The mind is equally a powerful ally as a brutal adversary. In meditation you learn to quiet the mind and detach from your thoughts. But what happens when anxiety gets the best of you and thoughts become stormy, repetitive, uncontrollable? Over years of being a healer, I recognize that it is often a biochemical consequence. The body may be undernourished, vitamin or mineral deficient, and overworked, so it loses it’s grounding.
At times, life can throw many things at us all at once and pushes us into emotional overload. Below I’ve listed five of my most valuable steps in reclaiming a peaceful state, in no particular order. It’s likely you’ll need to apply more than one to assist you in gaining some authority on that magnificent mind of yours until you can get some help. Remember, these recommendations are not designed to lead you into avoidance of any issue, but simply in the moment, to return to calm. You cannot address any problem from a perspective of stress and anxiety. Give yourself a chance to find peace before you respond or assess any situation. Try these regularly; and soon enough you will have a stronger grasp on those overwhelming thoughts before they feed your anxiety.
1. Reach out: Talk to a friend, a lover or family member who you know to be reassuring during an episode. If it’s school or work related, ask a classmate if it’s appropriate to share at break time or discuss with a colleague over lunch. They do not replace a therapist, they hold your hand when you occasionally want a relative viewpoint and need to express yourself.
2. Movement: Get out of the location you’re in and get moving. Go out for a walk, take deep long breaths, do some stretching. Keep your focus on the body and be active. When the body expresses itself through movement, dance, in nature, it feels good to be alive.
3. Shift the attention: It’s hard to be upset when you’re laughing so watch something funny, dive into a creative outlet like drawing or crafts, complete a project. The idea is to immerse yourself in a positive way and shift your focus, ideally get your creative juices flowing. As a result, your moods will improve and your self-esteem will expand.
4. Writing: Journaling is a wonderful method to reduce stress and take a load off especially for introverts or people who feel they may burden others with their worries. This is not limited to an actual diary. You can use a piece of paper, you can type a note in your phone, record an audio … Replaying or reading it to yourself allows you to process and lessens the impact of your anxiety, then you can try #3. get moving, start cooking or get outside to change up the flow.
5. Reach in: The background voice of anxiety that creeps up on you can be reassured and guided. At times it’s possible to negotiate by means of a comforting internal dialogue, by acknowledging its presence and asking for ways to soothe it. “what can I do to reassure you?” or “clearly you are stressed out, how can we envision things going well?” You can recognize the voice as a concerned part of you that worries about your well-being or assign a fictional character to it with who you can discuss and reduce its influence, much like you would do helping a friend.
I wouldn’t be a responsible health practitioner if I didn’t mention the importance of taking care of yourself if these episodes are recurrent or lead to panic attacks. Avoid all stimulants if you are vulnerable to anxiety, namely alcohol, coffee, cigarettes and marijuana as they increase heart rate and subsequent anxiety. See a doctor, therapist or an acupuncturist as soon as possible.
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