ANXIETY

This week’s blog is from Going In To Find Out, my second book of meditations. As always, I simply opened the book to find out the topic for this post. It aligned perfectly with what I was thinking about and planning on conveying. Right now, there is seems to be a lot of chaos, upset, confusion and catastrophe occurring. New medical , car, legal or relationship issues are abounding in my surrounding sphere of influence. They can be anxiety provoking. So, please, read the mediation and give it a try. My guess is that it will help.

ANXIETY

Do you feel the low rumble of nervousness and upset? Do you worry that things will not be as they should or more importantly as you “want?” This is the beginnings of anxiety. Anxiety is different than fear in that it is often caused by irrational beliefs or fears - ones that are not necessarily grounded in experience or reality. People experience many different types of anxiety. As mentioned, there is the low level rumble of something being off and there is the abject terror of an experience. Some are anxious about flying or driving on freeways or going into oceans or any body of water. Others worry about upcoming events or situations. It covers all bases and is often baseless, yet incredibly real. 

Anxiety is the inability to quiet the mind and allow it to break down the fear or concern. What is causing the reaction? Now for most this cannot be known for it first begins rather unbidden and you just notice the touch of unease or unrest. There does not have to have been any event that triggers it, it just appears one day and stays. So we ask you to take a few moments to sit with your anxious state or your anxiety creating event. Breathe slowly and deeply as you sit and think about or look at the thing causing such upset. Imagine your Self in a quiet room with nothing but time to just sit calmly with this thing. The breath is the most important part of this as it calms the body and it is the body that is having the reaction. As you breathe and think of this anxiety causing event or thing notice where you are tense or stuck. Notice the thoughts going by and the feelings you have.

When you hit a particularly big or difficult or scary thought, stop and sit with that thought. In essence, befriend it, give it attention and honor. This is a big thing for you on some level and it deserves care, compassion and recognition. You do not necessarily have to understand the reaction, just that it occurred when you were having this thought during this exercise. Sit with the thought as long as you can in compassion and relaxing breath and then when it feels comfortable, move on to other thoughts. If this is IT, then sit with it as long as you are able. Notice the changes in your breath, notice the feelings in your body, recognize the thoughts in your head and slowly breathe them all to a different state of more calm. We are not saying that you will be able to completely eradicate them with breath in one session, but notice how you are able to calm down, even if just a bit. It is the small steps toward calm that matter. This is the same with anxiety as it is with meditation. Small steps of breath and relaxation that will take you to a place of calm and ultimately bliss if you practice regularly and allow for miracles to occur. 

We leave you calmly and in love.

Namaste