Mindfulness & Meditation for Anxiety | How to Stay Grounded in a Chaotic World

If you’ve been feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or just mentally noisy lately… this one’s for you.

In this mashup episode of Mind Body Method, I pull together some of my favorite conversations about mindfulness, meditation, gratitude, grounding practices, and protecting your peace in a chaotic world.

These are the tools I actually use — and the ones my guests swear by.

In this episode, I talk with:

April Grudzien about meditation as a gateway to clarity and creativity. We get into the mind‑body connection — stretching, yoga, movement — and how you can build a simple “toolbox” of practices, including visual meditations you can even do while walking or biking.

Constantin Rasuli (Tony-nominated actor) shares how anxiety and panic attacks hit during a major career shift — and how a simple 15‑minute morning meditation practice completely changed his trajectory. He also played a big role in deepening my own meditation journey (including Abraham Hicks).

Paige Nichols and I dive into alone time, journaling, using a gratitude app, and how to find joy in small, ordinary moments instead of chasing big milestones.

And with Mark Pettigrew, we talk about staying grounded through humor, music, supportive relationships, being home, limiting outside noise, and navigating grief without losing yourself.

If you’re looking for:

• How to start meditating
• How to reduce anxiety naturally
• How to build a daily mindfulness routine
• How to stay grounded during stressful times
• Or how gratitude actually rewires your mindset

This episode is a practical reset.

Protect your peace.

Build the practice.

Stay grounded.

You can write to me at: Questions@MindBodyMethodPodcast.com

You can follow me at @JoshGrimm_FITNUT

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:04

Welcome to Mind Body Method, the podcast where health and fitness go beyond the weights and the workouts. I'm your host, Josh Grimm, and every week we'll dive into what it truly means to build strength, not just in your body, but in your mind and your life. From movement with purpose to building a resilient mindset, this podcast is about empowering you to thrive in every aspect of your life, inside and outside of the gym. So let's get started. Hi, and welcome back to the Mind Body Method Podcast. And I'm your host, Josh Krimm. So in this episode of Mind Body Method, we explore the transformative power of mindfulness, meditation, gratitude, and intentional living, right? Through personal stories with a few of my guests and honest conversations, we discuss how our daily practices can help us navigate anxiety, bring in some inner peace, strengthen our relationships with others and with ourselves, and stay grounded in an increasingly noisy world. So whether you're new to these kinds of concepts or deep into your own journey, these conversations and highlights offer practical insights and meaningful reflection on creating a more connecting and fulfilling life. Meditation is often talked about as a practice of stillness, but what if it's also a pathway to clarity, creativity, healing, and deeper self-awareness? In this talk today with my good friend April Grudgeon, we explore meditation more than just sitting quietly. We dive into visualizations, the mind-body connection, movement as meditation, and how different practices can help us access insight, process our emotions, navigate life with greater intention. Take a listen.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

I mean, my God, where could we even start? Meditation. I mean, I'm surprised we haven't talked about meditation. Let's talk about it. Meditation, I think, is the gateway to connect to the other side, whatever the other side might be. I think all the answers lie in the universe, and you can just beautifully pluck them down, like Noel Gallagher has said from Oasis and the way that he talks about, you know, songs being in the ethers and just picking them out. It's also kind of similar into like the awakenings that one person might find. Meditation is that way of grasping those things and plucking them out and finding that clarity. Mind-body connection goes to, I don't know, stretching. They say a Deepak Chopra does yoga every single day because he said that it unlocks, like if you're sick, they say it's because your your chi is like locked in your elbow or something, you know? And I remember I hadn't worked out with you for a few weeks, and I was just feeling awful, like terrible. And then I had this one workout with you, and I was like, I am back.

SPEAKER_03 3:04

Right.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

This is amazing, you know, working out your body. I it does, it's like wringing out a sponge. Right, right. So the recipe ranges from that to stretching to yoga to internal work, your relationships. I mean, people say that the longevity of your life is now primarily your relationships. Right. And it has to be with yourself too. Right, of course.

SPEAKER_02 3:29

So I think that um I love the idea of having different, like a toolbox of all these different kinds of meditations. And, you know, I'm fortunate enough now that I've done so many years and years of it that I can just kind of reach into my toolbox and know what works for me for that day. One of my favorites that I've been doing lately is like, you know, be really being able to kind of do a placeholder for things that are that I want to deal with later, right? So it's like, you know, a visual meditation where I can put things into an actual box that I can access at some point when I'm ready to, right? It still sits there, it's still in the air. It's like kind of hanging out up over here. And it changes colors depending on the severity of what it is. Sometimes the box is a really perfect square, sometimes it's messy, sometimes it's kind of like floating up and down, like pick me, pick me, whatever. But I think the visual meditations are a lot. I'm diving into more of those right now, which I think are really interesting, especially being a busy man who's on the go 24-7. I had to be able to tap into access of you know, something like instead of just sitting in my bed or on a chair breathing and you know, guided meditations. I had to be able to find something else that works as I'm walking down the street or on my bicycle.

SPEAKER_01 4:35

I love visual meditations. Okay, what do you like about them? I love that they guide you into a place and then you can kind of play with them. It's kind of like it's kind of like getting into lucid dreaming, but you're awake at the same time. And so it's fun to play around with those. And then I feel like you just get like incredible messages in the way that you have guided meditations for sure.

SPEAKER_02 5:01

Meditation can often seem simple on the surface, but for many people, it becomes a powerful tool for healing, self-discovery, and personal transformation and growth. In talking with my good friend, Tody nominated Constantine Rasulli, we explore how mindfulness practices can help us navigate through anxiety, through stress, uncertainty, and major life transitions, career shifts. We discuss the profound impact that meditation can have on our own mental health, the role it plays in kind of reconnecting us to ourselves, and how small daily practices can create long-lasting changes through consistency, personal stories of struggle, growth, and resilience. This dialogue between Constantine and I highlight how meditation has become more than a habit, it has become like a lifeline, opening the door for greater peace, greater clarity, and a deeper connection to our own life. Take a lesson. No, I wasn't when you um cruised me at the gym.

SPEAKER_05 6:03

I have no idea what you're talking about.

SPEAKER_02 6:05

Um so whenever, so whenever um, you know, so Constantine and I dated briefly, and we became She had the best moments of his life.

SPEAKER_05 6:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 6:20

And um, we um a lot of things that I discovered about you during that time, one of the one of the most valuable things I took away from that was you're the one who kind of taught me more about meditation and mindfulness and things like that. And it's funny how you know, I remember this one moment where you were actually, we were in your apartment in LA, and you just were like you had your headphones on and you were laying back on your bed, and you just took that time for yourself to do what you needed to do in your routine for that day. I'm like, what is this guy doing? I mean, I know what meditation was, but you were really, really okay. He's you know, this I'm they're visiting, but he has to take the time. I'm like, okay. But I was like, oh, this is really valuable and important to him. And it it made me want to think about, oh, this might be something for me as well. And then I think that's where my real deep dive journey started with it. And I mean, so thanks.

SPEAKER_05 7:10

Hey, you're welcome. Um, no, I'm so happy that I could be that person for you to like open the door to something that was gonna be stuck with you and look at you now. I mean, I'm so proud of you.

SPEAKER_02 7:23

And then, you know, you also, you know, at the time, I don't know if you still do, but you were always reading Abraham Hicks and listening to Abraham Hicks, and you introduced me to her too. If anyone listening to this podcast, Abraham Hicks is someone you should definitely give a try to. Um, and so what would you say that is kind of like how is how has your intention of your mindset and your your meditation practice, things like that evolved? And what do you do now?

SPEAKER_05 7:49

Um, great question, Joshua. Um, yeah, no, I I remember in LA because it was there was like a five-year stint of not working when I moved. Um, and that's when I was dating you andor talking to you. It was like that, that those five years of me still trying to figure out how am I going to work. I want to break into the more TV film side of things instead of theater. I need a break from theater. And um, so I think it was just like navigating that and building my brand from the ground up again. But I remember it was just a little too much to handle. And I I uh I basically had like uh I wouldn't say a mental break, but I definitely started getting anxiety, and I would I wouldn't couldn't be able to drive. I would feel like completely suffocated, and I just was starting to turn into a completely different human. And I was trying to figure out like, what is this, what's happening? What's what's how is this possible? This is not me. I'm not an introvert, I'm such an extrovert. I love people, I don't want to see people, I want to stay in my apartment. It was just like a very depressing time. Um, and I finally remember coming back to New York for like a month stint back on Wicked, and I was back in the show for just like a little quick journey back to the Gershwin um after previously doing the show for two years. Um, and I had a panic attack on stage in my the first scene, and I completely left the stage and I walked off. And it was, I always relate it to um Carrie Bradshaw when she's getting married and she puts the wedding dress on and she's like, Oh my god, take it off, take it off, take it off, take it off. Um, and that happened. And I was in this like my opening costume, and I was like, minus the rich husband, or else I wouldn't have to be working, which would be great. Um, and I would have no anxiety. Uh, but no, it happened, and I was like, What the fuck is going on? Because I've never had panic attacks before. I was just like fight or flight mode. I spoke to my sister about it, she's in acupuncturist. She was like, girl, you need Jesus. And I was like, are already on it. Um, she's like, you need to like calm your mind. She's like, I think you should start meditating. And I was like, Yeah, that's not gonna happen. I'm not doing that. Then my really good friend in LA was like, You need to start meditating, you need to start meditating. And I was like, Okay, finally, I'm gonna try this meditation thing out. And I found Abraham Hicks, and they're an entity that is channeled through this woman named Esther, and it's basically like the secret. Uh, they're the ones who started the secret, so it's like manifestation and it's uh just a mindset of being happy and and choosing happiness every single day and calming your mind and telling the universe what you want. And I don't know, I really resonated towards this, and I was listening to a bunch of stuff on YouTube, and I started to like unravel myself, which was incredible, and I needed that. And I just got hooked onto it, and I started feeling better and better and better. But after two and a half years of fight or flight, I was like, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to get rid of this anxiety stuff. And meditation was the only thing that did it. So it's been 10 years now. I have been meditating every single day, and still do, still do every single day. 15 minutes in the morning. I think for me, that's how I kick start my mental state every single day and how I wake up and how it starts my day and how it ends my day. I think the second you're in that like weird, sleepy, I'm awake, uh I think they call it the uh beta mode when your brain is in beta mode. You wake up and you're in that weird limbo, and that's the perfect time to start meditating. Um, because you haven't looked at your phone, you haven't looked at your emails, you haven't gotten completely sideswiped. And I think that's uh yeah, that's the best part that time to meditate. But I definitely do that every single day. And I still do guided meditations. It'll change, it'll vary. I'll wake up now and just feel like, oh, am I super grateful or am I feeling a little stressed? Am I feeling a little anxious? Am I feeling, uh, love? Uh, and you I just I just go in and I type into YouTube. I'm like, what am I feeling today? I was like, I want to have, you know, a mindfulness meditation. Right. And it just pops up, and I just let my intuition go. And I'm like, cool, this one sounds great.

SPEAKER_02 12:23

You and I do the exact same thing. I mean, that's that's literally exactly what I do too, of like how I'm feeling. Yeah. Also, I that that sleepy haze when you wake up is the most beautiful part of the day. I had a guest on recently where we talked about our rituals, morning rituals, and that was something I was saying, where one of the first things you have to do is have that meditation because that's when your mind is the most expanded and clear. And like, yeah, you can receive all the downloads that you need to have for the day. And and you do realize and recognize if you're not doing it for a period of time, your body feels different, your actions feel different, you behave differently, you walk differently. I feel like your entire demeanor and behavior changes, and you you notice a difference. I mean, you've noticed a change in me. You one everybody this or some stories we're not talking about.

SPEAKER_05 13:09

We're not gonna talk about that, but this one has done a full 180. Like, it's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 13:13

I mean, he wasn't a monster, he was a terrible human.

SPEAKER_05 13:16

No, he was incredible, but like you can really see somebody like fully go through a transformation of like peace and tranquility and calm, and yeah, it's really, really great to see. And I'm so happy that you stuck with it. And um, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:35

Our world is a world filled with distractions and stress and constant demands coming towards us from the left and the right and every which angle. Creating space to reconnect with ourselves has never been more important and necessary. Talking with one of my closest friends, Paige Nichols, we talk about the practices that have helped us stay grounded from meditation and mindfulness to gratitude, journaling, and actual just human connection. So we explore how our daily rituals can become our anchors for our own emotional and mental well-being and why transformation happens through consistency, not always perfection. So, how to learn to appreciate life's smallest moments can often lead to the biggest shifts in our own perspective. So, take a listen to what Paige and I haven't talked about. We talk a lot about um meditations and practices and spirituality. What are your kind of like practices or your rituals? Do you have any?

SPEAKER_00 14:30

Yeah, I mean, I would say um I need my alone time. That's when I do my best thinking and grounding myself and um, you know, journaling. I definitely journal. And my new practice is gratitude journal. I've never done that before, but this year, you know, there's so many heavy, scary things going on around us. And I'm just trying to find joy in every moment. And so that's my big thing this year. And so I downloaded an app where I just, you know, I'll put a picture every day and a little something. And I'm trying to just find it within the tiniest moments. I got it because the snow machine that you put together for my party, I took it to my friend's. Um, her daughter just turned seven and had a birthday party, and everyone left but her and her two friends. And I was like, Did you girls want snow? And I mean, they were screaming, jumping up and down, and we got the snow machine out, and it was just honestly like the sweetest moment of them playing in this fake snow. And I was like, that's what you sort of lose as you get older, is like finding joy in the little moments. And it made me tear up watching them, and I realized like that's a part of myself I was missing, and so I'm really, really trying to focus on that.

SPEAKER_02 15:46

I just think so many people in this um current environment don't know what to focus on, or they don't have the bandwidth, or they don't choose to focus on the simpler things, they get so caught up in news, and I know it's important to get caught up in the world of affairs and things like that, but it's also super important, in my opinion, to really take those moments for yourself and learn about other people and take those that time to connect with other people because this this age where everyone's on social media and their phones all the time and screen time, like there's not a lot of connectivity, in my opinion. And again, coming from someone who I think I mentioned this before with another guest, is that you know, I'm single, right? And so, you know, I get that connection with other people um through my friendships, and you know, it's important for me to find those little moments in simplicity of joy with other people, but I can't get it from my everyday partner, so it takes like an extra reach or outreach for me. So I definitely take notice of that, and I appreciate when people do the same thing back to me. So I really love that. Um, do you meditate? I guess what you're doing, like your solo time, your journaling is a form of meditation. Have you ever meditated like a little guided meditation?

SPEAKER_00 16:54

I think no, but I would like to. I mean, I used to take yoga five days a week, and you know, they would do the singing bowl and some meditation there, but I would like to get back into that. I pray, meditate, but I would like to do some guided meditation.

SPEAKER_02 17:10

How do we stay grounded when the world feels like it's sometimes in chaos? I have a talk today with my really great friend Mark Pettigrew, and he is one of the most grounding men that I know. We discuss the practices, people, and places that help us maintain our sense of peace during the challenging times. From the healing power of laughter and meaningful relationships with our friends to the comfort of being homebodies and the lessons learned that we have through loss, through grief. We explored what it means to create stability from within. It's a reminder that while we may not control the noise around us or the things that are coming at us all the time, we do choose the habits and the perspectives that help us move through life with greater calm, greater strength, and great intentions. Thanks. With a lot of things that are happening in our world, a lot of changes, political climates, you know, it kind of makes me a little bit more grounded, um protective of my own sanity and my own strength and my inner peace. Um, because you know, at the end of the day, I still have to perform and I still have to run my work and my livelihood. So a lot of the outside noise can't I can't allow it to affect me more than a very small amount of time. Yeah. Do you relate? Yes. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 18:29

It's it's it's a noisy world right now, it's pretty mad. Um I mean I'm I'm really sad. Of course. Like I mean, I I I run melancholy anyway. Uh I'm just lucky that um I think I'm really funny. And so I I I have if it wasn't for my ability to seek humor and to see humor and um uh you know, if it wasn't for that ability, I would be in big trouble. Right. Um, that was my next question to ask you how do you protect your or keep your calm, but I I guess that's keeping that humor and seeking it and I mean I have several things I had, I had I had more. Um as you know, um Dona my my dog, he was such a um a grounding force for me. Um uh before him, I was definitely a New Yorker, I was out all the time, you know, dinner out every night, blah blah blah blah blah. And um and having something to take care of other than myself uh really grounded me and kept me home and made me just want to be home a lot and I love my home. It's so cozy. Uh and um he's not there anymore, but uh I love being home and um and that grounds me. Um just playing music grounds me. Um I'm very fortunate to have uh really great supportive friends and family that ground me and um and yeah, for as um exciting as life can be with you know being an entrepreneur and and all the traveling and and living in New York uh at the end of the day, it's just you know, being in that quiet place at home.

SPEAKER_02 20:51

So I'm going to be here every single Wednesday, and in the meantime, you could also ask questions at questions at mindbody method podcast dot com. So thanks for listening, and I'll see you here. Welcome to Mind Body Method, the podcast where health and fitness go beyond the weights and the workouts. I'm your host, Josh Grimm, and every week we'll dive into what it truly means to build strength, not just in your body, but in your mind and your life. From movement with purpose to building a resilient mindset, this podcast is about empowering you to thrive in every aspect of your life, inside and outside of the gym. So let's get started.