Move Your Body and Calm Your Mind: Ease your Holiday Anxiety

It’s holiday time. I wish you all the very best, whatever you celebrate and if you don’t…………

It can be a joyous time for many and it’s important to revel in the moments of joy we experience. So, enjoy..!

The holiday season can also be a time where you feel pressure: to buy the right kind of gifts, to get the gift shopping done and to see family and friends, who you’re happy to reunite with. And yet, these same people and events and celebrations can be triggering for those of us who have anxiety of any kind, whether it be social anxiety, GAD, OCD. whichever……..

Yes; you can really enjoy yourself and also ready yourself and prepare. So, let’s talk about how……….

WHERE is your Anxiety?

First of all, it’s important to know where to find your anxiety. Most of us believe it’s in our mind, our thoughts. And yes, it goes there. Generally though, the anxiety and stress we feel is often what’s leftover from unresolved trauma and we first find it in our body. This does not necessarily mean you had Big T trauma, which is usually a significant event, ie: terrorist attack, sexual assault, car accident, that leaves the individual feeling powerless and having little control in their environments. Helplessness is also a key factor of big T traumas and these big T traumas are more readily identified by the experiencer and others. You may have experienced Small T trauma, which are events, often accumulated over time, that exceed your capacity to cope and cause a disruption in emotional functioning. These can include: being ignored, neglected, divorce, etc. These experiences may be overlooked by the person experiencing them and by therapists and others and you may feel shame because you feel that you’re over-reacting or being ‘dramatic.’ But you’re not. With small T traumas, there is an accumulated effect, which can be just as or more damaging than Big T trauma.

Though your mind is often where you may notice your anxiety, really, it is stored in your body. So, let’s try to find out where it’s stored and do something about it.

Let’s find ways to MOVE YOUR BODY and CALM YOUR MIND:

Yes; mindfulness and meditation are both very helpful as practices to calm your mind. Sometimes, it can be challenging to sit still, though, if you have anxiety and stress stored in your body.

Stress and anxiety get stuck in our bodies and we carry this tension around. It affects us, on a body-mind level. Movement is a fabulous way to release this tension and get your body back to a relaxed and balanced state. Rhythmic movement, that includes mindfulness and meditation, can also be healing. It can help integrate our body and mind, reset our nervous system and help to rewire the brain for healing. So, you MOVE your body and your MIND calms.

Mindful movement is also grounding, which is the opposite of constant worry.

With anxiety, we get stuck in our own internal world of thoughts and feelings. When you do repetitive, rhythmic movement, it helps you get out of your head and reconnect with your body, connecting you back to the earth and to yourself.

Any movement that’s repetitive and relaxing can give you an effect similar to meditation. You want to slow down and bring mindfulness to your movement.

Find the kind of movement that you’ll enjoy. In this way, you’ll be more likely to make it a habit…………and it will be more fun!

Here are some types of rhythmic movements you may like:

-Walking (especially in nature, which grounds us and opens our perspective).

-Swimming: it’s gentle, there’s a rhythm to your strokes and being in the water relieves tension, in your muscles and your mind.

-Gardening: allows you to ground and be connected to the world around you, with all of your senses.

-Dancing: this is one of my favorites. When I feel anxiety in my body, I will start dancing around the room and shake my body. Shaking your body really helps to release stress, anxiety and trauma. Animals do it in the wild. We humans must learn to do it, too.

Just start moving. You’ll soon find that your mind and thoughts will calm; you’ll start centering and will be able to connect your body and mind. No judgement or self-shame here. It may take you some time to make movement a habit, when anxiety or stress come calling. Just do it! It can make such a difference in your life. It has in mine. We, as humans, often default to our minds, to avoid what’s really going on………in the body, where our anxiety and trauma are hidden. So, when you look first to the body, you’re going right to the source, which will lead and take you to healing and joy, much faster and more effectively than just thinking alone or talking alone (the mind)………

Your Holiday Anxiety Survival Guide:

Here are 7 practical ways you can cope with stress and anxiety leading up to and including the holidays.

1)K.I.S.S.: Keep it Simple stupid (but of course, you’re not at all stupid). It’s not a contest or a competition, to see who is the best cook, or decorates with the most flair or buys the most lavish gifts. Here are some ways to simplify: make a potluck meal, where each guest chips in to prepare a part of the meal. You can buy gift cards, if trying to buy the ‘perfect’ gift is stressing you out.

2)Self-care. Take extra good care of yourself during this time. Make sure to schedule time for YOU! Get that massage or that fun manicure/pedicure. You can journal with a delicious smelling scented candle near you or just dance around your home and shake your body (to release anxiety and trauma).

Remember that we humans are the only animal species that doesn’t release the trauma, anxiety and stress from our bodies, so it stays stored there. Shake it out. Move your body and it will start to calm your mind.

3)Your health is a priority. Take care of your health needs: physical, mental, emotional, environmental and even, spiritual. If you want to learn how to do this, contact me @www.gigiarnaud.com or message me @Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn.

4)Schedule NTT: negative thinking time (or worry time)

Here’s a great EXERCISE: Schedule 10 minutes/day (you can set your alarm) and let all those negative, unhelpful, anxious thoughts come up. Shake your body. Hit a pillow if you’re feeling angry. Cry if you need a great release—it helps. When the alarm rings after 10 minutes, you STOP and write down what came up. Then, go back to your day. The next day, you can look over your notes. Often, you’ll see that many of those thoughts you believed were true, were anything but…….or not. Either way, you’ll learn and grow a lot.

5)Anxiety Triggers: Plan Ahead: You can become aware of your triggers and do what you can to plan ahead, to avoid them. This will reduce the anxiety and overwhelm.

6)Just say NO. You can be polite and firm. Ie: You don’t have to stay at an event for many hours if you don’t want to stay that long.

7)Your AAP: Anxiety Action Plan. Practice techniques and exercises to reduce your anxiety, before, during and after the holidays. In this way, they will become habits or routines that will help you, not just for the holidays but for all your days to come.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

With smiles and love,

Dr Gigi

PS: Get SUPPORT, from friends and family and if you want to or need it, feel free to be in touch with me. I’d love to show you these incredibly helpful and effective anxiety-reducing techniques.

Change your Mind(set) to Change your Life!