Anxiety is characterized by feelings of worry, nervousness, unease or fear that are strong enough to interfere with one's daily activities. For most people they picture “interfering with one’s daily activities” as breathing into a brown paper bag, which can be the case. Anxiety can also interfere with one’s daily activities by disturbing sleep patterns, causing GI pain, headaches, fatigue, jitters, lashing out at others, and many more.

 

For the majority of my life I struggled with anxiety - even when I didn’t have that word to describe it. My greatest alleviation came when I stopped struggling back against it. I released the idea that I needed to “stop being anxious” or that my goal was to “never feel anxious again”.

 

Pairing that release with regular meditation and engaging in my life mindfully, my anxiety is hardly recognizable compared to a decade ago. It’s still there - turning up when I feel like someone doesn’t like me and I wonder why; lighting up when I wonder if what I’m doing as a parent will have my son in therapy as adult; setting ablaze when we’re in the midst of a pandemic and there are so many things one can worry over. To be honest, I hope my son goes to therapy as an adult. I hope everyone does, it’s useful for the whole human experience. I also hope that as humans we realize that to varying degrees we can all relate to anxiety - even if it doesn’t interfere with your daily activities. Right now I feel that many people who have never experienced anxiety may be stepping into this arena by now. To that I say: welcome, we love you, we’re here for you, you don’t have to swim upstream fighting the current. Release the struggle, embrace some tools and techniques.

 

Over two decades of struggle I’ve acquired tools and techniques. Once I set my sights on certifications like Holistic Lifestyle Coaching and 300 hours of Yoga Psychology I feel like I’ve got quite the toolshed. One of my favorite techniques for anxiety is a grounding technique. Which in a way seems a bit funnier than usual considering we all feel grounded. This kind of grounding is a therapeutic technique also called earthing. Feelings like worry, anxiety, and fear circle around the future and what may happen. Grounding is connecting yourself back to where you are, in the present moment.

 

One of my favorite grounding techniques is the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 method. I love this because it’s simple, super effective, and can be done anywhere.? 

 

This tool will take you through your five senses all you have to do is take a deep belly breath identify: ?

 

5 things you can see. Say them out loud; example: I see my phone, I see my pen, I see the picture frame.?

 

4 things you can feel. Pay attention to your body and say them out loud; example: I feel the twinge in my right hip, I feel the hair on the back of my neck, I feel the sheets I am sitting on.?

 

3 things you can hear. Listen for three sounds and say them out loud; example: I hear the rain hitting the roof, I hear the car driving by, a hear the faint sound of the tv downstairs.?

 

2 things you can smell. Say two things you can smell. It’s okay to move to another spot to sniff something or if you can’t smell anything in the moment say your two favorite smells. ?

 

1 thing you can taste.  Say one thing you can taste. It may be the toothpaste from brushing your teeth, remnants of the last thing you ate, or the mint you had after lunch. If you can’t taste anything, say your favorite thing to taste.?

 

As we navigate these precarious times if you find yourself feeling worried, uneasy, fearful, or nervous acknowledge those feelings and recall this 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 technique. Reach out for support, we love you, we’re here for you, you don’t have to swim upstream fighting the current.

 

Always here for support,

Melissa

www.melissaromano.com