Anxiety

In the last few months, we got a whole new vocabulary: social distancing, shelter at home, self isolation, flatten the curve, 1,5 meter society. Those new words that we are now very familiar with, came with a new set of emotions that we might not be familiar with.

Some people are doing remarkably well during stress and chaos. This is because their nervous system is wired to cope with stress and chaos from childhood onwards and there are also people getting (more) anxious and from what I understand, they are in need of reassurance. Let me start this blog by saying, I do NOT have any reassurance for you, because:

1. what this virus, what this situation is showing us, is that everything you took for granted, is disappearing. In my opinion this is a good thing. It’s a global reality check on all levels. Things will never be the same. Thinking that everything will stay the same, thinking that you have any control, is an illusion anyway. Resisting change will make you lose energy and will cause you more pain.

2. I don’t know where your anxiety stems from. Everybody is different and may need different things for dealing with and healing from anxiety. What I DO know, is that it all starts with awareness.

Having said this, the following might get you through this period more easily…

• Focus on this present moment. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not yet there. If you do this more often, you will get more perceptive and notice that everything always changes every moment. There is nothing you can cling to. Iiieeeeew, that is not reassuring, right? Can’t help it though, this is a truth. Clinging brings a lot of tension to your system.
• Go from the question ‘what if’ (which is causing anxiety!) to the question  ‘what is in my NOW’.
• You might want to write down at the end of the day what you learned from this day. The question ‘what can/did I learn from this today’, is one of my personal guidelines.
• Maybe you also might want to note the answer to the question    ‘what was most important in you life today?’ The answer to this question might be different every day.
• Be gentle with your anxiety. Be gentle with yourself. Give yourself, give your anxiety space. You are doing the best you can in extraordinary circumstances.
• Meditate. I do NOT recommand meditation amidst of an anxiety attack, because that will upset your nervous system even more. Meditate outside of the attacks. This will provide an internal safety in the longer run.
• You might want to listen to uplifting podcasts.
• Rest when you need to. Your nervous system needs time to recuperate.
• Maybe you feel drawn to trauma/tension release exercises. You can find a blog on TRE in the archives. You can find a licensed TRE practitioner on the internet and he or she can teach you online.
• Find a somatic experiencing practitioner. He or she can help you online as well.
• Shake. I wrote a blog on the practise of shaking last year. You can find this blog under the header movement. Shaking releases tension. Many animals do it. Look at your animals how they deal with this situation. Strange idea? Well, we don’t differ so much from animals. We only thínk we are better, higher up in the hierarchy…
• Learn something new you’ve always been interested in. Creating something will give a release too.
• Maybe you like to do Abhyanga. Touch will calm down your nervous system almost immediately. The blog on Abhyanga was uploaded on April 17, 2020.

Also the touch of your partner or holding hands with a loved one might help. Touch is a primary need.

• You can put your right hand under your left armpit and you can put your left hand on the right upper arm. This might bring a sense of safety, a sense of containment, for some people. Again, for some people, because there is no ‘size fits all’.
• Keep your usual rhythm with food and sleep OR experiment with a healthier one. Your body likes, is in need of rhythm. The more you sleep in, the more you will lose energy.
• Keep eating healthy. Your body is in need of a strong defense. Good food builds this defense. You might want to try new recipes. Maybe you will find out in this extraordinary period in your life, that cooking is a wonderful form of selfcare. You might want to take extra vitamines. Vitamin C and D can be of help in times like this.
• Maybe you like to read books. It might be an idea to start a bookclub with your friends over the internet where you discuss the books you read. Exchange ideas. New ideas will open up you mind and will help you refocus.
• Keep in contact with your friends. Join new groups on the internet.
• Help other people out when and where you can. This will help you liberate you from the prison of self-preoccupation.
• You might like to listen to music. Maybe you like to make, or learn to make music. Music can be a real mood changer. You can also dance, which can be uplifting. Singing can be very soothing too.
• Clean your house, declutter. Cleaning and decluttering will clear your mind as well. If this crisis taught us anything, it is we are overconsuming big time. Share your stuff, share your energy with other people. Bring your stuff to good will, charity, second hand shops. Redistribute is wonderful to do and it will help our Mother Earth greatly too and we only have ONE Mother Earth.
• As you are busy in your house, you might like to consult a Fengshui specialist. Fengshui can help you to get a good and relaxing atmosphere in your house. I would recommend Phili Hoogsteder. You can reach her at www.studiobinnengewoon.nl. Consults can be in Dutch and English.
• Maybe you like to use some soothing herbs, like chamomile, hop or valerian. You can make wonderful teas of those herbs. They are available on the internet.
• Suckle on a herb. Suckling can be very soothing. Little children and little animals also suckle to calm down.
• Breathe. One of the most calming breathing techniques I know, goes as follows:

Sit beside a table. Your back is straight. Feet preferably on the ground.

Take your right hand. Let your middle finger  rest between your eyebrows.

Breathe in, your thumb closes your right nostril. Breathe out through your left nostril.

Breathe in through your left nostril, close your left nostril with your ringfinger. Breathe out through your right nostril. Breathe in through right and so on.

• Let emotions be there; don’t resist them, don’t push them away. Let them flow through. Don’t cling to them. Yes, this is a time where old pain/unresolved stuff will inevitably come up. And yes, it is uncomfortable. Change is always uncomfortable; the old is gone and the new is not yet there. Remembering that YOU ARE NOT ALONE might help too.
• Move as much as you can. There are many sport and yoga classes online you can join. Moving helps the stress hormones to calm down. So, start moving at the first signs of unrest.

Anxiety is a sign that some movement  (like running away) is still lingering in your nervous system. Movement in the here and now might complete the movement you could not finish in the past. This unfinished movement can be a cause of anxiety.

• Core training might be of use for you. Core training has physical but also great mental benefits.

One simple core exercise goes as follows:

You stand up straight against a wall. Push you whole back softly against the wall whilst breathing out. Then breathe in and let the low back gap arise. Do it slowly, do it consciously. Keep doing this movement as long as you are comfortable.

You can also do this exercise lying down:

Lay on the floor on a mat. Your feet are near your butt and your knees point upward. Whilst breathing out, you gently lower your whole back against thet mat/floor. Breathe in and let the low back gap coming. Keep doing this movement as long as you are comfortable.

You can find more good core training on the internet.

• Focus on gratitude. There is always something to be grateful for, whatever your situation might be. You might want to join ‘the attitude of gratitude’ group on Facebook.
• You might like to engage in face yoga. It takes a lot of muscles/tension to look angry or worried. Relax your temporomandibular joints. Pulling up the corners of your mouth, also called smiling, relaxes your whole body.

Don’t believe what I say, just try it out, see what works for you and let me know your experiences. I hope those ideas and pointers will help you through these exciting times! And please let me know if you have any more ideas I can add to this list.

Be happy and healthy and wishing you lots of love from Holland, Myoki