Live from the neck up

Many of us are living in an overwhelming state. We are too busy trying to figure out how to get out of our problems. We have been raised to fix problems and seek solutions. We live in a world that turns faster and faster through the internet, remote controls, cell phones, video games, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if one could get a college degree in ‘faster performance’ soon.

We are faced with a serious dichotomy, a dichotomy born of the information age: while technology facilitates faster and faster communication, it is increasingly difficult for us to focus on what we want to communicate. The pace at which we are almost forced to live speeds up our thoughts and chops them into short, fast segments, disrupting our ability to focus for long periods of time.

The result is anxiety, a pervasive feeling of fear or dread that we are not equipped to deal with whatever comes our way. It’s a feeling we can’t take in a full breath. There is often a dizzy quality that comes with anxiety. A catch-22 occurs: we can’t focus because we’re anxious, and we become more anxious because we can’t focus.

How to avoid these uncomfortable symptoms? Getting comfortable in our body and feeling our feet on the ground is the first step to solving anxiety. Exercise can help us achieve a certain calm, but without awareness of our inner life, exercise will not solve the underlying problem.

Consider taking a ‘distress inventory’. When we clarify why, exactly, we’re anxious, instead of worrying incessantly or vaguely complaining that we’re stressed, we can address the issues that haunt us.

For example, “I’m thinking I might get fired.” Drop deeper to the next level of thinking, for example, “I’m not going to get another job because I’m unqualified and the economy is bad.” Fall deeper, “I don’t believe in my ability to pull through no matter the odds.”

The facts seem so compelling, but deep down we find the messages of childhood: “You’ll never amount to anything,” “You’re inadequate,” or whatever. Here is the opportunity to provide ourselves with a new “father” by reading a self-help book (free at the library or on the Internet), finding a mentor, experimenting with prayer and meditation, inviting the Universe to surprise us with Love and Protection.

And discovering what we are thinking at the deepest level is only the first step in unraveling what appear to be our problems. In the end, addressing your distress at its deepest level, identifying its components, and then finding ways to overcome them, can go a long way to enriching your life.

There are many body-focused therapies that are very effective in removing negative energy that turns into anxiety: EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), HRM (Heart Rhythm Meditation), and yoga are just a few healing techniques that may be of help. great help in taking this last and indispensable step to establish your own pace in the middle of the race.