How Can I Live with a Sense of Ease and Comfort…Now?

After years of anxiety and panic attacks, I have found ease and comfort. That journey was unnecessarily long. Had I known then what I know now about body awareness, trauma, and healing, I could have reached peace in my body-mind much sooner. I call it “body-mind” for a reason.

Our mind resides in our body. Everything we do, say, or even think starts in our body.

The beginning of our anxiety (and anxious thoughts) shows up as a reptilian reaction to a sensation in our body, a ripple of threat or a sense of doom lurking below our consciousness.

If we don’t catch it there, it continues to take form through our emotions.

We experience fear, as if “something is wrong”.

The fear forms a “sense of doom” fueled by fight/flight, and by the time it has become a thought that can reach our consciousness, it’s too late. We’re already down the rabbit hole, and it will take tremendous effort to shift course.

My “Stop. Drop. Check.” technique is one tool that helps me catch anxiety forming early and shifts it before it gains momentum.

I use the Stop. Drop. Check. technique to find my core and become centered, so I can release the pain and discomfort that creates the anxiety. It works wonders.

Stop

Stop = Scan your environment. Ask yourself, “Am I safe?” If the answer is no, remove yourself and find a safe place. If the answer is yes, move on to “Drop.”

Drop

Drop = Exhale and let go of controlling your breathing. Bring your attention into your body, into your Self. Surrender, not to the situation, but, rather, to your internal Self. Let go and sink inside.

When you notice your next exhale, keep your attention directed deep inside your body and move on to “Check.”

Check

Check = Ask your Self, “What am I feeling in my body? What sensations?” Keep your attention on your sensations and notice how you feel. Allow whatever is there to surface, bubble up, and dissolve.

Choose

Choose = When you feel your body has come back to neutral, do a body scan and decide how you want to respond.

The “Stop. Drop. Check.” technique is a form of Self-care because it puts the brakes on reactive behaviors that might land you in regret, which is always an opportunity for you to beat your Self up.

This technique points to the difference between “reaction” and “response”.

The more we allow our Self to experience what is going on in our body, the faster we can resolve the pain that creates the anxiety in the first place. We do not need to rehash the story or go back to the trauma. This is about here and now. How can I feel okay with a sense of ease and comfort…Now!?

Personally, the bottom line for me was this: I was raising two children while my body-mind was a pressure cooker of emotions, physical pain, and mental anguish. It hurt to live that way – me, for one, but more importantly, my children. I can’t do anything about the damage I did to my Self or my two daughters by living that way. But, I can help my Self and my adult children now by living more body-mind-full and helping others to do so.

Download my free "Stop. Drop. Check." guided practice and start your journey to body-mind awareness today. Click here to get instant access to this transformative tool that has helped countless others find their path to inner calm.

I have learned that, when you seek help to deal with your anxiety, anger, or negative behaviors, you should be sure that the person you decide to trust has training in body awareness.

And I recommend consulting a seasoned somatic coach with personal experience. Your recovery will be so much faster.

If you can relate to my personal story and think you may want to explore a way to feel more ease and comfort in your life, I invite you to contact me on my website.