You feel it in your temples. You feel it in the back of your head. That weighing uncomfortable pressure. In the chest. Elevated heart rate. In the body. Feet tapping the floor. Fidgeting with our hands as we long for calm. Oh the anxious ticks and how they come out mentally and physically. Sometimes stuck in those moments and wondering, “will things balance out or will things feel like this all day today.” Now we’re in the trapped mental place of being controlled by that anxiety.
We’ve all been there. In fast forward motion. Our bodies are here, but our minds are someplace else. Lets simplify anxiety a bit and put it into perspective so it can be better managed:
WHEN YOU SEE EVERYTHING AS A SKILL, YOU ARE NOT LONGER VICTIM. YOU BELIEVE WITH YOUR HEART THAT YOU CAN IMPROVE AT ANYTHING.
First. Fast forward mode. Speedy. How do you combat things of speed? We intentionally slow things down. How do we do that? Breathing slowly. Attention to breathing slowly. Or maybe a work out to exhaust our body and mind and little to literally slow us down. Maybe some extra amounts of stillness which will eventually send signals to the body that were slowly down. Maybe a walk outside to clear the mind a bit as we process through these racing thoughts.
Overall: I’ve noticed with all of the serious disciplines and things I’ve put to test is: we have the ability to alter our mental and physical outcome. We have to put things to the test.
If we want less anxious, we have to disciple ourselves with calming activities. Just like if we anted more energy, we would have to live a more active lifestyle that encourages a more energetic state.
Back to the calming activities. I’ve noticed a treat amongst individuals that have lots of anxiety or whom struggle with lack of presence. They rush lots. They wake up right before they have to leave the door in the morning. They don’t take the time for some self work / moments of stillness or activities that encourage a balance clear mindset to start the day.. They’re now relying on the outcome and circumstance of the day to dictate how calm or busy of a mind they’re going to have that day.
We just program the mind. Just like how we set up programs for our bodies in the gym, it’s the same with the mind and anxiety. How we are solving anxiety? Not by simply taking a pill. But by looking at what has lead up to the anxious thoughts. Is it stemming from not having some conversations with someone that we feel are sitting on our conscience? Are there things we need to acknowledge that we were too stubborn with confronting and those things are showing up in the form on anxiety? Possibly. Overall: a process and system of calm and self work has to be prioritized. That can be a simple short period of time. That could mean during your lunch break at work, sitting outside in the quiet and having lunch. That could mean going and taking a break. That could mean starting the morning with some deep breathing and calming music. That could mean playing an instrument and sitting at the park. That could mean so many like activities that are all considered some form of self work. The common denominator involves STILLNESS. We combat anxiety and process all that is sitting on our plate by remaining still and facing these thoughts and feelings. Not distracting them. Distracting them is when we’re so busy and rush all the time that we have no mental energy to process these internal things.
This doesn’t mean be slow moving with what you do. It means: if the entire day went by and u feel like you just couldn’t keep up, and it flew by without a overflowing amount of joy across your mental, or that u feel like time just goes by but lacks QUALITY.. something needs to change. Because even the toughest and most boring activities can be enjoyable and a challenge that we are grateful for. Once again: this doesn’t mean you all of a sudden become a Jamaican hippy and move like a snail. This means that we have to pay attention to the breathing and the brief breaks in our schedules. Those breaks are necessary. It’s mentally exhausting to fill all moments with activities and plans.
So how do we find that balance with these tings when we have kids, jobs, businesses, etc.. it takes lots of intention. Look at people you know who remain very calm and filled with joy but still have a million responsibilities on their plate. You may notice that they’re masters at keeping their cool. Just like the most elite professional athletes. They train with intensity when the time is right, but they know how to operate with calm outside of training which increases their ability to recover mentally and physically better. Intensity is a good thing, but once again we have to learn how to carry a sense of calm with us along the busy journey.
Meditation. A woo woo word that lots of people throw out there. I’ll be one to say that mediation has saved my life. Over 320 Hours now with my Breethe app. Its allowed me to remain more focused and more present which in turn gives me a better quality experience with whatever Im doing. Heightened feelings but in the best way possible. In a way that allows you to really understand your present state, and also allows me to let things Go a bit better.. which in turn reduces anxiety since I’m able to accept and process things a bit more smoothly.
Dont get me wrong, times still get anxious. What needs to happen when we start noticing that, is planning a little extra time for calm. Being able to keep a relationship with that anxiety that says: hey, it’s going to be alright anxiety, I will bring a little more attention to breathing and find a little extra calm as I progress through this day. Everything will be okay. Maybe even a hot show in the dim lights. Sitting down in there. Breathing. Taking it all in. Even crying if you have to. Release.
Try not to tell yourself that the thoughts are wrong or that you shouldn’t be feeling them. This is where lots of people struggle. They think thoughts are bad or good. Where as: yes some are more favorable but this doesn’t mean that these thoughts aren’t valid or are wrong to have. Accept them. Find moments of calm. And watch the anxiety slow down.
Take for example where Im at while im writing this. Im at the park. Sitting at a bench on a Sunday morning. Birds chirping. Beautiful after from the lake splashing behind me. Sitting here for just 15 minutes now has calmed me down. I already thought I felt pretty calm. This took things to a different level of calm. Dont underestimate getting into a place where you can pursue that calm and let your body slow down as you almost force it to in this beautiful setting. It takes time.
Self work. calm. Breething. Everything will be okay.
THE_HUMAN_EXPERIMENT1993 