Dealing with Mind Chatter & Anxiety
If your mind is anything like mine, it can drive you nuts at times! You know...thinking about ten different things at once. You're trying to complete a task and your mind has already moved beyond it, thinking about what must be worked on next. This incessant mind chatter often makes me feel like I've officially lost it!
It is so difficult for me to calm my mind,and it feels safe to say that you can probably relate. And so it begs the question, "How in the world can I make all this mind chatter stop?!"
And the chatter isn't even the worst part, what really wears me down is the anxiety that follows the chatter. The anxiety felt in my body that usually stems from the self-guilt. It's usually just a subtle anxiety, sometimes heavier. It comes from that nagging voice inside my head saying, "You have nothing to offer. You'll never be enough. You should be doing more. You should be doing better."
Well if there's one thing I've realized, it's that the chatter doesn't ever really stop...not for any long periods of time at least. But I have found some helpful methods to lessen the mind chatter and anxiety:
It is so difficult for me to calm my mind,and it feels safe to say that you can probably relate. And so it begs the question, "How in the world can I make all this mind chatter stop?!"
And the chatter isn't even the worst part, what really wears me down is the anxiety that follows the chatter. The anxiety felt in my body that usually stems from the self-guilt. It's usually just a subtle anxiety, sometimes heavier. It comes from that nagging voice inside my head saying, "You have nothing to offer. You'll never be enough. You should be doing more. You should be doing better."
Well if there's one thing I've realized, it's that the chatter doesn't ever really stop...not for any long periods of time at least. But I have found some helpful methods to lessen the mind chatter and anxiety:
- MEDITATION. It can be as few as 5 minutes. Taking time to intentionally quiet my mind and pause has really helped.
- DEEP BREATHING. Yes, breath-work is essentially the core of meditation but taking just ten seconds to take three slow deep breaths through the nose brings instant relief to my anxiety.
- BIRDING. Yep, I know it sounds dorky but whether it's walking in the woods or watching my birdfeeder from the recliner (which I've been doing a lot lately since my high ankle sprain!), I've discovered a hobby that it is not only enjoyable but is also therapeutic. When I'm focused on the birds, my mind quiets. It's like I'm on a mind vacation.
- YOGA. Lately, I've been doing yin yoga, which is a slow-paced yoga that focuses on holding certain poses for several minutes. Doing yoga helps to keep me in the moment and not think about all the other things I should be doing.
- BEING PRESENT. Eckhart Tolle has been my greatest teacher in this, specifically his book The Power of Now. Learning how to be in the moment and not future or past focused has been incredible helpful to quiet my mind and calm my anxieties. Before being exposed to this teaching, I never realized how often I unconsciously did things. I had been sleep walking through the majority of my life. Practices such as eating, driving, or even walking consciously have expanded my awareness to see just how unconscious I had been.
I a novice in all of these areas; they have all only been in my life for less than five years. I don't even practice any on a daily basis (and my mind guilts me for this) but they have changed my life for the better and I imagine they will all continue to be instrumental in my life for a very long time.
If you share any of these frustrations with me, I hope this post can bring you some relief as you also learn how to implement some of these practices into your life.
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