Oh yes! Anxiety is a Thief! Like Depression or any form of Stress, it robs you of the present moment. It is in the present moment where the good stuff happens and you get to create the future.

In the last couple of weeks we have been getting to know Anxiety intimately. So to summarise; fear and Anxiety are simply the body sensations and feelings we experience in response to our thoughts, NOTHING MORE! There can be external triggers and other contributing factors, however to have Anxiety, the thinking has to be there as the Mind and Body are not separate.

Others things to remember:

• Fear and Anxiety are natural. When we feel them we know that we have felt threatened in some way which has set off the Automatic Stress Response. The Sympathetic Nervous System is in Action.
• In prehistoric times, the fear response served a very important survival and self-preservation function to physical threats. Today our survival is more dependent on our social and intellectual skills, so the Stress Response is set off Psychologically.
• Somewhere in evolution we have learned to look at fear as something to be ashamed of and that we shouldn't experience this as it is a sign of weakness. Fear only becomes weakness when in our ignorance we allow it ito dominate and dictate the way our lives are to unfold. This resistance has lead to anxiety disorders and caused fear to be problematic.

To someone with Anxiety to recover and feel better, they need:

• To have a good understanding of the Autonomic Nervous System which is made up of the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems. These Systems are for our survival. When you are Anxious, your Autonomic Nervous System has been triggered.
• To have a good understanding of the levels of mind (unconscious, conscious and universal consciousness). When you are Anxious, you are now only operating from the level of the Unconscious Mind.
• To have an accurate understanding about why we set goals. We set goals to motivate us and propel us into life experiences, where we learn, grow and evolve, so we can pass it onto the next generation, so we can survive as a species. NOT because when we achieve them we gain more Self Worth.
• To be aware that to be Anxious, your unconscious worry patterns have been triggered. So you have jumped into the future, worrying ahead about how to control everything, so that it all runs smoothly and perfectly so you get your goals and your Worth is intact. This doesn't feel good because you are in you head and not your body. You are further from your true self.
• To practice techniques that ground them in their body and keep their mind in the present moment. Good options are Mindfulness, Yoga and other forms of meditation.
• To remember that this Anxiety feeling is simply body sensations caused by a chemical dump. These sensations are very uncomfortable, though they can't hurt you. They will fade away, if you don't add more thoughts to them. 
• To take super good care of themselves. You need to make SELF CARE high on your priority list. This means eating healthy nutritious food, resting, early nights and staying away from stressful situations.
• Make sure you exercise, get some sunshine and fresh air. Movement is a must!! Practicing good posture is also important
• Take up Yoga and or Meditation. These get you out of your head into your body.
• Take up Mindfulness. Mindfulness trains the brain. It strengthens the frontal lobe and sensory area's of the brain which creates greater clarity, concentration and calm. It destrengthens the hind brain (animal brain) and therefore decreases reacting and overthinking.
• Work with a Life Coach, Psychologist or other Therapist to help you get to know your thinking and change your mind. Join us on a Retreat... http://renewhealthretreat.com/retreats

All of the above are important, as it is necessary to attack Anxiety and Fear from all angles for a better chance of full recovery.

Below are just a few approaches to help your Anxiety:

1. What can I taste, smell, feel, hear and see? This gets you out of your mind and into your body. It also connects you with the outside world. 

Do a "grounding" tool. Look around you and find 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. This is called "grounding." It's helpful to do whenever you feel Anxious. 

2. Learn Mindfulness Practice... http://renewhealthretreat.com/our-blog?page=1

3. Three Step Approach

Step 1.  Acknowledge

The moment you are aware of fear or Anxiety and the bodily sensations or symptoms of fear or Anxiety, ACKNOWLEDGE  to yourself that you are experiencing fear and Anxiety.

DO NOT run from it, deny its existence, cover it up, try to distract yourself from it, as this never ever works. Some ways people do this is with eating, drinking, talking, music, taking drugs,shopping, sex, gambling and blaming others.

Step 2. Accept

Once you have acknowledged your fear, your next step is to ACCEPT that the fear is present. This can be the hardest part, due to our desire not to experience the unpleasant sensations. Don't forget that we were conditioned to believe that unpleasant sensations equal bad person, via reward and punishment.

DO NOT RESIST the sensations or think about getting rid of them, instead accept them and that they are unpleasant and that they are body sensations and nothing more.

Step 3. Observe

Sit with the sensations, just observing them. Notice and describe or detail to yourself what sensation you are having and in what part of your body. Do this without becoming afraid of ANY sensation or symptom, even rapid heartbeats and feelings of difficulty breathing.

DO NOT think about why you are experiencing the fear or Anxiety, how terrible it is or what the root of the fear is. This will just feed the Anxiety and create more sensations. If your mind starts to wander, gently bring it back to your breath and observation. 

If you feel the need to run, repeat the mantra "Anxiety is just a body sensation" over and over again until this realisation sinks into your psyche.

When you sit with your fear in this manner, just observing the reactions in your body and knowing what is occurring is natural, you will find that the fear disappears on its own. Just like a thief that has been observed slinking away in the night. This is the fear sequence resolving itself naturally. This is because fear is a self-limiting reaction. When you NO LONGER REACT to it , it cannot perpetuate itself.

This is just a taste of what we learn and experience at our Retreats http://renewhealthretreat.com/welcome 

See you next week! :-)