I know how it can feel like to be anxious.
When I was 17 I was struggling with severe anxiety and that has brought mindfulness into my life and it has brought me to right here right now,
Sitting here talking to you.
So today I want to explore more powerful techniques with you to calm down the anxiety response coming from your survival mechanism,
From your body.
We will regulate the fight,
Flight and freeze reactions.
Today we will discover effective strategies such as movement,
Stretching,
Lateral eye movement so that we can regulate the fight flight response.
Let's begin by practicing what we preach and create a sense of calm within our bodies.
Take a moment to gently move or stretch,
Allowing your body to let it go,
To release any tension or tightness.
As you engage in these movements,
Notice how your body responds,
Becoming more at ease and more grounded.
Now let's explore lateral eye movements as a technique to regulate the fight flight response.
This simple practice helps to calm the nervous system and bring a sense of balance and clarity.
It's shifting away from the tunnel vision you have and literally broadening your vision.
Simply shift your gaze from side to side,
Following the movement with your eyes.
This is also why going out for a walk can be incredibly beneficial,
Because you are looking further away from yourself and often you're making these lateral,
Horizontal movements with your eyes.
And that sends signals to your brain that you are safe,
That you are okay.
So this is a very simple yet highly effective technique.
Now we'll focus on specific breathing practices to regulate the fight flight response.
It is called diaphragmic breathing or abdominal breathing.
During our time together,
I've always recommended you to breathe deeply from your belly,
Right?
So I want you to keep doing this and let's practice some together.
Take a deep breath in,
Imagining you have a balloon in your lower belly and you're sending in air,
Blowing up this balloon.
Allow your belly to expand.
Now fully and slowly exhale,
Feeling the release of any stress or anxiety.
With each breath,
Imagine you are exhaling tension and you are inhaling a deep sense of calm and relaxation.
If you have trouble breathing deep into your belly,
Know that it will get easier the more you practice it.
Try to expand your lower back and lower belly and know that the more relaxed you'll be,
The easier this gets for you automatically.
So don't worry if this is uncomfortable or difficult,
It will get better the more you practice.
Now besides lateral eye movements and deep,
Slow breathing,
Especially long exhales,
Another thing that really brings us back into balance,
Literally,
Is to find balance.
So you can stand up on one foot,
Right or left foot,
And gently lift up the other leg,
The other foot.
Now try to count from one to five while you are finding your balance.
The powerful combination of coordination,
Finding balance literally with your body,
As well as the counting down,
As you know,
Stimulates the prefrontal cortex,
Which allows you to awaken,
To come back to yourself from an anxious episode or stress.
If you're too comfortable or relaxed right now,
No worries,
You don't have to get up,
But try to do it today or tomorrow,
Try it out.
Yesterday I already mentioned the importance of safety and social connection,
Right?
That social connection is part of our safety state,
Also known as ventral vagal.
And I gave you a tip to make eye contact with somebody who you're talking to.
Now let's talk about co-regulation,
Because that is exactly what happens when you make eye contact.
Your nervous system and the other person's nervous system are co-regulating.
So besides making eye contact,
You can also hug somebody,
Or when you notice somebody is really overwhelmed,
Speaking fast,
Shouting,
Their breathing is shallow and rapid.
Know that your voice can make so much difference.
If this person isn't able to make eye contact,
Or let's say that person is you,
Right?
You are listening here.
If you do not or cannot make eye contact,
Cannot or do not want to hug somebody,
Know that the tone of voice is like a soft melody for your nervous system.
And that's why meditations are so healing,
The music,
The tone of my voice.
So remember this,
Through sound you can definitely heal your nervous system as well.
Sound healing is a beautiful world that I've just began to explore,
But what I can tell you this for sure is the following.
Music such as binaural beats,
Your favorite music,
Piano music,
Relaxing music,
As well as the tone of your voice being soft and calm,
Will immensely help you on your journey in dealing with anxiety.
Everything that you hear,
That you see,
Is being picked up by your nervous system.
So start to infuse your days with these small glimmers of safety.
You might think Anais,
What is a glimmer?
I'll explain this to you another day in this course.
Know that it's something small that brings you safety.
A song,
Making eye contact,
Hugging yourself or hugging somebody else,
Taking a deep breath in when you notice you are shifting into fight or flight or freeze.
So try it out and let me know how this works.
I'm sharing a lot of tools with you that you need to try out yourself,
Because essentially I am guiding you,
But it is up to you to incorporate this in your life.
There is only so much we can do together,
We can meditate,
We can breathe,
And trust me we will go very deeply into healing and dealing with your anxiety,
But for now try to use these practical tools,
Because the sooner you start doing it,
The better the impact.
And also,
The more you repeat it,
The more your brain,
Your body,
Your nervous system will start to feel safe and being at peace.
Because when your nervous system has been overwhelmed or anxious,
Living in a state of chronic stress or anxiety,
It can get really hard to come back down into safety.
So that's why I'm introducing to you these techniques that you can start doing,
Connecting to your nervous system through your body,
Through your senses.
Let me know what feels the best for you,
We all have our preferences and this can change as well.
I used to be all about the mind,
Dealing with thoughts,
Mindfulness,
Then I shifted more into my environment,
Using my senses,
And now I found my way back into my body.
So let me know what works best for you,
There is no right or wrong answer,
We are constantly shifting and evolving,
And sometimes we can benefit more breathing practices,
Sometimes we need more meditation,
Sometimes we need more safety and social connection from others or from ourselves.
And that's the beauty.
You can regulate yourself.
One of the clients I work with privately recently told me this,
Wow Anais,
It is so empowering,
So beautiful,
That we can regulate ourselves in times of need,
That we can be there for ourselves.
And that's exactly what I want to give to you.
Remember that you are your own home,
No matter where you are.
Sending you a big hug.
