Morning Anxiety: How to Reduce Anxiety

How to Release Anxiety & Fear

We release morning anxiety by moving the anxiety, from the primitive (reactive) brain to the executive (responsive) brain. We do this by practicing 'Stopping & Dropping' We stop the over-thinking momentarily and drop our attention into the safe places of the body. Safe places are the toes, fingers, tongue and posture. This helps us to feel safer & releases fear and anxiety. In mindfulness training this is why we practice the body scan.

YouTube- Mindfulness in the Morning - (training-video)

We do this by practicing:

1. Grounding
2. Opening
3. Resting

How to Release Morning Anxiety.

When we first wake up, we stay in bed and become grounded.

1- Grounding- by moving and feeling our toes.

“Stopping and Dropping”

We stop the over thinking and drop some attention into the safe places in our body (toes, fingers, tongue and posture). This helps us to feel safer & reduces over thinking.

2- Opening- our mind to the anxiety.

“Naming it and Claiming it”

Gently asking our selves, what am I afraid of to day. We slowly repeat the question “Today, I am afraid of …” without expecting an answer.

3- Resting- in the present moment.

“We feel it, to heal it.”

We just rest in the present moment sensations as best we can, w/o over thinking about them. Often these unpleasant sensations are the release of unconscious fears.

Note: If the sensations become too unpleasant, shift more of your attention to the safe places in the body (toes, fingers & tongue:-).

Summary

This practice of ‘recognizing the fear’, ‘accepting the fear’, ‘understand the fear’ is several thousands of years old and is working well for me.

Training

•  Link to M.B.S.R. Training

Please email me, your experience to [email protected]

Respectfully, G Ross Clark