The re-outbreak of the epidemic in Shanghai has once again entered a state of tension. With the spread of the epidemic, it seems that everyone cannot stay out of the matter. Even in safe areas, nervous and agitated, repeatedly confirming that the food in the family is not enough? Is it risky to go out?
Have you noticed that with the pandemic, anxiety has also spread into our lives? Hard work, limited range of activities, and changing lifestyle patterns all make us sensitive, nervous and excited.
So, how to regulate your emotions and control your own life in the "epidemic era"? This article prepares you with 4 key elements and methods of anxiety healing, hoping to help you regain your confidence and start a better future. The following, enjoy:
The psychological monarch | have something to say
Author: Cheryl Paul
Source: Huazhang Management (ID: hzbook_gl)
Front-line managers, medical staff, and community volunteers work hard, fight continuously, and are physically and mentally tired; the rhythm of ordinary people's work, study, and life is disrupted, the scope of activities is limited, and the mode of life is changed; the media frequently exposes the life under the epidemic...
These are easy to make us anxious, nervous negative emotions, such emotions for a long time will interfere with our normal life, at this time we need to take the initiative, regulate their emotions, control their lives, from the psychological prevention.
01
Curious about the inner world of the self
The first key element of healing anxiety is consciously turning resistance, rejection, and hatred into curiosity about the inner world.
This transformation is not a temporary effort, we need to adjust and remind ourselves from time to time, only in this way can we adjust the inner compass to point to the key of curiosity.
And to do this, it is necessary to understand that the first thoughts, such as "What if I don't love him", "Will I hurt my child", "What should I do if I have a terminal illness", are all harbingers of pain and anxiety, alarm bells that ring out within the self.
They exist deep within, dark, chaotic, unknown and out of control, constantly clamoring for more attention.
They are accumulating more and more on one side, and now it's time to get them out.
But if we only see the appearance and fail to explore its roots, then we will lose this great opportunity for healing. Conversely, if we look at it as a wake-up call, we become curious about these phenomena that require attention.
Try practicing: cultivate curiosity by observing and naming.
Spend 15 to 20 minutes writing down your anxiety and anxiety symptoms. Be sure to be curious! Remind yourself that anxiety is not the enemy but the messenger, and from now on explore the message that anxiety wants to convey.
The first step to getting rid of anxiety is to focus on when and how it appears. To stay curious, ask yourself the following questions: Where am I feeling uncomfortable? What psychology or event is causing my past and present anxiety? What was the first time I felt anxious? How did parents react at the time?
Whenever an anxious thought or feeling arises, say it out loud: "This is anxiety, it's intrusive thinking." ”
It is also possible to write a journal. Although the function of the mobile notepad is also good, the handwriting effect will be better.
02
Look at anxiety with compassion
The second key element in healing anxiety is learning to see anxiety with compassion.
This means letting go of past shame in the face of negative feelings and experiences, and being kind to them wherever they are.
Since many people grow up with the message that negative feelings are "bad" and should be ignored, spurned, or suppressed, this second key element is not easy to achieve. There are many ways to address how to shift your mindset from rejection anxiety to acceptance anxiety.
Now, let's learn an easy way to be kind to yourself – self-exchange.
Try practicing: self-exchange.
An effective way to change the habitual rejection of negative emotions is what the Buddhists call self-exchange.
This exercise is very simple and can be performed anytime, anywhere: inhale what we think is "unwanted", exhale what we want, "when you have a self-exchange, just inhale and exhale, inhale the pain, and then exhale tolerance and relaxation".
The power of this approach is that it allows us to no longer habitually reject suffering, and with more practice, we can learn to accept and even embrace any form of pain and fear.
Next try the two steps of self-exchange: inhale and feel the joys and sorrows of sentient beings; then exhale, releasing love and connection.
If you feel like you're the only one with a tough life, then meditate.
Through practice, you will feel that the people of the world are connected to each other in a wonderful and romantic way.
And when the invisible web on the heartstrings connects us to pain and beauty, our hearts open and our anxieties weaken and fall silent.
03
Make time and space for yourself every day
The third key ingredient in healing anxiety is to set aside a certain amount of time and space each day, slow down the rhythm, and meditate quietly.
When we are busy and exhausted, we cannot decipher the anxiety signals, because the abundance of the heart has its own laws of development, and cannot be filled by modern tools.
When we spend all our free time running back and forth, working and playing, texting, chatting, listening to music, watching TV, and browsing, we don't have time to listen and take care of our hearts.
In fact, anxiety is a wake-up call: "Slow down! Slow down! I want to hear what I really think in my heart! I don't even have time to think quietly! If I can't follow my heart, then I can't know who I am, and I will become anxious. ”
Modern society is developing faster and faster, but our hearts need to stop.
All the exercises to cure anxiety need to be slowed down. For example, pause for a moment from busyness and allow yourself to focus on the moment, like at some intersection, take a deep breath, and then focus your attention around your body instead of looking at your phone or changing music. You can also take a little more rest, such as spending time every morning and evening writing journals, doing mindfulness meditation, or sitting and meditating.
To get rid of anxiety, you must take positive actions, such as sticking to the exercises I talked about earlier, doing nothing calmly, and staying away from your phone and sitting by a tree or lying on the grass for a while.
During meditation, curiosity and compassion accompany and help us on our healing journey.
Try practicing: Mindfulness meditation soothes anxiety.
Ask yourself the following questions with curiosity:
When I sit down to enjoy this sacred moment, when I am no longer busy taking pictures and posting photos, but feel the inner silence with all my heart, until I hear that my heart is nourished by "rain and dew", what will happen?
When I wake up in the morning and feel the slightly prickly sunlight of the morning and slowly open my eyes, I do not reach out to look at my phone, but in front of the dream disappears like a bubble into invisibility, vaguely lingering in the dream scene, what will happen?
At this moment, we can finally face ourselves and uncover our scars in this short silence.
Yes, they are the memories of the early years that we hated so much that they were sealed and shelved.
But as long as we dare to think and dare to do, the lines of poetry that we have longed to be written, the songs that we have looked forward to being hummed, and the tears that come from heaven —all these rains and sunshine will eventually return to our arms.
04
Keep a grateful heart for yourself
The fourth key element in curing anxiety is to tune the inner compass, pointing the finger at gratitude, which helps maintain curiosity and compassion.
This means that we are grateful not only for the happiness that is at our fingertips in life, but also for the challenges in life.
As Brother David Steindl-Rast put it on his radio show A Grateful Heart:
"To be alive is to perceive the countless happiness we have achieved, even if one day we have unbearable toothache, need to see a dentist, or are terminally ill." 」
We need to see the meaning of anxiety.
It is because of the constant challenges that we are able to learn and grow rapidly.
Hidden in every anxious mood or intrusive thinking, in the nightmares that make us palpitate and panic, in the sleeplessness that overwhelms our hearts, they are treasures of dust that, if properly discovered, will surely pass through rain, wind and sun.
I suggest that you heal anxiety with curiosity, compassion, stillness, and gratitude, because no one knows what treasure lies beneath anxiety, what information lies in intrusive thinking, and what wealth lies beneath the pathology. These gems vary from person to person.
Try practicing: abdominal breathing.
Deep breathing is one of the most highly regarded practices. It relaxes nervous nerves and relieves anxiety.
Because when you breathe deeply, the abdomen bulges and the sympathetic nervous system is activated, which quiets the amygdala (the emotional response center of the brain). As long as you take five deep breaths, slowly inhale in the abdomen, and then exhale in the abdomen, you can soothe the nervous system, adjust it, and help yourself enter the next moment of relaxation.
Whenever you find yourself with a sign of anxiety, be sure to stop and practice the following steps.
Place your hands below the navel of your lower abdomen (this is a sign of self-soothing).
Inhale as hard as you can, while puffing up your abdomen like a balloon (it doesn't matter if you can't breathe deeply, shortness of breath is one of the symptoms of anxiety, and words like "deep breathing" can cause more anxiety, so just try to bulge your abdomen).
Hold your breath for at least a second.
Exhale slowly.
Repeat the same action four more times.
Abdominal breathing is an effective method of on-site exercises, which can be performed anytime, anywhere.
Remember: With more practice, you can shift your habitual response to anxiety from fear and withdrawal to exploration and acceptance. As we explore, we can benefit from it and eventually move towards healing.
There is no one-size-fits-all, once-and-for-all way to overcome anxiety, but by embarking on this journey of inner exploration, we can discover a calm, powerful, and calm self that we have never had before.
We find ourselves fine, with a world around us that we never realized before, and life becomes meaningful.
All the tension will eventually relax, your breathing will deepen, for the first time in your life, let's get to know our true selves.
Author: Cheryl Paul
Source: This article is excerpted from The Wisdom of Anxiety, published by China Machine Press. Huazhang Management (ID: hzbook_gl) original debut, reprint please contact the authorization.