Anxious Point Of View

Anxiety has specific patterns in the brain and mind. Joy has specific patterns too, as does every other emotional and physical state. The big insight is that deliberately changing those patterns you can pull yourself out of anxious states quickly, safely & easily. It's your brain & mind; you have choices.

Think about slow, deliberate, restful and relaxed breathing (like a baby sleeping) and being in the midst of a panic or anxiety attack. It's like thinking about cooking ice cream and sardines together for dinner. They don't go together. So, if we could control our breathing as a panic or anxiety attack began we could get ourselves out of a jam, right? Yes...but the problem is that's a very challenging task and usually doesn't work. It's simpler, easier and smarter to control other things to pull down an anxiety attack.

Using your brain & mind is much easier, faster and powerful to change your state. Awareness is the key. Let's learn how to do the basics now.

Where is your current awareness located? Are you noticing the world from your eyes, your head, your chest or big toe. Just notice where you are aware of the world from in this moment. Don't worry about making a mistake. It's your subjective experience so you can't possibly by wrong.

Now pick a very different area of your body and shift your awareness there (your big toe is good or the back of your left knee) and notice the world from this vantage point. The further away from "normal" this new perspective is the more powerful the effect you'll notice. So if you normally view the world from your head if you move to under your feet you'll notice big changes.

You're deliberately practicing changing your point of view so you can apply this idea before and during a panic or anxiety attack. Most folks who suffer with chronic anxiety experience their world (during the attacks) from their chest/belly area. And the experience there is just awful with thumping blood, short breaths and sweating. Nasty stuff.

So when we feel the beginning of anxiety (the best time to nip it in the bud) you can opt to move your awareness to a safe, comfortable but different place in your awareness. You can find places that you like and see the world from this place. Your panic will try desperately to pull your attention back to the place of the panic. If you stay vigilant you can keep your awareness in safety...and that consistent action pulls down anxiety safely, quickly and easily.

The nasty truth is that anxiety MUST have you orient your attention to the place in your system when it is wired to exist. It cannot exist in other places. Really.

Here's a super-advanced tip that I teach healers and body workers: the place where your awareness feels safe does not have to be in your physical body! Test out for yourself the area between your shoulder blades, but not on the body. Make the space two feet behind you in the air. Or, test out the space three inches below the bottom of both feet. Sounds crazy, but your brain & mind need new (and safe) input. They need a new map of where the safe place is to go during anxious times. When it does, anxiety fades fast.

Test it out in your own experience and find out for yourself.

Copyright 2010 by Rudy Hunter. All right reserved.

Rudy has spent nearly 30 years helping dogs & people back to health and happiness using essential oils and energy work. He works long-distance helping people & pooches; often getting great results where other techniques have failed. His website, http://www.rudyhunter.com/ has lots of FREE healing resources for both species.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rudy_Hunter

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Feeling Stressed and Anxious? Blame It on Your Nervous System

Why does emotional distress leave me in such physical pain? Well, blame it on your nervous system.

The nervous system in the human body is comprised of two main branches, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. Together, they control all movements, thoughts, activities, senses and emotions in our bodies. The central nervous system is made up of the brain and the spinal cord and is the central communicator throughout the body.

The peripheral nervous system is sub-divided into the somatic (voluntary movement) and autonomic (involuntary movement) systems and the autonomic system is then sub-divided into the sympathetic and the parasympathetic systems, which ideally, are intended to work in harmony to create equilibrium in the body.

However, as we well know, the ideal rarely happens in the mind and body of the average human who remains perpetually perched in that highly agitated state of feeling over stressed, over scheduled, over worked, over stimulated, over tired and of course, under appreciated.

When confronted with danger, our minds have to instantly evaluate whether we should flee or confront the threat before us. In order to prepare for action, the body activates the sympathetic nervous system prompting the release of hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline, also known as the stress hormones. These hormones serves us well in short bursts as they trigger essential survival systems while suppressing non-essential functions. Just like a race car driver at the start line, we are revved for action; our pupils dilate allowing us to see better, excess sugar is released into the blood stream for increased energy, our hearts speed up increasing circulation and the flow of oxygen to the brain, lungs and larger muscles. We need to be smarter and move faster than whoever or whatever is threatening our survival.

Meanwhile, our bodies are smart enough to know that while we are instinctively fighting for survival, we won't be interested in non-essential functions such as eating, digesting and eliminating.

Ideally, once the threat is no longer present, the body will automatically activate the parasympathetic nervous system, frequently referred to as the "relax and renew" system. Basically, this system helps restore the body to a state of homeostasis as soon as the threat is over.

However, the problem we create for ourselves is that our minds don't differentiate between a real threat and a perceived one. These perceived threats are manufactured in the deep caverns of our overly creative imaginations and are limitless in scope and intensity. This creates really big problems for us because unlike genuine threats that are acute and short lived, mind induced threats are frequently exaggerated and can last indefinitely allowing our bodies and minds to become a sewer of physical and psychological toxins.

As long as the mind believes the body is in a state of threat, the sympathetic nervous system will remain in active mode and while we remain in this heightened state of arousal, symptoms of stress and anxiety will continue to plague us. Common symptoms include; feeling a tightening or pounding in the chest, difficulty breathing, tight, achy muscles, clammy skin, difficulty swallowing, poor digestion, irritability. Left unchecked for months and years, more serious conditions can occur such as high blood pressure, migraines, chronic anxiety, irritable bowel, insomnia, panic attacks and more.

If our bodies can't return to a state of equilibrium on their own, we can help nudge them along by initiating mindful practices, such as slow, deep breathing, that will trigger the parasympathetic nervous system. Mindful awareness when we practice yoga, meditation or breathing can help us override the lockdown mode our bodies get stuck in providing the relief we crave and the restoration we need for recovery.

We do not voluntary invite stress into our lives, but we do not need to resign ourselves to being its victim, either. We can go on the offensive and opt to make healthy choices that can help us combat these unwelcome and debilitating physical and emotional sensations. When we are in the grip of our fears and anxieties, it can feel hopeless. That is why committing to a routine practice of meditation, yoga, and mindful breathing is so essential. We must first learn to become comfortable with our practices when we are in a place of relative calm and equilibrium if we hope to use these skills when in physical or emotional crisis.

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