We all experience anxiety and stress at some point in our lives.
This practice is a brief practice to help you refocus back to the present moment during times of anxiety and stress.
Fear stress and anxiety are driven by the same physiological processes.
Fear is an emotional response to known or definite threat,
Whereas anxiety is a fear response to events or things that are not actually dangerous or much less harmful than one imagines.
Stress occurs as a physiological response to an external threat,
Either real or imagined.
What's most damaging to the human being is the occurrence of a prolonged stress response.
Through mindfulness,
You can learn how to better manage anxiety and stress.
As you learn to shine a light on your experience through a mindful lens,
You will get better at witnessing your anxiety and stress rather than becoming it.
We'll start by getting into a comfortable position,
Either seated upright or lying down.
Close your eyes gently or lower your gaze.
Feel your body as it sinks into the surface beneath you.
Take a few moments to feel any sensations in your body,
Any tightness or tension,
As well as feeling into your mood,
Emotions,
And acknowledging whatever is being felt and simply letting it be.
Take a few deep breaths to begin.
Inhale in and exhale out.
Inhale in and exhale out.
Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose or mouth.
Allow your breath to find its own natural rhythm.
Bring your full attention to noticing each in-breath as it enters your nostrils and notice each out-breath as it moves out the nostrils or mouth.
Invite your full attention to flow with your breath.
Notice how the inhale is different from the exhale.
You may experience the air as cool as it enters your nose and warm as you exhale.
Breathing in,
I calm my body.
Breathing out,
I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is a wonderful moment.
As you turn more deeply inward,
Begin to let go of noises around you.
Imagine a time or a thought that made you feel anxious or stressed.
Try to recall the way your body felt.
Was it tense?
What emotions were running through your mind?
Fear?
Doubt?
Sadness?
Did those emotions eventually subside?
Now try to bring your attention back to your breath and focus solely on your breath.
Inhaling in and exhaling out.
When we bring our attention back to the present moment and continue to practice that,
We realize that fear,
Anxiety,
And stress is either something that has occurred in the past or has yet to occur in the future.
Right here in the present moment,
All is well.
We'll end off this practice with an excerpt from the book Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Continue to inhale and exhale as you listen to the words.
Fear.
We all experience fear.
But if we can look deeply into our fear,
We'll be able to free ourselves from its grip and touch joy.
Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future.
If we can acknowledge our fear,
We can realize that right now,
We are okay.
Right now,
In this moment,
We are still alive.
Our bodies are working marvelously.
Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky.
Our ears can hear the voices of our loved ones.
Right here,
Right now,
I am okay.
Right here,
Right now,
I am okay.
Continue to repeat this phrase to yourself throughout your day when an anxious thought comes up,
When you become stressed,
When you begin to spiral or ruminate on things.
Find yourself that right now,
In this beautiful present moment,
I am okay.
