Practices for Our Collective Anxiety

Today I took the day away from social media. I put a moratorium on reading the news.

My whole system needed to be quiet.

At breakfast, I told my husband, I woke up with this low level anxiety, simmering in the background. Me too, he said.

Last week, I had two near panic attacks. I am not alone. I’m hearing this, I’m seeing this: people experiencing heightened anxiety. We, collectively, are anxious. We also may be angry, hurt, mystified, mortified. . . a whole host of things. . .but the anxiety seems most persistent, lingering as the others come and go.

This U.S. election is beyond a cauldron of vitriol. Every single one of us has been subjected to bullying and abuse.

And, we’re feeling it. Our collective nervous system is fried.

We need it not to be. I believe we must not turn away or disengage. Change, healing, is only possible when we’re willing to see and to listen, to speak and to act.

We must, however, take exceptionally good care of ourselves and each other. We must find our center (again and again) and move out from there.

I offer you some practices for releasing anxiety and coming back to center:

Do Alternate Nostril Breathing.

When I was experiencing anxiety last Fall, my Swami gave me this practice for 30 minutes a day. It creates a shift at multiple levels when practiced that long. (It felt cellular to me.) You’ll feel more balanced and calm even after just 1-5 minutes.

Take Fish or Flax Seed Oil.

2 capsules 1-2x/day. In Ayurveda, anxiety is a Vata (air) imbalance: cold, light, dry and irregular. Ingesting oil keeps your body supple, grounded and balanced.

Give Yourself an Oil Massage.

15 minutes daily. Like ingesting oil, massaging your skin with oil keeps you supple, grounded and balanced. If you know you are a Vata dosha, or you live in a part of the country that’s already well into Fall (leaves have turned, wind has kicked up, temperature has dropped), I recommend almond oil or Vata massage oil (which is a miracle). Generally, sesame oil is balancing for everyone.

Sip Hot Water or Ginger Tea.

It’s warm. It’s easy. It flushes out the lymphatic system and warms the digestive system. (Avoid the Ginger Tea if you know you’re a Pitta dosha and/or the weather is still hot in your neck of the woods.)

Come to the live call next Friday.

The practices I’ll share with you around security, connection and power are (not coincidentally) effective at reducing anxiety. We’ll move your energy lower in your body. We’ll dissolve and release our personal anxieties (which are reflected in and magnified by the collective). We’ll get super oxygenated, which in itself relieves the body’s stress.

Even if you’re not interested in all 3 calls exploring money, energy and exchange, I invite you to use this first call as a calming and grounding space. You’ll receive a recorded daily meditation to take with you.

There’s no charge, and I’m not selling anything.

Click here to join the private FB group and participate.