Brain-Taming Exercises

Will Mindfulness Help My Anxiety?

I want to introduce you to some other daily practices to help you continue to re-train your brain so that the calm, powerful, REAL you is in control of your thoughts, not the reverse.

And so to answer the question "Will mindfulness help my anxiety?" - here are 3 tools that you can use – try any or all of them in whatever order you see fit!

Brain Taming Tool #1 – Mindful Drinking

The most simple and accessible of all 3 of today’s tools, the mindful drinking of your daily cup of coffee or tea or fruit smoothie or simply water is an opportunity to pull yourself out of your brain, and into your being.

Firstly, once you have your drink in front of you, take a long, mindful breath in before beginning the process:

• Slowly wrap your fingers around your mug or bottle, lifting it gently but consciously off the table – feel the grip in your fingers and the weight of the object on your arm as you do so.
• Bring it slowly and gently across to your face, watching it as you bring it closer. Look into the vessel, noticing any steam coming off the surface of the liquid.
• Lift it to your nose, making sure not to dip the tip! Take a deep sniff of the liquid, sensing for any aromas in the moment. Simply observe your thoughts about the smell, perhaps noticing the label your mind puts on it.
• Now slowly raise the vessel to your lips, being careful not to scold yourself; feel the lip of the mug or bottle on your lower lip; notice the intake of your breath across the fluid as you take your sip; sense the liquid as it enters your mouth, the sensation of it as it moves around your tongue, the taste of it on your taste buds; really hone in on that moment when you swallow, and the micro-movements of your mouth and throat as that swallow occurs.

Any old cup or mug or bottle will do for this exercise, but if you feel like you’d appreciate extra guidance in the process, or a reminder to do this EVERY time you enjoy a hot or cold beverage, try using one of our Mindfulness Mugs™.

Brain Taming Tool #2 – The 2 Minute Chill

The first is what I call the “2 Minute Chill”, and is essentially an extension of the Mindful Breathing exercise we learned on Day 1.

It is essentially a mini-meditation, where we focus on conscious breathing, as well as the feelings in our body, to strengthen your ability to create that gap between your thoughts and the calm, powerful, REAL you.

Simply find a quiet spot, and listen to the following audio below:

And when I say a quiet spot, this could be as simple as putting your headphones in and closing your eyes whilst travelling on a bus or train, or on a plane, or at your desk, or (dare I say it) whilst using the restroom.

I’m serious!

Whatever you need to do to get some space and a short amount of time to yourself to listen mindfully for a couple minutes.

Tool #3 – Mindful Walking

OK – this one is soooooo easy – all you need to do is get up and start walking.

But here’s the difference – I want you to focus on really feeling the movement of your body whilst you’re walking:

• Start with your feet, and the heel-to-toe sensation of your feet hitting the ground. Slow your walking down if you need to, to fully appreciate the feeling. Do this for at least 20 steps.
• Notice the action of your arms as they swing backwards and forwards on the hinges that are your shoulders. Feel the weight of your arms as they swing forward and backward, the subtle breeze of the air as it rushes through and past your fingers.
• Notice the movement of your hips and your backside as your legs move backwards and forwards. Feel how your spine feels supported in this whole body process of simply walking in a straight line.

Do this for as long as you want to. Breathe consciously whilst you’re doing so.

ALL of the exercises above will help you strengthen your ability to access a peaceful and empowered state through present moment awareness.

And the more you do them, the stronger your ability will be to create space between anxiety-inducing thoughts and the calm, powerful, REAL you that resides behind, observing everything through the lens of detachment.

PS. Please take advantage of my FREE 8-Day Anxiety Relief Program if you've not done so already - sign up below!