Soothe your Anxious mind: change your thought patterns

Covid, lockdown, salary-cuts, prisoned in four walls, arguments, bundled up emotions, confusion, sense of helplessness, lack of concentration, fatigue, irritation, negative thoughts...UNCERTAINITY.. If you feel any of this, you at the initial steps of ANXIETY.

There is so much noise & overwhelm these days it's almost impossible to not feel crippling anxiety on the regular basis. with bundle of commitments, appointments, and obligations that never seem to end, we are chronically stressed. we often spend our lives in rush, running on autopilot, completing tasks after task until we finally collapse into bed utterly exhausted. amidst the noise and demands our minds are scattered, in a perpetual state of thinking, planning, regretting and worrying. Hence, the anxiety- a normal response considering how little time we spend in our bodies, grounded, connected, and still.

Anxiety- does affect both mental and physical health. and this, is a loop, putting imprints on your professional & personal life, creating cognitive distortions. for example:

1. Filtering: focusing on negative, ignoring the positives
2. Control fallacies: Assume only others to blame. Or assume only self blame.
3. Overgeneralization: Assume a rule from one's experience
4. Emotional reasoning: "If I feel it, it must be true."
5. Fallacy of change: Expect others to change
6. Catastrophizing: Expecting the worst case scenario, minimizing the positive
7. Jumping to conclusion: Making assumptions
8. Blaming: Assumes everyone is at fault

Well, if you find fitting yourself in such scenario(s), then this is high time for self-introspection and understand the trigger (on Triggers- will have separate discussion). Whether anxiety is something you have developed recently or have lived with it your whole life, some practices can have a soothing effect on your body and mind, and can shift you from perpetual state of stress and overwhelm into a more peaceful way of living.

Coping styles formulation:

1. 1. List current problems/difficulties: Journaling- Time, mood, thought, source. identify patterns & tendencies
2. Triggers: Become aware of distortion. Identify harmful thoughts & source. Ask who about each distortion. Explore causes of faulty thinking

Coping strategies (how to deal):

1. Crave out time for stillness & flow: connect with stillness & flow though yoga, art & nature. whether holding a pose, drawing or walking, find silence & slow pace soothing & comforting. It's incredibly rewarding & relaxing. Create daily rituals that purposely slow down & shift your attention inward. Incorporate these moments in your self-care routine. Plan some alone time every day, if only for 15 minutes. Spend this time on your own- in garden, on mat, in bed- & bask in the space & joy of silence.
2. Befriend your mind: Mindfulness is empowering; it's the opposite of anxiety. Instead of worrying & frantically trying to control your environment, it teaches you to be open, slow down, & observe what is happening with you & around you, & to respond authentically instead of reacting habitually out of shame, fear or anger. Mindfulness brings out clarity & push your unconscious beliefs & patterns to the surface. You learn to observe your thoughts & where they lead you, see where you self-destruct work against yourself. In time, mindfulness will break the shame, pain, & anxiety & allow recovery.
3. Practice grateful living: our minds are biased towards negativity, & we habitually focus on problems giving them much more attention than is necessary, inducing anxiety in the process. If left unchecked this can put a negative spin on your day, keeping you in a perpetual state of chronic stress & worry. You can shift it by bringing your attention to the positive things, the little things that speak, joy & bring light into your day. Gratitude is about being & celebrating the present, but in order to do that you need to be honest & aware of your thoughts, feelings, & emotions. When you slow down to do this, you begin to include everything in your life, the good & the bad, ups & downs, equally. In time, a gratitude practice can shift your perspective on life. You realize there is much beauty & joy in it, in spite of all the difficulties.
4. Reconnect with yourself: A big part of anxiety is being lost in a sea of errands, work responsibilities & family obligations. Always on the go, you never slow down enough to notice how you feel, what you want, or what you need in a given moment. Change can be hard, especially if you don't have a strong sense of self. That is why it is important to reconnect with your deep inner self., whether though journaling, meditation, or therapy. Once you reconnect with your inner essence- your inner child- you would want to do everything to protect & nurture it, & give it everything he/she wants. This is self-parenting.

As they say 'it is all in the mind', & you have the power to change your reality. Combined those habits can greatly reduce your daily stress & anxiety. Let's do this small exercise daily- take Post-it notes: everyday do an activity which makes you happy or joyful or feel pleasant. Write down the time, and rate post activity emotions (0-100%). This is called as Pleasant activity scheduling. Stick that note anywhere around you, so that we you wake up, you can see it. And as you are nourishing & supporting yourself daily, you allow healing to take place.