Sometimes,
When we feel that our bodies are in an anxious state,
It can feel all-consuming,
As though everything is revved up,
Running too quickly,
And there may be sensations of increased heart rate,
Sweating,
Tension,
A pit in the stomach.
All of these are common symptoms of feeling nervous or anxious or in the fight-or-flight state.
When we are experiencing a really intense version of this,
It can feel like we're out of control.
In each of these moments,
I'd like to teach you to remember three simple things.
One,
If you are not in a dangerous situation,
Then remind yourself,
I am safe.
Our fears and anxieties often arise when we have bottled them down from a previous incident that created the fear.
And each time it arises,
It is an opportunity that we may take to release the sensations that are no longer required because we are safe.
The second thing to remember to soften the intensity of the sensations you're feeling.
I'll teach you how.
And the third thing to remember is that as you learn to soften these sensations,
Practice helps you release layer by layer each of the fears and anxieties that have been built up over the course of your life.
As you remove these layers,
They're no longer bottled within and trying to get out.
So over time,
You release each of these layers,
Stay present to reduce the creation of new layers.
And bit by bit,
Your whole system becomes more balanced and your nervous system learns that you are no longer in a dangerous situation.
And you can teach it to rewire from the constant fight or flight state to its opposite,
Which is nicknamed the rest and digest state.
You're shifting from the sympathetic emergency mode to the parasympathetic vacation mode.
So the three steps to remember are to remind yourself and your body that you are safe,
To apply the technique I'm about to show you to soften the sensations of fear,
And applying this technique regularly to help yourself become more and more balanced and resilient over time.
If you are currently experiencing fear or anxiety,
Start by acknowledging that this is how you feel.
Often,
Sensations of discomfort and fear persist because of our resistance to them.
Think of it like a beaver dam built in a river.
Although the dam is there and preventing the water from moving as smoothly as it normally does,
The water will continue to push against the dam until it breaks through.
Our resistance to our emotions and sensations within the body are similar to that beaver dam where we're pushing things away or pushing them down.
So we'll start by just acknowledging,
Yes,
This sensation of discomfort is what I feel.
However,
Also,
I'm in a safe location.
I'm in a safe place.
There is no active threat.
Teach your body to understand that,
Yes,
Although there is a fear reaction going on,
You are safe.
Look around at your surroundings and just notice the things that remind you that you are safe.
If you have a view of nature,
Simply observe the peacefulness of the nature around you.
If you're indoors in your home,
Just look at your familiar surroundings.
Wherever you can find something that creates a sensation of security,
Use it as a gentle reminder as you continue to tell your body,
I'm safe.
And as you connect with the object that shows you you are safe,
Start to cultivate that sense of security and safety a little more strongly.
We're not using it as a weapon to fight the anxiety,
But we are using it as an alternative sensation,
An alternative feeling that allows us to be reminded that we are safe.
Gently move your awareness into your body as you continue to acknowledge that you are in a safe space.
And now we'll practice the technique of softening these sensations.
Choose one sensation that appears to be bothering you without hyper-focusing on it.
Allow your attention to move behind your body.
We spend a lot of our lives looking outward,
Looking forward,
Observing what's in front of us.
But if you create a mental image or actually experience a sensation of moving your awareness or your attention behind your head or behind your body,
You start to realize that you can separate yourself from the intensity of the fear or the fear sensations that are occurring within the body.
You are not the fear.
If you move your awareness behind you,
Start to cultivate the concept of relaxation.
You can imagine being in the most relaxing and inviting supportive environment.
And while you cultivate that sensation,
Continue to move backward away from your body.
Move more deeply into the idea of a relaxing space as much as you can recall the sensation of feeling relaxed,
A sensation of feeling calm,
Supported,
Nurtured,
And safe.
Although you may continue to feel some of the anxious type sensations,
Continue to allow your body to receive the signals of softness and relaxation.
Again,
We're not fighting the sensations of anxiety,
But we're simply guiding the body towards relaxation.
Also,
Continue to acknowledge that you are safe.
As you continue to relax,
Continue to acknowledge that yes,
There may be some discomfort in the body.
And for this moment,
Let it be okay.
Allow these sensations to move through because you know you are safe.
Despite their discomfort,
If you relax behind the sensation or behind the body that is experiencing the sensation,
You may find that over time your body knows how to push the sensation out and eliminate it from your system.
So as you continue to relax behind the body and guiding the body to acknowledge the fear while also informing it that you are safe,
Connect with your breath for a moment if it's comfortable for you.
And experiment with creating a breath that moves your belly button in and out.
Breathing out,
Your belly button extends outward with each breath in and returns towards your abdomen with each breath out.
And if you're able to create a very slow exhale,
It starts to inform the nervous system that you truly are not in the fight-or-flight state.
So continue to relax behind your body.
Trust that the body is pushing scary sensations out.
Acknowledge that there are some sensations still.
And give the body a little spark of motion by connecting through your breath.
For the next few moments,
Continue this pattern in a repetition.
Or if you can do it all at once,
Even better.
So breathe with a slow exhale as you move your awareness further and further behind you,
Visualizing,
Experiencing the sensation of relaxation for the body.
As you trust the body to understand that you're informing it,
You're in a safe space.
With each breath,
Sink further and further back behind the body,
As you also sink deeper and deeper into relaxation.
Trusting,
Surrendering,
And truly allowing the body to rebalance itself.
Similar to how the body knows how to heal when you have a paper cut,
It also knows how to heal your emotional state if you just allow it to balance on its own.
Repeat this cycle for a few more moments,
Relaxing,
Informing the body you're safe through your breath,
And letting go of trying to control the sensations as you trust the body to push them out.
The more you reduce your level of concentration and the more you move back behind the body,
The more quickly everything can transform.
And so remember that step one is to educate your body that you are safe.
Step two is to do this technique of relaxing behind the body as you breathe with a slow exhale and trust the body to rebalance itself.
And step three is to practice this.
Our nervous system learns best through repetition,
Just like with any sport or skill.
So if you continue to inform it on a regular basis that you are safe and teach it to relax,
You can more and more easily call upon the skill of turning on your parasympathetic nervous system as you tone down the sympathetic fight-or-flight nervous system.
Repeat this often with simple emotions and feelings that arise throughout your day,
And that repetition reinforces your skill set to be a stronger tool for you to call upon when something more intense starts to occur for you.
We'll end with a body scan where you just notice the level of sensation within your body.
You may notice that there is a reduction in the internal vibration that we call anxiety and fear.
The intensity may be reduced.
Your physical tension may have softened.
You may feel just a gentle sense of letting go,
Improved ease,
And a brighter awareness of who you may truly be beyond the fears and the anxiety.
You are more than this physical body.
And in that extended being that you are,
You have the power to modulate whatever you need to modulate for your physical health.
