Working With Anxiety: A Somatic Reset

Two minutes is all you need to transform feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. Rather than pushing the feelings away, this meditation guides you to locate anxiety or overwhelm as a physical sensation, place your hand on it, and stay with the message it carries. Use this short practice before a meeting, in a bathroom at a party, on a bench outside the office, between tasks at work, or any moment when stress is rising and you need to come back to yourself. As a trauma-informed meditation teacher, I developed this somatic practice for when anxiety feels like it is going to sabotage the moment and you need something that works quickly. Bookmark this audio so you can find it the next time you need it.

Transcript

Work with, Rather than against, Anxiety and overwhelm in this two-minute practice. I want you to connect with the feeling of anxiety or overwhelm in your body. Yes, Your thoughts are racing, But where else in your body do you feel tension? Maybe it's your breath moving quickly or your stomach clenching. Find the vortex of your anxiety or overwhelm and bring a hand to touch it. You don't need to control it or even to change anything about it. Just be with it. Say silently to yourself, I allow this to be here. I accept and welcome myself exactly as I am. You might even wonder, What is the wisdom that these feelings have to share with me? How are they here to help me? It's okay if you don't know. It takes time for new friends to open up and share what is on their heart. What if you could see your anxiety and overwhelm as a friend? I invite you to bring your attention back to the room that you are in. Feel your body connected to your chair or your feet on the floor. Slowly, Gently open your senses back to your environment and take your time as you step back into whatever activity you were doing before you began this meditation. Be gentle with yourself. You don't have to solve everything today.