It is an ordinary day. Perhaps you are at the office, walking down the street, or reading your email. All of a sudden, you think about a task you haven’t finished. Or you think about your friend who hasn’t called in several weeks, or your college roommate who is doing so well in his law practice (much better than you!), or about the fact that you have to give a presentation tomorrow. Suddenly, your shoulders seize up. Your neck tightens. Maybe your breath constricts or your belly starts to hurt. The tendrils of anxiety—that most modern of afflictions—have wound themselves around your body and mind like the arms of an octopus. And if you are like the rest of us you think it is…. normal.
Anxiety is often so ingrained in the body and nervous system that we live with it for years without noticing how much it drives us. Anxious people often have real worries. That’s why merely telling yourself “there’s nothing to worry about” usually won’t help you feel less anxious. Instead, it’s much more useful to own your anxiety—to observe its patterns, to look at what might be setting it off, and then to find ways to work with it.
It’s only when you are willing to bring consciousness to your anxiety—to pay attention to the bodily sensation it brings, the thoughts that trigger it—that you can begin to learn from it.
Anxiety is mostly about the future. The woman who is worrying about her upcoming mammogram is not actually sick. She’s anxious about something the doctor might discover. The man whose palms sweat when the flight takes off is just anticipating that something might happen to the plane. If you keep nourishing your anxiety by letting worry feed on itself, your anxiety becomes like a motor with no off button.
The first step to loosening the grip anxiety has on your body and mind, is simply to become aware of it. See if you can become aware of how anxiety feels in your physical body. What part of you tightens when you feel nervous? Do you hunch your shoulders? Does your throat get constricted? How about your lower back? The next time you notice these physical symptoms, notice what kind of mental dialogue you are having with yourself.
In the process of working through anxiety in the present moment, you can, eventually become familiar with the sensation, thoughts, and emotions that trigger your habitual anxiety. It often takes a while even to be able to pick up on the physical sensations and to recognize the negative thoughts. But when you practice with your habitual reactions to anxiety, its tendrils will start to dissolve. Your shoulder will become more relaxed, your inner dialogue will become kinder, and your emotions will be less reactive.
Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist
And Ayurveda Consultant
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