Creating an Anxiety Protocol could help settle your nervous system
Remember in school when there would be a fire drill? Everyone would get up from their seats, walk to their designated exits and hang out on the school field until we were given the go ahead to go back? For most people, this wasn’t an anxiety inducing situation other than the uncomfortable fire alarm sound we’d have to endure. If it wasn’t a scheduled drill, and we heard that fire alarm sound….we knew exactly what to do.
I want you to start thinking about your anxiety symptoms in the same way. What do I mean? Keep Reading.
Anxiety is essentially an alarm system in your body sending you a message that there is a threat somewhere in your vicinity. This could feel like your stomach churning, heart beating, heavy/fast breathing, palms sweaty, intense need to move your body etc.
If we don’t know what this is, it can feel scary and distressing. We are scared something is wrong with us, and in some cases, the panic can make us feel like we are having a heart attack. This can lead to further anxiety and panic. Sometimes we even judge ourselves. “Why do I feel this way?” “I shouldn’t feel this way”, “there is nothing to be scared of”. But it absolutely doesn’t reduce our anxiety even thought we’re using logic.
So what do we do?
Conventional wisdom will say that meditation, deep breathing or yoga can help with your anxiety symptoms, and conventional wisdom isn’t wrong. However, I would argue that there is not one single silver bullet to reduce anxiety symptoms.
In my work with individuals, I often share that creating a protocol with about 3-5 tried and true (for you) approaches can be really helpful. Trying these in sequence can step by step, help you bring your anxiety levels back down to a manageable level. The most important thing is to use trial and error to find these strategies. One size definitely doesn’t fit all, so you have to try different strategies to see what helps the most for you.
Some examples of evidence based strategies that people have used
using an ice pack on your chest or face
taking a cold shower
engaging in 3 second inhales, 3 second holds, 6 second exhales with a 1 second hold and then repeating this for 6 cycles
spending time with your pet
journalling your feelings
engaging in intense exercise for 3-5 minutes (burpees, pushups, jumping jacks)
progressive muscle relaxation (tightening body parts and loosening them)
listening to music - create an anxiety playlist
talking to someone about how you’re feeling
having a cued up funny video or Youtube playlist ready when you need it
reading inspirational quotes
listening to loved ones’ recorded messages (that you’ve asked them to record ahead of time) that encourage and remind you of their belief in your capacity
How could this look as a protocol?
Notice Anxiety Symptoms in your body (you will need to learn which ones come up for you)
Activate Protocol - An example: a) get ice pack and set on chest, b) start 3-3-6 deep breathing c) play anxiety playlist d) journal feelings e) talk to someone
Hopefully, your anxiety level has dropped to a point where you are now able to self reflect and assess what may be going on that led to these symptoms
Remember that anxiety symptoms can feel extremely scary. But, having a protocol that you can implement when you start to feel it, can help you feel more in control. You wont be focused on avoiding the anxiety because you will know how to manage it if it shows up.
Try creating an anxiety protocol yourself and see how it helps! Send me an email to let me know how it worked out for you. If you’d like more personalized support by brainstorming a plan what works specifically for you, or you’d like to learn the underlying mechanisms that lead to the anxiety in the first place, let’s chat.