If you have anxiety, you need to practice mindfulness.
I’ve read the above in more than one text, maybe you have too.
But of course, being truly mindful or actually sitting down to mediate is difficult. In fact I feel like it’s the anxiety itself that makes it so difficult!
Mindfulness isn’t just meditating. Being mindful is really about being here – actually present in the present moment. Anxiety often lives in the future, so bringing yourself back to ‘now’ can be a useful technique to have.
But, anxiety can also seem to come from nowhere at all. The truth is that it’s trying to protect you. It’s just not very good at sensing what real danger is.
I’m not any sort of medical or psychological professional or expert. I am just someone who has lived with anxiety for a long time. I have also struggled with staying mindful, but I think that it’s best to start small.
So if you want to start with mindfulness.. DON’T start out by setting a goal like meditate for an hour every day. You’re just setting yourself up for failure. Start with the minimum amount of mindfulness. As everyone knows, the best way to get started with anything is to get started.
Here are the 6 mindfulness techniques for anxiety:
Eat or drink mindfully
Have you ever gotten to the bottom of your cup of coffee and been surprised? Because even though you drank the entire cup, you have no idea what it tasted like – your mind was too focused on other things.
That’s just a small example of how not being in the present moment prevents us from appreciating the little joys in life – like a hot cup of coffee (or tea if that’s your preference).
So take the time to sip your coffee (or tea) notice the temperature, notice how sweet (or bitter) the taste is. Savor the flavor and note the texture. How does it make you feel after you’ve sipped it?
Take your time and really savor all the flavors in your food. Slow down your chewing and chew each bite with intention. Can you identify any of the spices or seasonings?
Go for a walk outside
Don’t take your phone. Unplug yourself from it and plug it into the wall to charge. Take time to really look at the leaves on the trees, the blooms on flowers, the colors and the beauty of all the things around you. There is just something special about spending time in nature.
But even if you don’t have somewhere to go to get near nature, take a look at the things that you can see, the shapes of the clouds in the sky, the power lines or the houses nearby.
Do a 5 senses exercise
This is a good way to ground yourself in the moment.
Name to yourself:
4 things your can touch
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
5 things you can see
(look around the room – the table, the lamp, the window, your cat, your hand..)
4 things your can touch
(reach out – the chair, the wall, your dog, breeze on your face..)
3 things you can hear
(take a moment to listen – a distant radio, birds chirping, the hum of the AC..)
2 things you can smell
(breathe in deeply – food cooking, freshly cut grass..)
1 thing you can taste
(hopefully minty gum)
Get specific with your gratitude
It’s easy to say very general things like “I’m grateful for my health, my family, my home” but I would like you to challenge yourself to go deeper than that. Not just what you’re grateful for but why as well. Take a good moment to truly appreciate the things that you have.
Good
I am grateful for my health.
I am grateful for my boyfriend.
Better
I am so grateful to wake up every morning, stretch my body and be able to start my day with energy.
I am so grateful to be with Ryan, my loving partner who accepts me as I am.
Journal
Specifically, do a mental inventory or brain dump. Get all of your anxious thoughts and worries out of your head and down onto the paper. This alone can be very helpful, but if you find that it’s not enough you can always go deeper.
Try asking yourself why. Why am I upset? Why did this upset me? Why? If you really dig into what you’re feeling, sometimes you can uncover truths you didn’t realize were there. Understanding your anxiety can help you cope with it.
Just Breathe
Take one full minute to close your eyes and really be aware of your breaths. Breathe in deep and slowly, feel your lungs filling, hold it as long as comfortable and then slowly exhale.
If regular breathing isn’t working for you, there is also a technique called square breathing. You inhale for the count of 4, hold for the count of 4, exhale for the count of 4 – repeat. Many find it to be a calming grounding technique.
Final thoughts
Like I said in the intro, I’m no professional or expert. Sometimes that is what you truly need. If you are really struggling with your anxiety, talk to someone who is an expert and professional.
Personally, I have been trying to establish a solid meditation practice for what feels like ages now. Anxiety makes even sitting still for a short period of time difficult to do. Not judging the thoughts that comes into my head and just observing them doesn’t seem possible sometimes..
But that is why it is called a practice. I still show up and sit down. I’ve been more consistent with than ever this year. It does make me feel calmer and if I did it for longer periods of time I would probably benefit even more.
But I’m not there yet and that’s ok. It’s ok if you aren’t quite there yet either.
What’s important is to remember that the future doesn’t exist yet – only now does.
So try to be here, in the present.
Want to keep in touch and be notified when I release a new post? I would love it if you signed up for my mailing list! You’ll also be given access to my printables vault and won’t be sent any spam. Just enter your e-mail address below ↴
Comments are closed.