Reducing anxiety through love? Yep. That’s what I suggested. You didn’t read that wrong. Let me clarify, we’re talking about 1 way to reduce our anxiety through love and self-compassion.
Loving your anxiety.
Humor me for a second.
Prior to beginning my own therapy, 10-12 years ago, I would have literally screamed at someone if they told me to ‘love your anxiety’ and while my personal experiences, with anxiety, are my own and in no ways a comparison to yours or anyone else’s, I do empathize with how down right debilitating, physically and emotionally painful and excruciating it can be.
As a therapist as well as, someone with personal experiences of anxiety, I logically understand that there is hope, it does not have to remain painful forever.
There are scientific ways to mitigate the negative impacts of anxiety.
One way is by considering to add love and compassion to your overall anxiety coping plan.
1 Way to Reduce Your Anxiety with Love:
1) Switching Activated Neuropathways:
The brain consist of highways, byways, and side streets also known as, neural circuity systems. These pathways consist of numerous past experiences which become energized the very moment something visual or auditory occurs that also ‘lives’ on that particular highway or street in our mind.
This automatic response serves a purpose to ‘remind us’ — ‘we’ve been here before and we know how to get through this’– rather, how to get through a similar situation by providing ‘auto-pilot directions’ from that previous experiences.
Here’s a video that can help explain what’s occurring:
Ultimately, it’s an automatic biological survival mechanism meant to keep us safe.
The great thing about understanding the brains capacity to automate responses, is that we can also intervene when it goes into an anxious overdrive. We CAN create new calming neuropathways and provide the brain with new go-to ‘directions’.
— Remember learning those difficult math problems in school? Know how to use most of them now? – chances are probably not. This is how brain-based therapy techniques work as well.
Once the brain is no longer using those old pathways and we begin strengthening new ones (with repetitive coping skills), naturally anxious experiences will go down.
Here’s a mantra to help switch between old and new neuropathways:
‘I love my anxiety and brain for it’s ability to keep me safe. I am thankful for the reminders of past experiences. I am safe now and that past experience is in the past.’
Retraining your brain, to associate lifelong conditioned fears, can evoke higher levels of anxiety (short-term). Re-training is a gradual process. Allow yourself to take the time you need to retrain and condition your brain and nervous system. This isn’t a sprint to calmness, it’s a marathon. You are preparing yourself for a life long journey of calm, safety and peacefulness.
If you or a loved one continuously experience anxiety and would like to include the support of a therapist, call The Center of Life Counseling today. We’re here to help support your healing. Make an appointment today by calling 407-476-1432. We look forward to speaking with you and answering any questions you may have.