from getting enough oxygen into your circulatory system, because your breathing becomes shallow. Anxiety can produce stress hormones, such as cortisol, which can increase your chances of developing heart disease, and also may cause you to put on abdominal fat. Long-term sleep deprivation can lead to a host of problems, such as memory loss, weight gain, even stroke or delusions. It can create depression as well as increase your anxiety level, throwing you into a vicious cycle.

And it you get into a car while sleep deprived, you become a two-ton weapon.

Yes, you can go to your doctor and get a pill. And in very serious cases (and for short-term use) this may be the most prudent option. But before you start taking anti-anxiety medication, many of which fall into the family of benzodiazepines (like Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, and Ativan), consider these two things: These drugs (commonly known as benzos) are extremely addictive, and difficult to stop taking without withdrawal symptoms. And second, alternative treatments like meditation may, while not eliminating your anxiety forever, may help you reduce the symptoms, and give you a feeling of empowerment if those symptoms should ever return.

There are about as many types of meditation as there are people who practice it. You may have heard of a few of them. Some ask nothing more of you than to sit in a quiet place and simply inhale and exhale slowly while focusing on your breath. Some involve incense and chanting, and this may be the stereotype you have seen on television and in the movies. Studies have shown that pretty much every type of meditation - which is basically taking some time to relax and slow the processes of your mind - can help reduce anxiety by inducing a slower type of waveform activity in your brain. It also releases certain calming hormones and substances (like the neurotransmitter GABA into your brain and your body. And, many therapists, especially those trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, will say that meditation works because it acts as a distraction from whatever anxious thoughts you might be having.

But the challenge that many people with anxiety face when they start a practice of meditation is getting their brain to relax enough to even start. This is why perhaps the most effective form of meditation for anxiety is transcendental meditation.

This practice started taking America by storm in the 1970s, brought here by a guru from India. It asks that you take two 20 minute sessions a day, in a quiet place where you will not be interrupted, sit up straight and breathe in and out while repeating a mantra to yourself. The mantra doesn't have to be anything mystical or secretive, and you don't really need any specialized training. Just choose any simple word that has meaning for you, like "calm," or "peace," and run with it.

Transcendental meditation (also known as TM) may be a more effective practice for people who are living with anxiety. Because the "vehicle" in this type of meditation is a mantra, instead of simply homing in on something as seemingly transient as your breath, people with anxiety might find it easier to focus, instead of letting their thoughts gravitate toward negative territory.

TM also requires a good sporting chance. Give it time to work. Open your mind and your heart to the idea that something that doesn't come from a pharmacy may help free you from the prison of your anxiety.

And breathe.

Learn more about this author, Laurie Boris.
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