Waking up with chest palpitations, thoughts racing toward the past and the future, worries about health, wealth, work, Covid, what others think, what will or will not happen, and the list goes on and on. This is anxiety; a restless mind, a mental space characterized by uncertainty, self-doubt, fear and lack of clarity. We have all been there. In fact, it is the nature of the human mind to race back and forth, to be distracted, to be caught in the broken record of past regrets and future what-ifs. If we try to turn off the thoughts, they often only get stronger, if we suppress them, they rebel, and drugging or drinking ourselves out of them is at best a temporary fix. So what can we do?!

First and foremost we must understand what anxiety is and what anxiety is not. I will start by saying that anxiety is not a disorder, it is not a disease, having anxiety does not mean anything is wrong with you or your brain. Anxiety is a perfectly normal response to a highly uncertain and troubled world. It would in fact be concerning if we were not at least slightly anxious about the current state of our life and the world. The question then is, what do we do with our anxiety? How do we understand, treat and evolve beyond it?

The treatment of anxiety involves two primary approaches, one is immediate and the other is long term. The immediate method is to treat the nervous system, to calm the physiological nervous response to the anxious thoughts. This is where we use acupuncture, exercise, breathwork, yoga, chiropractic and other physical techniques to de-activate the sympathetic nervous system, the fight or flight response and promote the bodies’ parasympathetic state, that of resting and relaxation. 

These physical interventions are absolutely essential not only in themselves but more importantly as a means to create a fertile ground for a more permanent solution, that of self- awareness, inquiry and transformation.  Bessel van der Kolk writes in “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma”.

“The neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux and his colleagues have shown that the only way we can consciously access the emotional brain is through self-awareness, i.e. by activating the medial prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that notices what is going on inside us and thus allows us to feel what we’re feeling. (The technical term for this is “interoception”—Latin for “looking inside.”) Most of our conscious brain is dedicated to focusing on the outside world: getting along with others and making plans for the future. However, that does not help us manage ourselves. Neuroscience research shows that the only way we can change the way we feel is by becoming aware of our inner experience and learning to befriend what is going on inside ourselves.”

The root of anxiety is the anxious unexamined thought flow within the inner ecosystem of our own minds. Therefore, to treat anxiety on a more long term basis, we have no other choice than to look within, investigate, inquire into, and deal with our own thought patterns and consequent emotional experience. This journey into self awareness requires bravery, consistency, and support.

When the body’s nervous system is calmed by treatments such as acupuncture, breathwork, yoga, and chiropractic, it is possible to deal with the more subtle aspects of anxiety using the method of inquiry and self-awareness. Only human beings have the capacity to inquire into our own thoughts and make a choice as to how we want to continue to think and feel. If your dog is upset that you left for work, your dog cannot look within and ask ‘why am I upset, I know she will be back at 6pm.’ But a human being can question her own thoughts and feelings. This is the key to dealing with anxiety at a deeper level. 

An anxious thought pattern becomes a physical and emotional problem only when the thoughts gain momentum. Inquiry and self-awareness is a way to question the thoughts and feelings so as to avoid the thought momentum that creates anxiety. There are three primary questions that can be used in this process:

• Is this true? Is the thought I am thinking about actually true? On what basis is the thought true?

• Why am I thinking this? What are the consequences of continuing this thought? If I continue to think this way, will it lead me to a healthier and more productive state? If not, then why am I thinking this? Be honest with yourself here. 

• Who would I be without this thought? How would I feel and show up in the world without this thought?

When we inquire into our thoughts in this way, we become empowered over our minds, and ultimately our lives. As you think, so you become. When the body is calm, the mind can be trained, and in turn the body can become even more calm. The results of this process include better sleep, less pain, greater clarity, better relationships, and improved physical health. Who doesn’t want that?!

Visit us at in8love wellness to learn more about this process and tackle your anxiety once and for all!