Which Beats Anxiety Between Meditation and Affirmations?
- 3 days ago
- 9 min read
Written by Stella Vidal, Holistic Psychotherapist
Stella Vidal is well-known for her holistic approach to mental health, as well as her work with Latina women through mentorships in South Florida. She is the Founder of Self-Love Harbor, a mental health practice in Aventura, FL, and the author of the critically acclaimed book, 7 Intentions to a Happier You!.
Many of my mental health clients ask me for help with anxiety. Unfortunately, not many of them know they will also have to start a new habit, listening to their “self talk.” “That’s really hard,” or “I have no clue what my self talk says,” are common replies when I ask about recurrent thoughts.
Yes, we are in constant chatter with our subconscious mind, and it controls over 90% of our thoughts, emotions, and actions. So it’s a great idea to start tuning into what the subconscious mind is telling you. Why? Because our thoughts are the building blocks of our emotions. If we are not aware of what we are saying to ourselves, then we are at the mercy of old narratives that may be hindering our ability to be happy.
There are many “coaches” and “spiritual healers” on social media who will sell you quick fixes to anxiety or promise “immediate relief.” This is a sensitive topic, especially for those of us who studied for 8+ years and obtained licenses to practice in our states.
In my practice, you will be driving the car, and I’ll be in the passenger seat helping you navigate your choices. You are in control. There are no quick fixes, but I will help you find ways to connect to your innate power to heal.
Now that we’ve got those housekeeping items out of the way, let’s talk about whether meditation or affirmations are better for easing stress and anxiety.
What is anxiety?
As defined in the DSM 5, the handbook clinicians use for mental disorders, anxiety is the anticipation of future threat. That short sentence seems simple, but anxiety is anything but simple. As an anxiety sufferer myself, I can tell you firsthand that anxiety is a sneaky condition that, for many, begins early in childhood.
Anxiety is subtle and often starts with the withholding of breath. When we are anticipating a future threat, we become still and quiet so we can scan for what’s coming. It is largely the work of the subconscious mind. The message of a potential threat initiates a series of events that unfold even when we’re not aware.
Anxiety can be useful. It alerts us to real danger and gives us the push to finish a procrastinated project. But when anxiety becomes chronic, it shifts from helpful to harmful. Repeated hypervigilance tells the body to stay on guard, keeping the sympathetic nervous system engaged, faster heart rate, shallow breathing, tense muscles, and the cascade of stress hormones that prime you to fight or flee. Over time, that state wears on the body and the mind.
How we know we’re in sympathetic activation
You can usually tell when your nervous system is in sympathetic, fight or flight mode, racing heart, sweaty palms, muscle tension, shallow rapid breathing, insomnia, digestive upset, and that wired but tired feeling. Biologically, this state is associated with elevated cortisol and adrenaline, the body’s stress hormones, which are useful short term but damaging when chronically elevated.
My story: Cortisol, trauma, and learning to rebalance
It wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized I’d been operating from that hyperaroused, fight or flight mode. My cortisol levels were high, my sleep was fragmented, and I felt perpetually wound up. I had to relearn how to bring myself back into balance naturally.
One of the turning points for me was earning a certification in Integrative Medicine and Nutrition for PTSD and Complex Trauma. I learned how to use food as medicine and how environmental and lifestyle changes can create space for the nervous system to settle. That training, plus my own lived experience, is why I’m passionate about sharing these tools, especially with women whose life trajectories mirror my own.
As someone who struggled with anxiety, I have also been my own guinea pig. I’ve tried many resources, including meditation and affirmations to reprogram the subconscious. I bring creativity to my clinical work and view people holistically, not just as body or mind, but also as spiritual beings navigating a multidimensional life.
For those who’ve heard my story, I was raised by an authoritarian father who parented out of fear and left many erroneous core beliefs in my subconscious. Part of my healing has been identifying those core beliefs and allowing my body to heal from trauma created by acute and pervasive threats, mostly mental. As Dr. Bessel van der Kolk says, The Body Keeps the Score. Mine sure did. Through every challenge, I grew closer to my true spiritual essence, that presence that has been with me since birth.
What is meditation?
To me, meditation is the ability to quiet the mind long enough to hear the soul. Everyone’s definition of meditation is a little different, and people respond to different types. Here, I’ll discuss two accessible practices you can start using immediately to ease angst.
Only a part of us is purely human in the sense of the ego, the constant survival chatter that once kept us safe but now often gets in our way. To self actualize, we must learn to quiet that mind chatter. Through meditation, I’ve been able to do that, for the most part.
What is binaural beats meditation?
About 15 years ago, I discovered Kelly Howell on YouTube. She was among the first to combine guided meditation with binaural beats. Those beats can help the hemispheres synchronize and support relaxation. Binaural or bilateral stimulation is also a key component of EMDR, which is used for trauma and PTSD.[1] [2]
I personally find guided meditations with subtle neuro beats especially helpful. They allow me to reach a more relaxed state without trying too hard. The more you meditate, the better you get. It’s a commitment to helping your body feel relief from anxiety. If your “monkey mind” is loud during meditation, try box breathing, inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7, and exhale for 8. Longer exhales help downshift the nervous system.
Breathwork meditation for beginners
Breathwork is a gentle, accessible place to start. The breath is both practice and tool for shifting your nervous system. It’s ideal if binaural beats help you tune into rhythm and sensation.
How to begin:
Start tiny: 3 to 5 minutes daily for the first week.
Build gradually: increase to 10 to 15 minutes over 2 to 4 weeks.
Try a simple pattern: 4 counts in, hold for 7 counts, and breathe out for 8 counts.
Basic session:
Sit comfortably with a straight spine or lie down.
Close your eyes and take three slow, full breaths to settle.
Follow a counted pattern or notice natural inhalation and exhalation.
When your mind wanders, label it “thinking” and return to the breath.
Finish with two slow, deep breaths and open your eyes.
Notice body relaxation and other sensations.
Why consistency matters
Small daily doses rewire habit pathways, benefits compound. Regular practice reduces baseline stress, improves focus, and supports emotional regulation more reliably than occasional long sessions. Thirty seconds of daily resistance, showing up, beats sporadic enthusiasm. Aim for habit forming consistency over duration at first.
Resources: Apps such as Calm and Insight Timer offer guided options. You can also search for “box breathing.” YouTube has free 3 to 10 minute breathwork videos. Breath by James Nestor is another helpful resource.
Quick tip: Pair breathwork with binaural beats. Use beats for 3 to 5 minutes to settle, then continue breathwork for another 5 to 10 minutes.
What are affirmations?
In psychology, affirmations are short, positive statements people repeat to influence thoughts, emotions, and behavior. They can bridge where you are now and where you would like to be.
Affirmations can replace negative self talk learned early in life while navigating difficult circumstances. I believe self talk is the voice of the subconscious. As Jungian theory proposes, the “personal unconscious” develops gradually as a result of unprocessed perceptions in childhood.
How affirmations rewire childhood learning from early on
Often before language, we absorb messages about who we are. A child noticed only for achievement may internalize, “I am only valuable when I perform.” A child who grew up quickly, translating for parents or caring for siblings, may learn, “My needs come last.” These aren’t conscious choices, they become the automatic lens through which we interpret relationships, mistakes, rejection, and even rest. Therapists call these “core beliefs” or “schemas,” but functionally, they operate like the subconscious, running quietly in the background and shaping reactions.
Affirmations aren’t magic, but they are repeated cognitive redirection. Each time we consciously choose a new statement and pair it with feeling and repetition, we give the brain a competing narrative. Over time, with repetition and corrective experiences, the new belief becomes as automatic as the old one once was. Every thought links neural pathways, practice creates new connections and slowly rewires belief and emotional response.
For many of my Latino clients, this work often involves separating cultural values that are beautiful, familismo, loyalty, and respeto, from roles that victimized us too early, like “the strong one” or “the responsible one.” Affirmations help reclaim parts of identity lost in service of a role we didn’t choose.
Types of negative self talk and ways to replace them
1. Critical self talk, harsh, shaming inner voice
Replace with supportive reparenting statements:
“I am allowed to be imperfect and still be worthy of love.”
“I speak to myself the way I would speak to someone I love.”
“My worth is not up for debate.”
2. The worrier self talk, catastrophizing, constant alertness
Replace with grounding statements:
“I am safe in this moment.”
“I don’t have to solve everything right now.”
“My body is reacting, but I am not in danger.”
3. Perfectionistic self talk, worth tied to flawless performance
Replace with compassionate realism:
“Good enough is enough.”
“I can rest without earning it.”
“I allow myself to be a student.”
4. Victim self talk, feeling defined by what happened
Replace with empowerment statements:
“I have choices, even in small ways, today.”
“What happened to me does not define what I am capable of.”
“I am allowed to take my power back, gently and at my own pace.”
Which is best for anxiety, meditation or affirmations? Neither has to be the lone hero. It depends on your nervous system, your history, and what you’re willing to try consistently.
Think of meditation and affirmations as complementary tools in one mental health toolbox. Meditation, whether with binaural beats or simple breathwork, works directly on the nervous system. It downshifts fight or flight, increases interoceptive awareness, your ability to feel what’s happening inside, and creates the spaciousness where automatic reactions lose power. That makes meditation especially powerful in moments of acute stress. A quick 4 minute breathing pause can lower heart rate and stop an anxiety spiral before it escalates.
Affirmations target the story layer, the automatic self talk and beliefs that color how you interpret sensations and situations. Over time, consistent positive statements, rooted in realism and self compassion, can weaken old anxious narratives and strengthen calmer habits of thought. They don’t quiet the body in the moment the way breathwork can, but they help rewire the subconscious patterns that fuel anxiety over weeks and months.
How to experiment, so you actually know what works for you? Set a simple trial, pick one practice that resonates and try it for two weeks. Measure small outcomes. Rate daily anxiety on a 1 to 10 scale, note sleep quality, and jot down one sentence about what felt different. When comfortable, start the other practice. If you tried binaural beats, now try affirmations.
Mix and match. Try breathwork before bed, binaural beats during a focused 10 minute practice, and 1 to 2 affirmations after each session. Or use affirmations first thing in the morning to set the tone for the day.
A note on consistency: Benefits compound. Five scattered sessions won’t do the long term rewiring that a 4 week daily practice can. Real change happens in the routine, not the one off miracle session.
An invitation, not a prescription. I won’t declare a winner for you. Consider this a friendly dare, run the experiment on yourself, notice what calms your body fastest and what shifts your inner narrative most reliably, then come back and tell us which combination helped you most. For me, I keep them all close, breath, sound, attention, and affirmations, because together they help my nervous system find its way back to safety and balance.
Try this micro routine tonight: 3 minutes of 4 7 8 breathing, 5 minutes with a gentle binaural track or silent breath awareness, then two short affirmations that feel believable, “I am safe in this moment” and “I can handle what comes next.” Write down how you feel afterward. Repeat for a week and see what changes.
Your turn, what will you try first?
Read more from Stella Vidal
Stella Vidal, Holistic Psychotherapist
Stella Vidal's story is a story of resilience. As a 16-year-old legal immigrant, she dreamed of studying psychology, but her strict Colombian father believed that the "oldest should stay home and help raise the family," thus forbidding Stella to go away to college. It was because of this grave disagreement that Stella opted to leave home at the age of 17 and became homeless. She persevered alone in a new country, graduating with honors and obtaining her Master's Degree in Psychology. Today, Stella runs a highly successful mental health practice that offers culturally sensitive and inclusive treatments. It is largely due to Stella's difficult upbringing that she can mentor and help many women looking for hope and guidance.
Selected evidence:
[1] Garcia Argibay, Santed, and Reales, 2019: A meta analysis found binaural beats produced small but significant reductions in anxiety versus control sounds or silence.
[2] Le Scouarnec et al., 2001: A pilot study reported meaningful reductions in trait anxiety with binaural beat tapes, suggesting regular listening may be a useful adjunct for anxiety reduction.
