Is Your Anxiety Increasing? You Are Not Alone.

When the anxiety monster strikes, it can feel overwhelming and unsettling, The truth is we need some anxiety. A bit of  anxiety can actually be motivating, such as when a student feels anxious about an upcoming test and realizes she needs to study. Not studying amps up the anxiety levels, but studying helps quell the anxiety a bit. 

Anxiety is tricky and comes in a variety of flavors… There’s the GAD, or Generalized Anxiety Disorder ,which produces, well, a general overall feeling of anxiety in spite of any particular circumstances. 

We have the all encompassing social anxiety, which makes us just want to be holed up at home in our comfy jammies never to be seen at a social gathering again…

And everyone’s favorite… Performance anxiety which can render us nearly speechless at a time when we need to give a presentation, take and pass a test, or perform in some other manner that we are called upon. 

Whatever the situation or type of anxiety you have, many people are experiencing an increase in anxious signs and symptoms and it’s no wonder with all the upsetting chaos going on in our country and in the world. 

While we cannot control what narcissist is in control of our country, or make political decisions that can course correct challenging situations ( other than with our vote if we still continue to have one), we can however learn tools to more effectively manage our anxiety.

These tools can be great for grounding, inducing calm, or just serve as a distraction for the activated part of your brain that is signaling the alarm that you have something to fear,  that there is a threat,  typically the amygdala.  That is the part of the brain that tries to keep us safe, but often gets activated with something we see, hear, or even just imagine. 

Here are a few favorite “go to’s” of mine that many of my clients have found to be very effective.

DEEP BREATHING-  A foundational calming tool that is often effective on its own when done right and for long enough, is also a tool that we can piggy back with other techniques as well.  The main thing to remember is deep breathing must be inhaling through your nose, and then exhaling ( longer than the inhale) through your mouth. There are actually many variations on deep breathing- box breathing, alternate nostril breathing, to name a few.  

5-4-3-2-1- This is a great tool as it engages all the senses and can be effective almost anywhere.  If you are driving however, you may want to pull over to be safe and to give this technique your full attention.  Find 5 things you see, and name them out loud. Find 4 things you hear, really listen and name them.  Find 3 things you  smell, 2 things you can touch, and 1 thing you can taste.   This is a great distraction for the brain, especially if you were caught in looping anxiety thoughts.

HAVENING- I have taught this technique to people from age 4 to 80 and it is generally really effective, but only when practiced  consistently.  There are YouTube videos of this, but generally it involves 4 different movements that pertain to the hands, arms and face. Feel free to reach out if you would like to set up a 5 minute meeting… I can teach it to you in 4 minutes!

Bi LATERAL TAPPING - This is recommended to do in conjunction with deep breathing and is a way to help calm our brain and may also have the effect with repetition and verbalizing true ( accurate) statements, to rewire the neural pathways in our brain. Bi lateral tapping needs to be done with arms crossed -right hand touching and tapping our left shoulder and vice versa.  The key is going at a slow rhythmic pace.  

There are many more tools and techniques and these are ones I find most effective.   You can learn to manage your anxiety with regular use of these tools when needed, especially when practiced daily.   

These are chaotic and distressing times on so many levels… Focus on managing yourself to the best of your ability so you don’t lose precious moments of your life and health to anxiety but rather learn how to take care of you in the midst of it all.

And as always, if you feel the need for professional help, please seek it.  Start with the mind-your-health category on the Live Well Kitsap site.