Asperger’s and Meditation: Why It Works

Asperger’s Syndrome Meditation.

One of the great things about the practice of meditation is that it’s experienced and felt so differently depending on the person practicing it. One person might only experience the emotional benefits – for example, having more self-esteem and self-confidence. Another might see a marked improvement in both mental strength and focus (mental) as well as decreased anxiety (emotional), for example. For someone with Asperger’s Syndrome, this is often the case. Here’s why:

Meditation can make it easier to handle life’s challenges.

Ask anyone with Asperger’s what structure and routine means and they are very likely to say it means almost everything. There is always a need to have a plan for the day so when something throws a wrench into that plan, it can be difficult to accept. Meditation makes it easier to stop and assess the situation and then move forward with a modified plan accordingly. This is because meditation naturally helps control the effect that life changes have on someone’s mental health by teaching the mind and body how to adapt to change.

Meditation helps reduce anxiety.

Ask anyone, whether with Asperger’s or without, what an anxiety attack feels like. The feeling of not being able to breath, of your heart racing, of your head pounding – it’s something you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. For people with Asperger’s, general anxiety as well as anxiety attacks can be a frequent occurrence in their day. It often stems from their own thoughts about who they want themselves to be and the thoughts and opinions that bombard them as truths when they are actually just manifestations of the anxiety. This can be very frustrating as the individual believes they are not measuring up to their own (unrealistically) high standards or expectations. This thought pattern can easily cause them to lose touch with the present moment and spiral further into their anxiety.

Meditation can help turn this anxiety into calm by quieting the mind, changing the thought pattern about themselves, and allowing the person to just live in the moment instead of feeling anxious about the past or the future. Meditation helps improve one’s personal acceptance of who they are, as they are, which is huge for someone with Asperger’s.

Meditation makes it easier to make good decisions.

A calm mind is a clear mind and meditation makes that happen. With calmness comes the ability to think clearly about a situation rather than reacting quickly to it. When you think clearly about a situation, you naturally slow down and make the right decision, rather than making a decision that is not in yours, or the other person’s, best interest (which happens often for those with Asperger’s).

Meditation helps increase productivity.

When someone with Asperger’s is faced with a new situation, task, or environment, they often cope by procrastinating in order to avoid a fear of the unknown, and of what is going to happen next. Meditation encourages using the breath (or other technique) as an anchor to the present moment, thus keeping them in tune with the present. When you’re in tune with the present you are able to focus more effectively on tasks, even those that are unfamiliar.

To your inner peace – Anna

References

Carter, K. (2015, September 08). How Meditation Helps Me Manage My Asperger’s Syndrome.

Linderman, K. (2011, January 26). Asperger’s Syndrome in the Present Moment.