May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and as the month is coming to an end, so too are we ending another year of school. For many, this means graduation. For some, this means a giant leap into the adult world where they will now start a new career. With these changes can come a spike in anxiety. Maybe there was anxiety due to finals, or teachers having to wrap up year end reports. Transition periods are difficult and perhaps parents are anxious juggling summer schedules for young ones and wondering how to fill idle time.
We all could use some tools and knowledge for how to reduce anxiety, including myself. I was fortunate enough to enjoy my first live Yoga workshop for anxiety reduction this past Wednesday at The Cincinnati Nature Center. Unfortunately the weather leading up to the event was terrible, but it cleared as the day progressed. Sometimes we are tested and for me, this was certainly one of those days. I left my house plenty early to set up and be there to greet my clients only to find the main road was blocked due to construction. We followed the detour signs and ended up in a full circle right back where we started. This was complete and utter irony, running into roadblocks that were causing anxiety on my way to a workshop on anxiety reduction.
Now, even a year ago, I would have lost my mind I would have been so frustrated by this literal road block. I probably would have cried. Instead, we laughed, took a deep breath, and I thought to myself, “self, you are on the way to teach an anxiety workshop, so why get anxious? USE your tools, breathe and think.” Sure enough, I thought there has to be another logical way to get there. So, we went up over the hill and around. Well, the navigation map kept yelling at us to turn around, so we turned that off. I finally tried a different GPS app and sure enough it took us down a small side road and we found a back way. My son laughed and said, “Mom, you realize NO ONE else is going to find this place” We both laughed and I said, “ well, hopefully you are wrong.” Sure enough, we arrived and two people were already there. I prefer to be the first to arrive but, again, I used my tools, took a deep breath, apologized and we moved forward with a beautiful event. So, I wanted to write this particular blog so that everyone at home could learn some of the benefits of yoga and breathwork as well as some other tools to reduce anxiety.
Human touch can be powerfully relaxing. It is always optional in my classes, but generally very much appreciated.
According to The American Psychological Association, “Americans are seeing the highest levels of stress since April 2020, and that half of surveyed adults are uneasy about returning to in-person interactions.” They went on to recommend that people take small steps if they feel anxious. It is indeed such a problem that they have named it COVID-19 anxiety syndrome which mimics those of other mental health conditions including anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
One topic that came up in the Anxiety Workshop portion of our event was that the after-effects of Covid are still very real. People are still very lonely and feeling anxious about life returning to a new normal and what that might look like. They were all very happy and grateful to be together and no longer in isolation. We shared about how hard it is to work from home and the concept of setting boundaries when working from home. We were all very grateful for the human interaction. It was wonderful sharing energy and seeing smiles. Regardless of your personal thoughts and feelings I hope these tools will be helpful for you as well.
Our balance is different each day based on how many thoughts we have swirling around in our minds.
Our breath links the body to the mind through movement. Combining yoga and breathwork is an excellent modality for healing and reducing anxiety because it has been proven both physiologically and scientifically that by activating the parasympathetic nervous system we can lower heart rate and blood pressure. Lowering the heart rate calms both the body and mind and brings us out of the fight or flight response and back into a relaxed calm state. We also turn our focus inward tuning out the distractions and chaos of the external world during our practice by focusing on our drishti, or gaze. Certain postures, such as hip openers, are known to be good for releasing emotions or emotional tension. Forward folds are great for simply turning inward and listening to our intuition.
Another great trick for activating the parasympathetic nervous system is to gently rub two fingers back and forth over your lips. This will have the same calming effect.
Alternative Grounding Technique
Go to a quiet area
Rate your anxiety between 1-10
Find a comfortable chair. Sit tall with feet firmly on ground Inhale slowly through your nose and exhale slowly through your nose
How many windows do you see?
How many doors do you see?
What color is your shirt? What does the material feel like?
What do you hear in the background?
As you continue to breathe through your nose, do you smell anything?
What kind of feeling do you have in your mouth right now? Can you taste anything?
Name all the shapes you can think of.
Name the funniest movies you have ever watched.
Name the favorite places you have been.
Rate your anxiety now.
If it is still over 5 repeat this exercise.
*A great breathing technique you can try at home is called 4 Square Box Breathing. Inhale to four counts, hold to four counts, exhale to four counts, hold to four counts and repeat several times.
I hope when you feel mentally and physically triggered by stress and anxiety you can use some of these tools to help reduce and manage your anxiety. You can also practice positive affirmations, chewing gum sometimes works, listening to calming music, calling a loved one. Have a plan for self soothing and know what your options are. When your fight or flight mechanism is activated practice the pause and respond rather than react so that you do not say things you later regret. Often, when we are in that hyper aroused state our thoughts are distorted and we cannot think logically. By practicing our breath work we can come back into that calm logical state of mind.
Wishing you all well.
Love & Light,
Libby