These days current events are fraught with political animosity, global pandemic, warfare, gun violence, and economic insecurity. The troubling times that we live in leave us uncertain where we stand and in what direction we are going. So it is with good reason that anxiety levels have peaked and the affliction has extended to almost every segment of society-whether they like to admit it or not. We may not be able to change the world but a new book by James Meade, PhD., End Anxiety!: Proven Benefits of the Transcendental Meditation® Program (ISBN: 978-1-59079-523-1; $17.95 US; SelectBooks, Inc.) shows us how we can help ourselves.It is a known fact that large-scale disease outbreaks have been associated with mental health problems, and the scope of the COVID 19 crisis is like nothing we have seen in least one hundred years. One CDC report noted, "Markedly elevated prevalences of reported adverse mental and behavioral health conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the broad impact of the pandemic and the need to prevent and treat these conditions,"* while a WHO report declared "COVID-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide."** Throw on top of this political unrest, economic doldrums, and increasing violence at home and abroad, and you have a "perfect storm" scenario for a global mental health crisis.The problem is real, so what can we do about it? In End Anxiety!, James Meade offers an instant and lasting solution-the Transcendental Meditation® program, as taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. This may at first seem like a novel approach to the issue, but studies on the effects of Transcendental Meditation® on the mental states of its practitioners have been ongoing for over fifty years and the findings are conclusive: Transcendental Meditation can have a real and powerful positive impact on our mental health, especially in terms of mitigating anxiety, stress, and depression.
