Our brain is always trying to keep us safe and as we look towards the world changing here as spring folds into summer in 2021,
Many people are experiencing stress,
Anxiety,
And worry.
This is a guided exercise to support our brain and letting go of what it doesn't need so that we can move into a state of agency as well as calm.
Just take a second,
Push pause,
And write down the top five things that are causing you anxiety,
Worry,
Or stress right now.
As always,
As we move into this guided experience,
I invite you to apply the soothing and healing havening touch.
Gentle motion across the brow as though you're tracing your eyebrows with your fingertips,
Underneath your eyes wrapping following through your cheekbones,
Starting at the shoulders and moving down to your elbows,
A gentle moving hug,
Or as though you're washing your hands.
I'd like to invite you to take a moment and read through your list of items that are causing you the greatest distress or disturbance right now.
Just notice each one.
As you welcome in this information that your amygdala is sharing with you,
I'd like to invite you to extend a moment of gratitude to your brain for working so hard and so diligently to keep you safe because that's what anxiety and worry is.
As you notice that list,
Pick one to focus on in this exercise,
One item.
I invite you to repeat this video and this exercise for each item on the list to create a sense of security,
Safety,
And calm.
Now that you've identified your item,
Take a closer look at it and invite your mind to share with you all of its concerns and considerations about this thing.
And as you listen to your mind sharing with you,
I want you to notice if there's any stories that belong to the past or remind you of earlier experiences in your life linked to this present-day concern.
Sometimes we have new novel worries,
But often the worries that we experience,
Especially the ones that just kind of loop in our brain,
Are tied to experiences from the past.
Our brain likes to remember things that may have possibly hurt us previously and to make sure that they come to light in the present to keep us safe.
As you're floating through your life story and noticing any moments that remind your brain of this present-day worry,
I again invite you to extend a warm love thank you to your working so hard to keep you safe.
To deepen that experience of gratitude,
What does gratitude feel like in your mind,
In your body?
You may be struggling a little bit to say thank you to a feeling of worry.
This worry can feel really overwhelming sometimes.
So can anxiety.
So if you're struggling to shift into a feeling of gratitude,
Just invite the anxiety and the worry to step aside and take a look around your space.
Notice one thing that you're grateful for.
It could be a photo,
A loved one,
Maybe a vibrant color,
A cushion,
A painting,
Maybe even YouTube.
Who knows?
As you notice that experience of gratitude,
Deepen your breath,
Welcoming it in,
And notice if it has a shape or a color.
And as you exhale,
Invite back in the item on your list.
I invite you to find three ways that this worry is striving to keep you safe.
What does this concern have to do with your safety,
Your ability to navigate the world successfully?
And as you find those three concerns,
You may not find three,
That's okay.
Just find one.
Invite in that experience of gratitude,
Noticing and deepening your relationship with how your brain is working so diligently to make sure you're okay.
Welcoming in another gentle breath and saying,
Thank you,
Worry,
For bringing this to my attention.
Thank you,
Amygdala,
For bringing this to my attention.
Thank you,
Self,
For bringing this to my attention.
And let your brain know that you're going to listen to the worry,
But you're not going to be driven by it.
There's a part of you that's very concerned about these experiences.
And if you notice the link to your past,
Even better,
Because now you know where this comes from.
And notice if this worry still needs to exist here in 2021.
It might,
But explore what it would feel like to put this worry down,
To invite your brain to consider the possibility of looking at this information as just information without fear or stress or anxiety guiding the framework.
Now,
If you have a pen,
Take a moment and rewrite this item from a state of objective fact.
So we're zooming out and taking a bird's eye view where there's no fear.
It's just,
Hey,
Here's some information.
And as you take in that information,
Because your brain's just serving you data on a platter,
Return to your experience of gratitude.
And again,
Thank your brain,
Your body,
And yourself for sharing the worry.
And then ask yourself,
What is one thing that you can do to move into a state of agency,
Of proactive engagement,
Of choice with this item?
It is one step,
No matter how big or how small,
That you can take now or soon.
Just start changing how this item shows up and impacts your day-to-day life.
Let's see if you can try to consider the possibility of committing to that item.
Often,
Our brain will give us worry and fear when we feel out of control,
We feel stuck or paralyzed.
And so through welcoming and gratitude,
Through zooming out from the experience and seeing it without worry,
And then creating an action plan,
We remove the brain's need to generate worry and stress because we can then move into proactive change.
If you need to repeat this exercise for another item,
I highly recommend you do so.
And for every item on this list,
Take a moment and zoom out.
In the course of the pandemic,
We've been living in extreme,
Ongoing stress.
And so our brains have forgotten how to parse out what is legitimately anxiety producing or scary and what's not.
And this is a loving exercise to give your loving friend,
Amy,
A pat on the back and say,
Thanks for all your hard work.
Let's get our thinking brain on board and look towards making action change.
