Connect to the Force Behind Anxiety

Hello and welcome fellow human Today's meditative exercise will get in touch with the major force behind anxiety and heal that aspect Anxiety is not trying to make us miserable or take over our lives It's a survival mechanism the same mechanism that taught early humans to stay away from sabre-toothed tigers Anxiety warns us of past pain so we can avoid danger and stay alive Sometimes however our anxiety can misread a situation and overreact Imagining the circumstances are far more dangerous than they actually are The anxiety is partially responding to the issue at hand today But mostly it's remembering another scary time in our past When we felt completely helpless and alone and we're experiencing an event as traumatic To our anxiety that moment of threat in the past in this moment of threat today are Exactly the same and we're feeling Overwhelming anxiety from that past experience in the present situation all at once Before we venture further into this meditative exercise Please take a moment to check in with yourself about your willingness to walk through past pain or trauma right now If you're feeling too vulnerable then either have someone with you for support Or skip this one for now and try another meditation Like self-connecting through anxiety or any other one If you are feeling up for facing the past trauma and bringing some healing to it then continue along with this We'll begin by taking a few deep breaths First settle in to where you're sitting or lying down and make any adjustments for comfort Now breathing in through your nose take a nice slow very gentle deep breath Then open your mouth and let it out with or without a sound And then when you're ready breathe in gently again And let it all out One more time breathing in nice and slowly Releasing all that air Now you're going to have a conversation with your anxiety While there is something causing anxiety now You can also feel a little bit of anxiety in your body And you can feel a little bit of anxiety in your mind And you can feel a little bit of anxiety in your body While there is something causing anxiety now Chances are that there is some past memory being triggered Ask anxiety what the current situation is reminding it of What happened in the past that was triggered by what's going on today See what anxiety tells you Accept the answer and let it sit for a minute If you did not receive an answer you can guess or just imagine what might have happened in the past that felt similar to what's going on today As you recall or imagine that time Connect with your younger self and how you felt when this was happening Take the time to name the feeling or feelings Take the time to name the feeling or feelings As you name them,

Notice where you feel it in your body As you name them,

Notice where you feel it in your body Pause and breathe into that space for a few moments Pause and breathe into that space for a few moments Next,

Imagine what you needed at that time,

What universal human need were you in desperate need of Maybe you needed safety or protection Or you needed to matter Or maybe you needed self-acceptance and comfort Or you needed love or reassurance Connect with the need or needs now Pause and breathe into that space for a few moments And notice where it's showing up in your body Breathe compassion into that need Now,

Imagine that you did receive exactly what you needed back then when it was happening Rewrite the story so that you got what you desperately needed at the time You or someone else understood what you needed and saved you and were able to fulfill that need for you Pause and breathe into that space for a few moments Now,

Pause to notice how you're feeling in this moment Pause and breathe into that space for a few moments Notice what you were feeling in your body If you are experiencing some relief,

Then you have let go of some of the past pain that was stored inside you You have created a new neural pathway and new associations with that experience You can repeat this exercise whenever you need to Now take as long as you need to come back to full awareness Be well,

Fellow human