5 of Our Go-To Tools for Anxiety-Surfing
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by Valerie Martin
For all of us, anxiety is a part of life. For some of us, anxiety is a WAY of life... and I've got news for you, babe: if that's you, this doesn't have to be your "normal."
I want to share with you five of my go-to strategies for "anxiety-surfing"— notice I'm not saying "anxiety management" or "anxiety control"... because I've learned that trying to manage and control anxiety is a bit like trying to force your way out of a Chinese finger trap (remember those?). You might resonate with some but not all of these, which is totally fine— and our awesome Gaia Center team has lots more tricks up our sleeves for anxiety that we’ll share in future blog posts, newsletters, and on our Instagram.
ONE
Alternate Nostril Breathing // Originally from the yogic tradition (known as nadi shodhana pranayama), this breath practice is incredibly effective— AND the extra cool thing is that it can be modified slightly to have a different effect, depending on whether you need to balance, energize, or chill TF out. Until I get around to recording my own tutorial, I'll share this one from the wonderful Adriene Mishler!
TWO
Tapping // AKA Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT, tapping is designed to work with the subtle body's meridians (also what acupuncture does) to clear energetic blockages that are causing physical and/or emotional pain. Does it sound woo woo? Absolutely. Does it work? Find out for yourself— for me and the clients I've shared it with, definitely. I love The Tapping Solution app (just ignore the weight loss section, #dietculture) and there are TONS of videos on Youtube that walk you through EFT for any challenge under the sun. Nine tapping points seem a bit too complicated for you? Learn "Faster EFT" by watching the last 90 seconds of this video with Melissa Tiers.
THREE
Leaves on a Stream // When you're having the racing-thoughts kind of anxiety, it can be really helpful to use a visualization trick like Leaves on a Stream to "unhook" from those thoughts. This is different from trying to force or WILL the thoughts away; rather, it's a practice of activating the observing mind, so it becomes clear that YOU are NOT the thinking mind. Here's a helpful tutorial!
FOUR
Legs Up the Wall // I half-jokingly call this pose (known in Sanskrit as viparita karani) "Yoga Xanax," because it's an excellent way of activating the parasympathetic nervous system, AKA the "brake pedal" of your nervous system (and way more friendly to your nervous system than actual Xanax). And it's great because when you do this pose, you're doing something for yourself without actually DOING much of anything. You're laying up against a wall and swinging your legs up— and that's it. So when using some kind of more sophisticated skill seems a bit overwhelming, this one is very accessible... and you can modify it by swinging your lower legs up onto a couch or chair if you don't have any free wall space. Here's a visual!
FIVE
Naming the Story // A lot of times, the kinds of things we "spin out" about are based in catastrophic thinking, mind-reading, or other thought distortions that have us jumping to conclusions that are A) likely untrue, and B) certainly not helpful. Even just naming to ourselves (and sometimes someone else, too) the story we are telling ourselves can be incredibly helpful. Example: If you notice you're feeling defensive about something your partner just said, you could name out loud, "I'm telling myself the story right now that you think my idea was stupid." This is WAY more approachable than an accusatory snap like "fine, if you think my idea is so stupid, you decide!"— and it gives the other person an opportunity to "reality-check" your assumption.
We’d love to hear if any of these strategies are also go-to's for you, if you have questions, or want to share any suggestions about what works for you. Leave a comment below!
DISCLAIMER: All content shared on our website and social media is intended for educational purposes and is not considered therapy or a substitute for therapy or medical treatment.
