#31 Managing Overwhelm & Anxiety
~ 6 minute read time ~
Top 3 Points from Today’s Article:
Overwhelm & Anxiety is prevalent at the moment, yet there are coping strategies you can use to better manage them
EFT Tapping is a simple, powerful way of changing your relationship with stress by sending signals to your amygdala
The body has the innate ability and natural capacity to heal itself, you just need to allow it with your choices
There are many methods talked about dealing with anxiety. Much of it revolves around meditation, breath work, yoga and the oft-used catch all phrase of ‘mindfulness’ - but for a lot of people, these things sound a bit esoteric, woo woo and elusive for the average working person.
Some of that may be valid, as it centres around carving out time from busy schedules especially with multitudes of requirements foisted on us in lockdown. Parents trying to work and homeschool kids, endless Zoom calls, News putting the fear into us and Netflix asking if we’re still watching?
Now I would recommend meditation as it has worked wonders for me, along with breath work but I keep hearing from friends that “I can’t sit still long enough”, “My mind is too busy”, “I’ve got 3 kids, when can I meditate?”, “It’s not for me!” etc.
I sense a resistance to it because of the time and effort required in getting the full benefits. If you could roll up all of the calm, stillness and power of meditation into tablet-form I bet people would be queuing up for prescriptions.
Alas, we’re always seeking out the quick fix which I surmise is where much of our suffering stems from!
“Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.”
If we could just sit still with ourselves a little bit each day, we’d learn so much more about ourselves, we’d raise our level of awareness and understanding bringing more peace to our lives. We love to gripe and moan about how we suffer, misery loves company for sure but do we ever do anything about it?
My main concern that is emerging from these multiple lockdowns is the impact on collective mental health. As we welcome in spring and hopefully the easing of restrictions, we’re like a bear slowly awakening from hibernation. Having awoken from slumber, we’ll be clumsy in our initial movements and wary of what’s outside the cave.
What we need is a way to manage the delayed sense of injury and trauma this will have caused many of us. We should all hopefully emerge with more kindness and compassion for each other, even if we still have to wear masks we can be sure in eye contact and connection with our fellow souls.
It’ll be ok, the daffodils and snowdrops are sprouting and flowering. We can bloom too. It’s ok if we’re anxious or overwhelmed by what we’re stepping back into in the wider world. Like a toddler taking its first steps, we want to run straight into our stride but it’s perfectly ok to steady ourselves and be deliberate in our actions.
Instead of running back under our duvets and hiding from this New World reality, just face the fear, anxiety and know that we can do difficult things and make progress in the unknown. Some will be more affected than others as they cling onto old identities that no longer exist, that’s fine as we’re not comparing anymore or, at least, we shouldn’t be.
Get to the point I hear you shout… Ok, ok.
When you’re at the point of feeling complete overwhelm and anxiety in the face of it all, what can you do to gain some kind of foothold in the avalanche of emotions?
I’ve recently re-discovered Tapping, or EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) as it’s known.
It’s an alternative treatment for physical pain and emotional distress, it’s also referred to psychological acupressure.
Essentially, it focuses on the energy hot spots or meridians in the body to rebalance your energy. The claims are that by doing this, you can remove the negative feelings of stress and send signals to the part of your brain that controls stress (Amygdala).
Sounds weird right?
Well, hold your judgement a second because a study from 2013 which conducted a randomised controlled trial with military veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) found that after 6 sessions of 1 hour treatments with EFT, 90% no longer met PTSD clinical criteria. The results remained at 86% after 3 months and 80% at 6 months.
Similar results were found in a 2016 study where researchers reported that participants experienced significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms, as well as in pain levels and cravings.
For balance, there is some criticism around the early studies based on the scientific method but the initial findings are encouraging and further studies are required in comparison with more traditional methods such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).
However, as for something that’s easy to do, can be done at home with no experience and you can achieve pretty fast results - I recommend trying it. What have you got to lose? I’ve done it a few times this week after feeling anxious, and it brought a sense of calm and a feeling that the anxiety wasn’t as big or as bad as my mind had me believe.
The acupressure points for tapping are as follows:
Karate Chop fleshy part of your hand
Eyebrow
Side of the eye
Under the eye
Under the nose
Chin
Under the collarbone
Under the arm
If you get yourself comfortable, breathe deeply, follow the steps in the short video above and you’ll be able to see if it works for you. If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the moment then it could be worth a try?
So EFT Tapping, it’s an interesting mix of science, biology, natural healing, ancient wisdom and it costs nothing.
I’ve been researching a lot lately on the body’s natural, innate ability to heal itself if given the correct set of circumstances and it’s fascinating. None of it’s quick fix or easy though, sorry I know it’s not sexy but it comes down to ensuring you have a simple nutritious diet, hydration, light exercise, good sleep hygiene and engaging with your emotional and mental health.
Sounds too simple and idealistic right?
Well, in the space of 2 years I’ve taken myself from an overweight, apathetic, unhappy, unhealthy, 40 year old who thought it was all over for him at midlife; to now being the fittest I’ve ever been, more aware and engaged, happier, healthier and realising as I approach 42 years of age that it’s all up for grabs and anything is possible.
Our bodies are like 3D printers, feed it the right materials and information, you can literally grow yourself healthy again. Remember our cells are dying and being replaced all the time. If you change your thinking, your behaviours, what you eat, how you exercise, how you manage stress etc - you can choose how you want your body to be.
It all comes down to your choices.
In the meantime, try Tapping when you feel anxious and let me know if it helped or not in the comments below.
Love
LP x
Resources
Books:
The Tapping Solution: A Revolutionary System for Stress-Free Living - by Nick Ortner
Videos:
TEDx Talks - Dr. Peta Stapleton
How Does Tapping Work? - Weight Management Psychology
HEAL: The Feeling Creates the Healing - Dr. Joe Dispenza
Podcast:
Ecstasy in Life & Death with Dr. Zach Bush MD - Aubrey Marcus interviews Dr. Zach Bush MD
