Anxiety Archives | �ֻ��Ƭ

Decompression Session: Anxiety Triage

�ֻ��Ƭ — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Feeling panicked?

It might sound like a conflict in terms, but sometimes finding calm feels like an emergency. You’re not likely to be running from a bear, but you might be running from a looming deadline or a dreaded phone call – and your physiological response can be very similar.

Maybe you’ve put off your usual sanity checks: meditation, exercise, or (perhaps worst of all) sleep. Maybe your attention to study is taking needed attention away from personal relationships, or the other way around. Whatever’s causing you anxiety, it’s no fun. Compartmentalization has its place, and is even sometimes a healthy coping technique, but a temporary one. Let emotional pressure build up over time unaddressed and you might find yourself in an anxiety mudslide.

If you find yourself in acute fear, you’re often not sure what to do. All you know is you’ve let things spiral out of control and you’re paralyzed. It’s hard to figure out how to get your center of gravity back on your own, especially if you’re overcome by fears. If you don’t have time to book a retreat, and taking personal time is off the table, here are a few quick fixes that might help:

Grounding Techniques for Runaway Anxiety

Okay. You’re having acute anxiety or a panic attack. They’re different, but they’re both at best uncomfortable and at worst, incapacitating. Even if you’ve had a panic or anxiety attack in the past, suffering through it isn’t your only solution. If you’ve never had one it can feel even more terrifying. Here are some grounding techniques recommended to quickly bring yourself back to a sense of sanity:

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If you feel outside of your body, use your five senses to bring you back. is simple: Start with one sense and use it five different ways: Look at five things wherever you are (a picture, a waste bin, a doorknob, whatever catches your eye). Don’t rush it, take a moment to really register each object. Speak it out loud if that helps. Then move to another sense (the order doesn’t matter). Touch four things. Smell three things. Listen for two things. Taste one thing (this one might be best for last, since you might need to get up for a snack).

Don’t Pace

Pacing is a common instinct when anxiety, fear, or even depression get the best of us. The clinical term is “psychomotor agitation” and this is one occasion to consider ignoring your instincts. Why? Because pacing is your body trying to distract you from whatever internal conflict or sensation is bothering you – it’s not a real solution. Instead, try to identify exactly what’s affecting you and either sit with it or, if you must drum your fingers or bounce your knee, or pace, do so with focus on what’s at stake and remind yourself that this, too, is surmountable.

Play a Game of Trivia

If you’ve ever played Categories with friends, this is the same thing, but the solo version. Pick a category you like and know a little bit about: dog breeds, fruits, colors, sports – dealer’s choice! But keep it simple; something that makes you think but not too hard. Name as many as you can, out loud or in your head. Then, if you need to, pick another. Category, rinse, repeat.

Tell a Friend

Acute anxiety can be a very lonely feeling, and just knowing that someone else is aware of what you’re going through can be a huge help. It might also help you realize that you truly are not alone: up to , and the numbers are much higher for anxiety. What you’re going through is normal. Tell or call a friend.

Anxiety Aftercare

Once your anxiety ebbs (and it will) remind yourself that fear is a biological expression, nothing more or less. Don’t force yourself right back into the cause immediately. Take a walk, meditate, make a call, or eat a snack to put something between you and a traumatic emotional episode. Then deal with whatever’s causing you distress directly, once you’re grounded and ready.

PS: Did you know? Combatting anxiety starts with staying on top of your health. �ֻ��Ƭ offers all of our active students free access to , a health coaching app to help you form and sustain healthy habits that can support you in times of stress.

Need immediate help? If you’re having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, contact the national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

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Decompression Session: “Future Tripping”

�ֻ��Ƭ — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000

It’s natural and healthy to think ahead, get excited about the future, and make plans. But studying for a degree at any level, in any discipline, can lead to what is called “anticipatory anxiety,” or “future tripping.” Sometimes midterms or finals can feel like the big bad wolf. A whole host of “what ifs” invade your brain. What if I fail? What if I choke? What if I forget everything or can’t deal with the stress? Or it can be as simple as feeling like something unknown is going to happen soon.

If you feel fear of the future edging in and are wondering how to handle anticipatory anxiety, we highly recommend what we call “The Four M’s”:

1 ) Movement

Get out of your head and into your body. , help you sleep, and keep your appetite even. Study can be a sedentary experience, and sometimes you must remind your head that it’s held up by your body. Your body misses you! Give it a turn. You’ll likely experience both instant and delayed gratification in the form of better sleep and reduced stress.

Not everyone is raring to do twelve sets of squats and planks, or has the upper body strength (yet!) to do ten pull-ups, or is on a competitive squash team. And many of us don’t have the time to do two hours at the gym. If it’s been a while, start slow. Even if all you do is a solo dance party with yourself once a day, or even take short walks, it can help absorb some of the stress of an overactive fear of failure or impending events.

2) Mindfulness��

Mindfulness is a term that encompasses a lot of things, and might seem vague, but the core of mindfulness is learning to stay in the present. Research has even demonstrated changes in the brain over time in those who make mindfulness a part of their self-care routine. It takes practice, but once you settle in, its rewards can decrease anticipatory anxiety and improve your mood over time.��

What does that mean in practical terms? Start simple. The next time you’re in a conversation with someone, notice if you’re really just crafting your response instead of listening, or if fears are intruding while you try to read, and you have to go back and reread because you let worries steal you from studies. Start by just noticing it. Acknowledge the thought and show it the door. It’ll try to get back in, of course, but soon you’ll be able to trade anxiety about the future for listening and learning.

There are also mindfulness apps that you can download and use to help you stay present, like and .

3) Meditation

Meditation is mindfulness’s “kissing cousin.” It’s not just complementary to Mindfulness, it’s one of the most powerful ways to take a break from fear of the future and just breathe your way back into the moment. If you don’t have a guru on call, this is also where you can go to your app store and download popular meditation apps like and

Start small and don’t expect an overnight change, but make yourself a priority for even five minutes of meditation. Your thoughts might wander, and most meditation coaches will make a point of telling you that’s fine. Like mindfulness, meditation takes practice. Put on an app or some soothing music. Anything ambient and gentle will do. We like but a recording of anything from nature sounds to Gregorian chants can help you let your diaphragm give your busy brain a little time off to bring you back to the present and just breathe.

4) Mantras

Your internal monologue isn’t always your friend. If you have rushing thoughts about things going wrong in the future, consider exactly what it is you’re worried about. Take the future fear that’s eating at you and turn it on its head. Changing your mindset from something to fear to something to look forward to can be as simple as creating a mantra that’s its opposite. For example:

“What if something bad happens?” to “What hasn’t happened yet can’t hurt me now”
“I’m not safe” to “I am safe.”
“What if I fail?” to “I’m going to succeed.”
“I’m not worthy” to “I deserve this.”
“I can’t do this” to “I can do it.”

Think of a mantra as turning the negative question mark in your mind into a positive period. You listen to your mind, and your mind listens back. Tell it you love it, you love yourself, and you deserve and will achieve your goals. Change the narrative. You can’t control the future, but you can control the now. Get back in it. The future can wait.

Practices like The Four M’s might seem intangible and abstract, but there’s scientific research that continues to suggest that these are powerful tools for handling anticipatory anxiety or “future tripping”. And most of them take almost no time. Namaste.

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Decompression Session: Pressure Points

�ֻ��Ƭ — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Sometimes you don’t have a lot of time to de-stress. You need a quick fix. There’s actually some tried science behind pressure points you can apply to yourself that can have an almost instant relaxing effect. Here are a few to keep in your pocket when you just need to chill, just a little. Some of these techniques are also thought to help with headaches, menstrual cramps, and other common things that can interfere with your work and wellbeing.

Most of these only take a few seconds. And they have all been around awhile – we didn’t invent them – but for fun, we gave them names.

Face It: This one’s pretty intuitive. We tend to pinch our upper nose or rub our temples to calm the mind or distract ourselves from a headache. This one’s slightly different. The pressure point you want to target is directly between your eyebrows, and you can use a thumb or finger to apply some pressure to that point. So use your digit of choice to press on that spot and close your eyes. Then create a firm circular motion for, ideally, at least five minutes.
Ears to Lobes: There’s some belief and evidence that stimulating your ears (gently) can calm your lobes. Not the ear lobes – the brain ones. At the top of your ear, below the ridge, a subtle pinch and circular motion may create a greater sense of calm. It makes sense: Noise is stressful, and your ears are the gatekeepers to that stress. Give them a small massage – they’ve earned it.
The Thumb Bucket: This is that sort of batwing-shaped spot between your thumb and your pointer finger. It’s what gives us the opposable thumb! And it deserves a little massage, too. Here’s what to do: use your other hand to give that spot a pinch and hold it for a few. It might be a little uncomfortable, but it’s just for a few seconds. Breathe. Then give yourself a thumbs up.
Wristy Business: This one’s just a little more complicated, because it’s recommended you target a very specific part of the lower arm. Measure three fingers (not scotch, inner wrist!) and press gently between your tendons for a few seconds. There’s some theory that this can induce labor so if you’re pregnant, skip this one.

As with anything, use what works for you. Anxiety on the job is inevitable, and not everything works for everyone. But a few innocuous options are good to have in your toolkit for getting through class, or shift, or even a social situation. See you at the next Decompression Session!