✋ 5 ways to stop 🛑 the anxiety downward spiral 😬

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Subject: ✋ 5 ways to stop 🛑 the anxiety downward spiral 😬

Hi Friend,

How often do you find yourself thinking in a downward spiral?

The mind has taken hold of something uneasy, painful, scary… and you find yourself going deeper and deeper into it?

Do you get the feeling that you just can’t pull yourself out of it no matter how hard you try?

What I have begun to notice is that the d-spiral begins with loss,

then that triggers a suppressed/active emotion;

normally backed up by guilt and shame.

Hello darkness, my old friend.

But the most important thing that I’ve realised - that this state is formed from my thoughts - normally my physical safety (even if that triggered it) is not the issue.

I am physically safe, yet my mind thinks I have fallen off a downward gloom of spiralling doom.

In yoga, this is why we focus on an intention “drishti” during class - because holding positions can trigger emotions, memories - in a class setting it’s not possible to start speaking about what’s coming up, so we learn to breath through it.

Because we live in an action-orientated, must-be-busy culture, must-use-my-muscles training ethos, a Restorative yoga class can be especially challenging.

I offer Restorative Yoga classes twice per week now, and I applaud the bodies who keep coming back - it is challenging to breathe in stillness through discomfort - YET ultimately, I trust that they will discover that in the long term, restorative class is ever more rewarding and beneficial than the strength-building Power Yoga because you are building resilience in your mind and a deeper trust and connection with your body (my secret objective is get people regulating their nervous system while being in their connective tissue).

Regardless the type of class, the essence of yoga is to learn to breathe over mind over matter. Then, the real yoga begins out in the wild as we apply this in the real world.

With or without yoga, it's important to know that you can empower yourself to overcome the anxiety download spiral.

Here's ✋ 5 ways to stop 🛑 the anxiety downward spiral 😬😵‍💫:

#1. Breathe

The first thing to do to find space and find your feet where you are - inhale slowly for 4, exhale slowly (nose closed) for 4, repeat this 10 times.

=> Making yourself do it 10 times will put yourself in a position of control. Now you are winning.

#2. Safe in your body

Now you can become where you are and tell yourself that you are physically safe.

Other helpful things to do here - take your shoes off to your feet are touching the earth, hold a stone, sit on a stone or sit with your back against a tree.

#3. Mind game

Start counting how many shades of green you see.

This is one of the BEST, easy, proven ways to start shifting your downward spiral or even just to shift out of negative thinking and park yourself nicely into the present moment. I like offering green when you’re outside because it can help you feel abundant and in awe of the beauty.

How many shades of green can you count?

Other options could be:

Count how many trees or flower you can see.
If in a city you can count the colour white or yellow, count windows or count street lights.

Something bright, steady and simple.

#4 Support
From here it would be good to reach out to *that friend* who you can send an SOS to and say “call me” or if you’re working with a therapist or coach, send them a message. Even if you can’t talk to someone in the moment, flag it so you can share your experience with someone at a later time. You’re not alone and what happened is ok and you can become more skilled at handling it.

#5 Action Plan
This ranges from short-term actions to long term. Finding someone to discuss the root of the issue is going to be the most important, and then exploring which tools are best for you to help you regulate your emotions, understand your emotions and empower yourself through your emotions.

For homework this week,

I invite you to choose one of the options #1, #2, #3 and try it when an anxious, stressful or fearful thought has taken over your mind.

Choose 1 of them and right it on a post-it or in a reminder in your phone. Doing it will make a difference by putting you in the driving seat of your experience. You can do this!

There's one more question left to ask ~>
what's the best that can happen?

Sending love,

Heidi

H E I D I L I D H O L M

love life, live light; from the inside out

heidilidholm.com

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Subject: ✋ 5 ways to stop 🛑 the anxiety downward spiral 😬