Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means YBC® will earn a small commission if you happen to make a purchase. Thanks for the support.
If you own a copy of Namaslay®, you know that I’ve dealt with anxiety for a while. The anxiety I experienced in the aftermath of three deaths in the family led me down a debilitating path, eventually to the point where I struggled to leave my dorm room in college, had to see my psychologist daily, and was on a special wellness check call list on the weekends. I was a wreck.
Over the years, through a deep understanding of the strong connection between gut health and our mental health, I was able to reduce the anxiety to the point where it was pretty much non-existent. And it still is, to this day, except for every once in a blue moon.
And sometimes, when those once in a blue moon times come up, I catch myself getting sucked in, down the path of anxiety. I feel terror at the sensation that perhaps I’m not in control, and I’m going to have a complete anxiety attack right here in this moment. But every time it happens, I somehow catch myself and do this very weird thing that has saved me time and again, and I thought I’d share.
A while back, I heard this quote: In my heart, there are two wolves: a wolf of love and a wolf of hate. Which one survives depends on the one I feed each day. The quote really resonated with me because when I’m in the depths of anxiety, I feel like there are two voices. Once that is irrational, being sucked into the anxiety world, and one that is grounded, calm and rooted in the present moment. When I feel anxiety start to come on, I try to locate those two voices within.
The loudest voice is the one begging to get out of the current situation. For example, I am often anxious in the back of taxis. I don’t know why, but all I want to do is scream at the top of my lungs, cry, throw up and throw myself out of the car. HOWEVER. I need to get where I’m going, and it’s unrealistic to get out of the cab. So instead, I strive to hear the other voice, the one rooted in calm centeredness. What does that voice say? In that moment it’s saying, “You’re ok. Take a deep breath. Look out the window. Breathe in slowly. Breathe out slowly. You’re ok. You’ll be there soon. You can do this.” It’s a voice of encouragement, and it tells me exactly what I need to hear. I picture this voice like a coach, encouraging me through this current struggle, and sooner or later, my heartbeat does slow down. And the knots in my stomach start to dissipate. And things start to feel okay.
I think we all have those two voices in our heads. The irrational one, and the truthful one. My suggestion, if you’d like to try my method, is to turn the volume down on the irrational one, and turn the volume up on the truthful one. Allow yourself to hear the words that will calm you. Allow yourself to trust in what is. Allow yourself to be cared for by that innate voice of wisdom, and you may find that soon, the anxiety is over. I hope it helps.