Calming Anxiety in Anxious Times

I used to get panic attacks. It’s been over a decade since I have had one. This episode shares some of the practice, and thought cultivations, I do to help keep me calm in times of rising discomfort, fear, and anxiety. I hope it helps you too. 🙂 

For more calming resources, free guides, and private sessions, visit ChelHamilton.com

Transcript

Chel Hamilton 0:00

This guided meditation reduces anxiety by anchoring you into a vivid inner safe space that you can return to any time.

Intro 0:09

This is the Meditation Minis podcast with your host, Hypnotist Shell Hamilton.

Chel Hamilton 0:15

If you haven't done so already, go ahead and close your eyes. And begin your process by taking one to three deep, purposeful breaths in and out. Settling into where you find yourself right now, sitting or standing, maybe even walking. Just feel the rhythm of your breathing. Imagine your thoughts slowing down with each exhale just a little bit more than the moment before. And I know for some of us were really good at imagining things. And others might not visualize, but get more of a sense of how something might feel. And there's a third group of people who do best when they just imagine what something might be like if it were true. And no one of these three groups is better than any other. So whichever one seems the best fit for you, just acknowledge it and go with it. First, what I'd like you to do is I'd like you to think of a time or a place or a space that you have experienced before in your life where you just felt so chill, so safe, so calm and relaxed. It might be as simple as a day at the beach, or swinging on a swing under a tree, or maybe curling up into your favorite chair someplace. And just allow yourself a few moments to imagine yourself in that safe, calm place. And if you're a picture person, what are the colors? What do you see? If you're more of a sensing person, how does it feel the air, the space? You might even notice sounds, like the sound of the ocean on the shore. And if you're someone who does best just imagining what it would be like if it were true, then imagine that now. Just pick a place and imagine it. And taking a few more moments now to allow yourself to relax into that calming space in your mind, even more than a few moments before. Take this inner space with you. So that when you're in situations where you may be imagining things or finding yourself getting anxious about the world around you, you can breathe into this space inside. And remind yourself that in the reality of that moment that you're in, that you are doing the things that you've chosen to do to help keep you safe. Imagine yourself now going out into the world and taking this inner space with you, and of course, taking any and all physical precautions that allow you to feel safe and comfortable and care for others too. And remind yourself over and over again. I've taken the precautions. I'm taking care. And I get to be calm while being aware and bringing that peace back in that space of calm, settling into it. Whenever the anxieties come up, just take that gentle breath. Remind yourself that you are doing all the things that you have chosen to do, to care for you and those others that you care for too. And remember that calm space. Allow yourself now to just let all of the worries and frustrations go and for the final moments imagine yourself in that calm, comforting, safe space in your mind, wrapped in a beautiful bubble of calm of safety, of clarity.