Anyone else out there struggle with anxiety sometimes?

Today on Alive in the Fire I want to talk about some ways that you can ease anxiety during a stressful moment.

1. Notice where you are. Can you draw your experience into your physical body? Notice where you are, what you see, where your body is touching the ground. Feel your feet, your hands, your belly. Sit down and put your back against a wall, or maybe lie down. Notice, what is your body asking for? Get grounded into your physical being.

2. Take deep breaths. Oftentimes when I've experienced strong anxiety, I start to breathe shallowly and quickly, from my chest, rather than taking in deep belly breaths. This can lead to an intensified feeling of panic. If I sit down and breathe consciously for a few minutes, this helps a lot. One tool I love to use is the SAM app I downloaded on my phone; it's an app designed specifically to help with anxiety and there's one option for 'Calm breathing' where you can use a timer to count your inhales and exhales. It might sound silly or oversimplified, but when you're in a high-anxiety state it's actually a very effective and calming technique to focus on breathing. Take away distractions. Breathe. This will help relax your body and calm your mind.

3. Take a shower or wash your face. Give yourself a little massage, either on your feet or your temples. Take a moment to rinse away this moment. Picture yourself brushing off whatever is weighing on you. Again, stay present to your physical body.

4. Express some of the emotions you're feeling. Verbalize and speak out loud about what's going on for you. Maybe you talk to yourself in the shower, or write in your journal. Or...

5. Reach out. Call or text a friend. Ask if you can come over and get a hug. Let yourself lean on those you love, and acknowledge that it's OK to feel weak right now. Talk. Talk more than you want to. Talk, even though it's uncomfortable. Let the conversation be messy and let yourself be OK with that.

And, at the end of the day, give yourself permission to be in a place of struggle. Remind yourself that you are OK. Things will get better from here.