Breathing Through Anxiety & Tools for A Calmer Mind
Real talk. I consider myself a mentally healthy person but occasionally get bouts of anxiety that surface unexpectedly and oftentimes at the worst moments. Many of us will experience anxiety from time to time, especially during times of stress such as the holidays, before a work presentation or interview, or a new move. This would be considered “situational anxiety” - anxiety caused by new situations and events that are either uncommon, changing or uncomfortable.
But what about those times when you’re in the comfort of your own home, in a healthy relationship, financially stable, happy and feeling good about life and out of nowhere anxiety kicks in and threatens to attack? Sometimes you can’t pinpoint the cause or reason for such a feeling and you wonder “why am I anxious for no reason?”, which can be frustrating (and scary) to say the least.
I had one of these episodes just a couple weeks ago (during a holiday party) that started as mild anxiety and quickly escalated into a full-blown panic attack. My heart felt like it was pounding out of my chest and my right hand started going numb sending tingles up my arm, which tricked my mind into thinking I was about to have a heart attack, which then brought my heart rate up even further. You can see how this quickly led to an overwhelming sense of worry and fear and without an end in sight and I felt myself unraveling.
It was my sister who talked me through my panic, guiding me with her voice and bringing me back to my breath which reminded me of extreme athlete Wim Hof, aka The Iceman, and his extraordinary story I had watched just a few days prior. I was fascinated by Hof, who has been known to swim in ice lakes and trek mountains in below freezing temps in nothing but boxers using breathing techniques and meditation.
After scientists injected Hof with E.coli, he was able to minimize the immune response of his body through heavy breathing and believing. INSANE?! Kind of, but then again we forget how powerful the mind is. It was in that moment that I recounted this experiment that I realized all I needed to do was focus on my breath and believe with conviction that I could break past the panic. And within seconds I did.
If you suffer from anxiety, you’re not alone - you’re one of over 40 million US adults. Anxiety is not uncommon. In fact, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the US. But while anxiety is overprescribed and even abused, Americans are becoming dependent on anti-anxiety medication, masking their symptoms instead of getting at the root cause.
I find controlled breathing exercises are the most effective way to deal with anxiety and panic attacks head on and in the moment. Taking deep, slow breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth with pursed lips calms the mind and allows you to move past the fear, literally breathing through the panic which can quickly reverse symptoms.
At the same time, a consistent meditation practice can reduce and even prevent anxiety and only takes 5-15 minutes of your day. In mindfulness meditation, you’re taught to focus on your breath and body sensations and to evaluate and acknowledge your thoughts and emotions. Rather than pushing away the worry, anger, sadness, frustration or fear, you’re simply noticing it and accepting it. This is a powerful practice that has been proven to change brain structure and have dramatic physical and psychological benefits.
Anyone has the ability to push past negative thoughts, anxiety and panic in the moment. All it takes is your breath and your mind. I want to share with you some of my favorite tools and resources to help you in your journey to a calmer, clearer mind.
Headspace
A guided meditation app led by Buddhist Monk Andy Puddicombe. He teaches the essentials of meditation and mindfulness in their free Basics course, and if you enjoy it you can then subscribe. They offer hundreds of mediations from stress, to relationships to sleep. Super easy to listen to and do just about anywhere.
Oprah & Deepak 21 Day Meditation Experience
Two powerhouses, Oprah and Deepak Chopra, come together to create powerful and inspiring meditation packages on themes such as “Finding Your Flow”, “Creating Abundance” and “Expanding Your Happiness”. Once you download the app you have access to purchase any of these packages at around $49 each. These programs are a bit pricey and Oprah and Deepak understand that not everyone can afford to spend that amount so several times a year they offer free 21-day meditation experiences and those are the ones that I download. I can’t speak enough about how wonderful these meditations are. Packed with wisdom and real life experience, you’ll enjoy listening and learning from these spiritual gurus. Create your account here and start your 21-day meditation experience.
Daily Om
A website I love that takes a holistic approach to the mind, body and spirit. They offer courses on a wide variety of topics from yoga to love and relationships to understanding addiction. And what’s great is for each course you choose how much you want to pay starting at $5. A subscription gives you daily emails with universal messages and stories that are heartfelt, uplifting and inspiring. Check them out at dailyom.com.
Gabrielle Bernstein’s The Universe Has Your Back
Gabrielle Bernstein is a life coach, motivational speaker and #1 bestselling author of The Universe Has Your Back. I can’t recommend this book enough! I connect to Gabrielle because she keeps it real and has an authentic voice. Her teachings of self-love, forgiveness and spirituality really resonate with me and her message is one that everyone can benefit from. Get the book here!
Joe T Hypnotic Labs YouTube Channel
Hypnotherapy professional Joe Treacy offers guided meditations and sleep hypnosis through his YouTube channel. I generally listen to his videos in bed at night as the majority of them are sleep hypnosis. He has sleep hypnosis videos for tons of interesting topics such as Sleep Hypnosis for Clearing Negativity and Blocks To Build More Confidence and Self Love While You Sleep.