01 Aug The Wisdom of Anxiety & Intrusive Thoughts: Manage Anxious Thoughts Through Compassion and Self-Awareness
What Is Anxiety
To define the meaning of anxiety is a powerful first step to embracing and soothing this part of ourselves. Classically, it has been used as a diagnosis for over half the population to contain the experience that almost all of us have throughout the seasons of our lives. Sorry, Doc, I don’t believe if you feel anxiety it’s a disorder. Quite simply, a state of anxiety is the experience of intrusive thoughts. Although it is often experienced in the body as stress or tension, anxiety is a head state of fear-based thinking. It is the feeling of dread, agitation, or foreboding. Inside, we imagine a danger, a regret or a fear that does not actually exist in the present moment.
Anxiety is one expression of dis-ease, literally an experience of feeling blocked from ease. It is to be plagued by the belief that you are unsafe, physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually. This is the root, the underlying feeling of not being okay, not enough, not truly secure in who we are, our lives, our situation. The need to flee, change something, hide, create conflict, escape, or simply writhe around in the discomfort of it all stuck and resisting what is. No wonder it is labeled as anxiety disorder. It feels like a plague, a dark cloud of negative thoughts that slowly freezes or burns down the living forests of your life. And, some people truly feel supported and seen through identifying with anxiety as a disorder, a real imbalance in their brain chemistry, and they deserve all of the ways of support that works for them.
Find what you need to feel safe and good in your mind and body, and maybe that is or could be medication. Talk to a mental health professional whenever you want or need to. Others, that suffer from anxious thoughts and don’t feel called to allopathic pharmaceutical support for their experience, I hope the following provides practices and greater self-awareness to bring any human with a brain & feelings greater emotional and physical wellness. There’s no better or worse, only more self-honest and self-loving. Keeping walking towards that light. Because having better tools to take care of our wellbeing is a beautiful thing. May each of us feel empowered in our journey of feeling healthier and more stable in all ways, always
Where do Anxious Thoughts Come From
Anxiety is a state of being, a set of fearful thinking patterns that create a stimulated adrenal state in the body. It’s just like being on high alert for a dangerous predator, anticipating it to come at any moment, but instead of a predator there are sensitivities about things that aren’t actually a real danger right now. Our ancestors’ intelligently evolved so that the subtle changes in our environment would trigger the heightened state of anxiety so we would be stimulated to respond and shift our behavior to save our lives from real danger. We still carry this trait into the modern age, but we no longer have this frequent need of fight or flight, so we are scanning our inner horizons for the danger. We can project stress or anxious energy onto our lives, our relationships, our environments. We look for something that’s wrong, we are wired for it. Sometimes when we think we’ve found a pattern or a sign that something is not right, or not enough, we mislabel it as “intuition.” We can ruminate in these anxious thoughts and self-sabotage beautiful things in our lives.
However you experience it, whether you feel like you’re spiraling in your mind, or falling in your gut, lost or overwhelmed in life, whether you identify as having generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, or you simply have certain triggers that make you feel anxious at times, you are indeed normal and there is much you can do to manage your anxiety and the unwanted thoughts that pop into your beautiful head. In fact, you can work with your anxiety to take better care of yourself, your needs, your boundaries, and create a life where you feel safe and well in mind, body and spirit. Whether or not you currently take medication or supplements to support your mental health, there is always room for greater self-compassion and your ability to handle daily stress.
It's Hard to Stop Worrying: So Now What?
May I present to you the modern solution for our ancient challenge: Self Care: The Practice of Taking Care of Your Nervous System. Research shows that yes, darlings, you can train your brain to reduce anxiety, re-focus your focus away from the non-existent dangers, come back to the present moment, and not only help you cope with your anxious mind, but experience peace and trust from the inside out. There is hope. There are steps you can take to feel less like a cavewoman in yoga pants awaiting imminent danger. Along with professional support like talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy where you identify negative thoughts and replace them with healthier ones, there are things that could greatly reduce anxiety, effective ways and strategies you can use right now, like NOW now, to bring yourself back and retrain your brain to be more in the present moment and feel less anxious, more grateful, free and safe.
It’s time to focus on your wellbeing. The answer is taking care of your nervous system through self-care. It looks like becoming present with what’s happening right now, listening with love and guiding yourself to greater compassion. That might look like putting on soft warm socks, making a warm nourishing meal for yourself, having a cry, a laugh, an orgasm, or a shower. Drink a glass of water. Take a walk. And give thanks for the kindness and care you are providing for yourself. This gratitude is an evidence-based real way to re-wire your mental state and support your mental health. It is the essence of managing anxiety and panic, to reframe our perspective to see what is actually happening. The friends or family who are here for us. The tiny blessings in our lives that nourish and nurture us every day.
Mindfulness: Be In The Present Moment
You want the secret to happiness? To meet your soul mate? To really love the life you live? It all comes on the path of mindfulness, which is simply the state of being present for what is happening now, and witnessing feelings and sensations as they arise and pass though you.
I wish I could be the enlightened master from Harvard medical school that awakens you simply by holding up a rose, but alas, I am not. I am simply a woman on her journey. I experience intrusive thoughts and anxiety, some days (or nights) more than others. I write to you as a humble practitioner, with some pretty incredible tools that I work with to bring me back into the present moment. To slow down and return to my body, my breath, this moment, the here and now. When we become present, we can see the timeless beauty in someone, we can access the deep well of patience, and we can become curious about where these anxious thoughts are coming from. We can take out our slow and rhythmic shovels of deep breathing and begin to dig down into the roots of this experience. Be there for ourselves in our most difficult moments. From there, we touch upon the immense and exquisite depths of our own subconscious.
We can feel into our essence, the need to feel safe, what we need to feel safe, this sweet and innocent child within us, and call upon the kind and compassionate grandmother inside of us, the wise and wild voice within, who knows this too shall pass, who reminds us to take good care of ourselves, then makes us a cup of tea and can listen to us cry or share until the moon rises and we feel seen, heard and loved unconditionally.
Here are some powerful practices you can try to transform your life, your relationships and your internal landscape. May you bloom with peace from the inside out.
6 Ways To Calm & Manage Your Anxious Thoughts
1. Calming Breathing Exercises
Close your eyes and take a deep, full breath, feeling your chest and belly expand and contract. Use your breath as a tool to re-center and find relaxation in moments of anxiety.
Using the aid of your breath, you can come in to your body. Into a state of relaxation. Your breath can accompany you when you find yourself ruminating, stuck in the loop of anxiety symptoms, it is internal peer support to being a loving witness for yourself as you return to an inner-dialogue of kindness. Guiding yourself back to the sensations of inhaling and exhaling, if you are in a state of panic you can gently slow down your breathing, place a hand on your heart and begin to feel your chest and belly filling up… slowly releasing… expanding… contracting… Inhale… Exhale. Allow yourself to soften with each breath. Let your tension go, your shoulders drop, your jaw soften, and your thighs and yoni release into the safety of your own care. With each breath you become more and more at peace. Stay here and give yourself the gift of deep breathing, allowing yourself to surrender and be held by yourself with so much love.
2. The 333 Strategy
Look around your environment and identify 3 objects, 3 sounds, and then move 3 body parts. This technique brings you back to the present reality, grounding you in the present moment.
The 333 Strategy is an easy technique to use when you are feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or looping in thoughts. It involves simply looking around your environment and tuning into the present moment through your senses. It brings you back into your present reality, back into your body and out of your head, and gives your nervous system feedback that you are safe.
3. Positive Mantras to Ease Anxiety
Create a positive mantra or affirmation that resonates with you, such as “I am safe and supported” or “I trust in the journey of life.” Repeat this mantra whenever anxious thoughts arise.
My internal positive mantras change over time. In the past, it has been, “I am here for myself. I am here to take good care of myself.” When I notice my thoughts are creating a mental movie of the worst case scenario, or I’m replaying awful moments from my life, I guide myself back to deep compassion and gentleness but shifting my internal voice to be incredibly loving and nurturing. I become tender with myself. “I love you. Thank you for doing your best. You are on your way.” This positive self-talk or mantras are deeply nourishing medicine for a human being that has been bullied by oneself… We are our own worst critic. Be kind to the sweet, loving child within.
4. Mindful Observance
Practice being present and aware of your surroundings without judgment. Observe the world around you, your thoughts, and emotions with curiosity and compassion.
When we shift out of the individual that everything is happening to, and begin to observe how life just ebbs and flows, actions arise and release, our joy and our sadness may feel strong and infinite in one moment and gone the next. We are ever-changing beings. When we begin to observe how we are and who we are, are essence, we release the need to control our lives, because we see that life is simply unfolding. We can sit back and observe. Yes, show up for your life, feel deeply, love strongly, and allow things to change and unfold as they are. What you seek is already within you.
5. Gratitude Practice
Cultivate a daily gratitude practice by acknowledging and appreciating the blessings in your life. Focusing on gratitude can shift your perspective and reduce anxiety, literally re-patterning our neural circuitry. Through daily gratitude, we re-wire our mind, our thoughts shift into seeing what is there, rather than focusing on the lack of what is not. This is one of the most powerful and important ways we can bring about more mental health and emotional resilience. Journaling, prayer, singing, whatever way you can focus your thoughts on what you are thankful for is a wonderful way to express and cultivate gratitude.
6. Body Awareness
Pay attention to physical sensations in your body during moments of anxiety. Practice gentle stretches, grounding exercises, or self-massage to release tension and promote relaxation. Bring your awareness to your body. Bring gentleness into your physical experience. Soften your jaw, shoulders, hips, bum, fingers and toes. Allow yourself to bring kindness into how you are with your body. Through simple practices that cultivate body awareness, you will grow in how you feel safe and at home in your body. It is truly a coming home.
Conclusion
Embracing anxiety and intrusive thoughts is an empowering journey towards greater self-awareness and emotional well-being. Anxiety is not a disorder to be fixed; it is a part of the human experience that can be transformed through self-care, mindfulness, and compassionate awareness. By acknowledging the root causes of anxiety and implementing mindfulness practices, we can rewire our brains to focus on the present moment and experience peace from within.
Remember that it is wonderful to seek professional support if you need or desire and to find what works best for you in managing anxiety. Trust in the power of self-compassion and take steps towards greater emotional and physical wellness. May each of us bloom and find peace on this beautiful journey of living life with an open mind and open heart, in connection with others and especially with a great love and compassion for ourselves.
If you would like to connect for personalized support and wellness coaching to help you learn tools and practices for feeling more calm and safe in your life, please feel welcome to reach out and email me at reece@mamanourish.co
Blessings.
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