Anxiety hacks to make you feel grounded during a pandemic – By Mihael Mamychshvili , RST, NPR

Are you Affected by the debilitating effects of anxiety and stress during this pandemic? The truth is we all are on one level or another.

Stress is the number 1 cause of Dis-Ease in the 21st century! It’s at an epidemic proportions and everyone is affected right now.

Where is the antidote to dealing with stress and anxiety? You guessed it it is In your body, or more accurately it is your body.

Anxiety thrives on fear, if there are no fears there is no anxiety – simple right? Not quit as we are complex.

Our protective brain (The Amygdala our Danger Sensor) thrives on that I call “Fear With Evidence”, or “Fears With Stories”. These fears are based on events that have happened the have hurt us on some level. These fears are projected in the brain for possible scenarios that future events and our decisions/or lack of will create. The problem is your brain does not know the difference from thought to reality (yes let this sink). And since your brain Is One with your body (not a separate entity), your body will react accordingly through your messaging system (the nervous system), to the organs, viscera and muscles. This will create a perpetual vicious cycle of Anxiety/Stress pattern being triggered by fears Imagined, or real no difference. The cycle is the precursor to chronic pain, headaches, compromised Immune system, Insomnia, blood pressure issues, digestive problems, hormonal Imbalance, panic attacks and adrenal burnout (to name just a few).

So How Can we start to Hack our Anxiety?

The body is such a great vessel to affect our state of mind and emotions because it’s so reliable, trustworthy and honest (unlike our minds). When we receive bodywork In a very Intelligent, Intentional and sensitive way; It provides us such a great opportunity to REGULATE ourselves to the starting point of Initiating healing and eventually resolution. But at these pandemic state with Coronovirus receiving bodywork is out of the equation but there is still so much you can do for yourself. Let me share a few tips and please try them for yourself:

When we are in constant state of anxiety and fear it feels like our brain and our heart are overheated just like a machine, or a car from over-use. We feel not grounded, shaky legs, frozen body and mind. There is a way to cool the “circuits” of the brain with a simple but highly effective breath method which has been proven to change the blood flow from the Amygdala to your Frontal cortex (your executive function centre where clear decisions and realizations are made).

1. First make sure you are not interrupted by external noise
2. Sit comfortably in a chair and close your eyes
3. Inhale deeply through your nostrils and exhale through the mouth as if you are blowing through a straw
4. Do this from 5 minutes minimum, or up to 15 minutes when in extreme stress levels.
5. Pay attention to you sense of well – being and clarity
6. Finish with holding your head with one hand in the back of the head and other hand on your forehead.
7. Bring intention of moving your operational state from the Amygdala where the hand is in the back of head to frontal cortex where it is in front of the head.

Once your finish this breathwork remember this Acronym: A – I – A

• Awareness – What am I experiencing in my body from top to bottom, what are my emotions that I am feeling ? What are my thoughts like?
• Intention – What Intention do i have at this moment?
• Action – What one action step I can take right now that I know I will be successful at.