Mindfulness: An Empowering Tool to Heal Your Anxiety

First of All, What is Anxiety?

Anxiety can be understood as the experience of your body and mind in a heightened state of alert, even when, in the moment, there is no immediate, real danger present. The sympathetic nervous system, our "fight or flight" system, can get activated, leading to physiological (body) changes like increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and muscle tension. Anxiety is the feeling of unease, worry, or fear that accompanies this body "danger alarm" trigger. The foundation for anxiety often starts at an early age, in childhood, where we experienced stressful or overwhelming events, and our nervous system adapted and began to overprotect or overreact, This vigilance can present as overthinking, chronic worry, controlling behaviors, staying busy, perfectionism or expecting the worst case scenario. Overtime, with practice and reinforcement, this overreaction to non-life threatening situations, can become habitual.

It is common that the nervous system can get STUCK in overdrive and hypervigilance. Anxiety is a symptom of being stuck in threat physiology. 

If you don't resonate with the word anxiety, please substitute something you can relate to like chronic worry, obsessive thinking, chronic back pain, migraines, GI issues, or any other chronic health symptom, as they all stem from a dysregulated nervous system and these same tools apply.

How Does Anxiety Work?

Anxiety works in a loop. For example, your body may be experiencing a buildup of stored emotional stress or there may be an inner conflict going on, and that physiological (body) input can alarm the mind (brain). The brain does what is designed to do, and interprets the body signal of alarm based on past experiences as dangerous, and it creates worried or fearful thoughts to protect you. If these worried or fearful thoughts are left unchecked, they can further signal alarm to your body to ramp up into high alert mode, further increasing tension and escalating fear-based thinking. When we remain unaware of this pattern, it can become our default mode. 

How Do We Break Free of the Anxiety Loop?

One of the biggest barriers to healing from anxiety is fully understanding what it is and how to interrupt its cycle. Many people mistakenly believe something is wrong when they experience anxiety, feeling as if their body is betraying them. They perceive it as uncontrollable, they can over-fixate on it, and consequently fuel it with fear-based, catastrophic thoughts, which can escalate into panic. A key to disarming your anxiety is understanding that anxiety is not the enemy but a signal from your body designed to keep you safe. We need to learn to turn towards this signal and partner with our bodies to accurately interpret its message.

The key is to remove the fuel source that perpetuates anxiety: overthinking and our negative reaction to it. Both of these responses give anxiety more power. Our brains are adept at learning, and the more we practice and fuel anxiety, the more proficient we become at feeling anxious.

How Can Mindfulness Help?

To shift any habit, especially the habit of anxiety, the first step is becoming more aware of it and observing it. That is the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness teaches you to observe your anxious thoughts and physical sensations with curiosity and without judgment. By meeting your body and brain alarm with kindness, instead of more alarm, you signal to your body and brain that you're safe, allowing a sense of calm to arise. It is crucial to pause and create a space before you react to interrupt the anxiety loop. It can be counter intuitive at first to turn towards the discomfort of anxiety, but it is the antidote we need to rewire this body and brain pattern.

Let's Explore Mindfulness

Sit comfortably and take a few relaxed breaths and relax your muscles in your face and jaw. Situate yourself in a place of curiosity and kindness towards yourself. Let's learn a little more about how anxiety works in you.

What is one area in your life that you experience anxiety or worry?
Example: When I checked my investments on Friday, I became highly anxious and catastrophized what this means for my financial future.

Imagine yourself in this scenario, what thoughts arise in your mind?
Example: I notice my thoughts speed up and I begin to worry and play out worst-case scenarios about my future.

PAUSE. Now take a moment to just notice without judgment the thoughts you are having. Just name each thought as a fear-based thought.

Then take note of what is happening in your body and allow whatever unease that may be there to just be there. Reassure yourself that there is nothing to fix and there is nothing wrong. There is no need to run away from these thoughts or undesirable sensations in your body. These thoughts and sensations are safe.

Now, can you scan your body and notice what sensations you are feeling in your body? There may be a tension in your jaw, belly or shoulders. Whatever you notice, just observe the quality of the tension. Is this tension widespread or localized? Is there a temperature to it? A texture or shape? Focus your mind on exploring what this sensation is and the nature of the sensation without trying to make it change. Now allow your body to relax a little more and lean into the support of the chair or surface you are sitting on.

Now, take note what is happening with your breath? Can you sense the air going in and out of your lungs? Is your breath relaxed or tight? Is it short or deep? Without changing anything, just notice, reassuring yourself there is nothing wrong with how you are or aren't breathing. Observe and watch.

After obserinvg your breath for a few moments, then invite your abdomen to soften and your breath to relax a little more. 

BECOME AWARE. This is a pattern of how anxiety works in you. As you paused and observed, did anything shift in your body? In your mind? 

When you take a moment to PAUSE and direct your mind to notice what thoughts you are having and what sensations are present in your body, you BECOME AWARE of the loop. You then can choose to relax the body and breath and disengage from the thought. This is in your CONTROL and your PATHWAY TO FREEDOM.

Take Control of the Wheel with Anxiety or Other Physical Symptoms

When you're caught in the anxiety or symptom loop, it can feel like your anxiety or symptoms are happening to you, that you're powerless. This can be concerning, and for some, terrifying. But mindfulness gives you back your power. You can choose to take control by taking a step back to pause, observe, breathe, and bring yourself into the present moment. The present moment is where you can choose to cultivate the pattern of safety, peace, and inner strength.

Ready to explore mindfulness and create lasting change in this area? Join our supportive Vitality Community HERE and connect with others on the same journey to better physical, emotional, and mental well-being. You don't have to do this alone – we're here to encourage you every step of the way!