Learning to Calm your Anxious Mind

We all experience anxiety but at times it can feel overwhelming

Anxiety when we have control of it can become our super power. Intuition, gut feeling, sixth sense and maternal and paternal instinct are all positive ways of thinking about anxiety.

Anxiety grows exponentially with fear and avoidance. To manage anxiety we need to learn to be uncomfortable and learn how not to focus on the discomfort until it eases. To help with this soften your internal voice. A critical voice reminds us of how incapable we are. A supportive voice helps encourage us to be reasonable, anxiety hates a reasonable voice, as it feeds off of fear.

All anxiety affects the breath and heart. Using breathing techniques to calm your breathing will slow down your rapid heart beat and in turn allow the reasonable supportive voice to be heard.

Physical touch from a supportive person can really help. From a hug to a hand squeeze can help us feel connected and safer.

Once your anxiety starts to ease, when your breath comes easier to you, try figure out what your anxiety is trying to say. Is it relevant, solvable and realistic? Or is it irrational, overthinking, catastrophising or perhaps you are thinking for someone else. When calmer, you can work on these thoughts, either with help or on your own.