A simple practice of noticing to start you off: Capture the thought Instead of losing yourself to a spiral, stop and take notice. What is this particular thought? Bring it into the light. Breathe As mentioned in our Mindfulness tips, intentional deep breathing helps to put the brakes on, slowing the heart rate and moving out of the fight/flight/freeze response and into a more analytical state. Reflect Ask yourself questions. How often is this thought happening? Why? What triggers it? And most importantly, does this “spark joy”? Is this helpful or is it mental clutter that needs to be cleaned? Remember, emotions are visitors that are allowed. We have the power to choose to process them and allow them to fade. Listen With that, it is important to pay attention to anxiety that begins as a whisper – not pausing to reflect will develop this into a shout. Is it a nagging feeling that something isn’t right? Is there a consistent theme? This can be the body’s way of telling us that it doesn’t want to continue under certain circumstances. Picking up clues helps to address if there’s something that needs to change in our lives. An example is a feeling of panic in enclosed spaces that could indicate, on refection, that there’s a circumstance where you feel stuck. Perhaps it’s time to move on? Is it a habit you need to free yourself from? References: The Anatomy of Anxiety by Dr. Ellen Vora, Cleaning up Your Mental Mess by Dr. Caroline Leaf, Dr. Nicole LePera @the.holistic.psychologist
