Anxiety reactions become habitual when we lose relationship with our emotions. The best way to stop anxiety is to learn how to re-establish a conscious and mindful relationship with the emotion itself and then treat it as you would a friend or a child in pain – give it your presence and your compassion. This allows the anxiety to gradually release its hold and resolve.
Sit in a quiet place and close your eyes:
Take a few minutes to develop non-reactive awareness: This is called mindfulness, by simply noticing whatever arises in your field of awareness. It might be a sound, a sensation or a thought. Whatever arises, your job is to see it and acknowledge it. Simply rest in the knowing of its presence. No thinking about it and no trying to get rid of it.
After a few minutes: We begin to find our center where we can simply witness whatever arises, without reacting.
Now invite in the anxiety emotion as a guest: Don’t get lost in reacting or thinking, simply hold the anxiety in your awareness.
Give the emotion a form: An image that fits the feeling. That may be an image of a child, a hurt animal, or an object.
Now, imagine interacting with that image form: As a friend with the intention to help, with the natural compassion that you have for a real friend or family member. “How can I help?”
Listen and sense intuitively: What you can do in your imagination to comfort the image. Repeat and refine your interaction with the image-form/emotion.
Notice: what interactions lead to a reduction of the intensity of the anxiety.
Repeat and refine: until the anxiety comes to rest and is resolved.
Repeat this exercise on a daily basis and watch how the anxiety reactions diminish over the coming days:
Leave a Reply