Anxiety In The Body (Anxiety Series #2)

Take a few moments to recognize and explore where you are holding tension in your body. This track isn't about relaxing as much as it is noticing. Learning where you are holding the sensations and becoming aware of your body from the inside.

Transcript

Welcome back to your safe haven. A place to land, Just as you are. I am Jenna Gilbert. Start today by finding a position that feels supportive. Could be sitting, Lying down. However your body feels most at ease. Grab a pillow. Grab a blanket. Sit cross-legged. Lie down flat, Whatever feels what you need. There's no perfect way to do this. Just allow yourself to arrive. Even just a few percent. A lot of people say they can't meditate because they can't concentrate. That's not what we're here to do. We just need a few percent. That's enough. Bring your attention first to your breath. Not noticing it, I'm sorry, Not changing it. Just noticing it. The inhale. The exhale. If your mind is busy, That's okay. Nothing's gone wrong. Today we're not trying to relax the body. We're just going to build the ability to notice what's here. So gently begin to shift your attention inward. Becoming aware of the body from the inside. Anxiety often shows up here first. It's a sensation, Not just a thought. So we're going to start by getting curious. I'll start at the top of your head. Noticing your forehead. Your eyes. Your job. Any tension there? Are you holding on too tight? Sometimes we don't even notice that we're doing that. Tightening our jaw. Tightness, Holding, Pressure. I don't need you to change that right now. I just want you to notice it. Cause that's enough. Let your attention move down your neck. Your shoulders. What do you notice that's presence there? Without trying to fix it. This is all how we begin to understand what the body is carrying. How much are you carrying on your shoulders? Now bringing the awareness into your chest. Pause here for a moment. This is sometimes a big one for some people. You might notice tightness. Maybe fluttering? Heaviness? A feeling of crawling, Like you want to crawl out of your skin. If it feels okay, Maybe gently name it. Give it a word. Tight. Buzzing Warm. When you name a sensation. You're actually helping your mind and body. Organize what's being felt. No judgment there, Just information. Bring your attention back to your breath. If it feels available. Begin to take those inhales. And then lengthen your exhale. Not forcing, But just allowing the out-breath to take up a little more space. Inhale. And I'm not. Exhale. A real feeling of letting go. Try it again. Play around with it a little bit. What feels better? Inhale through your nose. Blowing out through your mouth. In and out through your nose. Which one gives you the most relief today? Sometimes just doing that, And that alone, Can signal to the body that it doesn't have to stay on high alert. Not necessarily instantly, Although sometimes it feels that way. But gradually sometimes. Let's go back to scanning. We're down to our stomachs. Or a longer back. Our hips. Notice what's there. Maybe notice what's not. If you come across a place that feels more activated. See if your breath can come in and breathe around that space. Try to give it a little more space. Sometimes that feels better than saying, If it's tight, Loosen it. How about we give it more space? We're not trying to get rid of our anxiety. We're just learning how to be with it. Without allowing it to take over. This This is how we begin to build capacity. Space. Bring your awareness down to your legs. Your feet. Notice where your body connects to the ground. And just let your system register that support. Sometimes we say the word grounding and we don't actually know what that means. But allow yourself to picture the earth coming up to hold you wherever your contact points are. And let your system register. That support. Right now, In this moment, You might not feel completely calm. But you may be able to find a sense of safe enough. Calm enough. Grounded enough. Just for now. Take one more slow breath in. And an even longer breath out. Notice in all of this if anything has shifted, Even just the tiniest bit. Even those small changes matter. Even just a little extra space. A little extra capacity. A little bit of a deeper breath. And sit with that. Just for a moment. You have one. You might have places to be, But not right this second. You may have a to-do list that's five miles long, But not right this second. One more deep, Deep breath. And out. We're going to gently bring our awareness back into the room, Back into the space if you're not there already. Slowly moving your fingers. Move your toes. And when you're ready, If they're closed, Slowly open your eyes. Take a look around. Take a real second to orient yourself with the space that you're in. Try grounding again. Feel the earth holding your body. A gentle reminder that you can return to this place anytime that you need. Because it's something that you've created. Something that you can remember. Thanks for joining me. I hope you have a bright day.