When I moved across the world (twice), everything I knew was suddenly different. The familiarity of everyday life was gone.
When even the language is different, simple things like shopping for food become overwhelming.
The first time, in my early twenties, I didn’t even know what yoga was. I didn’t really know what anxiety was either but in hindsight, the tears, that feeling of an elephant sitting on your chest and the overwhelm to the point of not knowing what next step to take, that was anxiety.
I didn’t have the tools and what got me through that difficult time was the support of friends and family until I had a new normal – a job, a place to live, the words to do my grocery shopping.
The second time, I had yoga, I was even a certified yoga teacher! And it helped – a lot. I signed up for classes at a local studio, I didn’t have to learn a new language and I even made a friend!
But when the same feelings sneaked in off the mat, I still wasn’t sure what to do (also it’s hard to take your own advice sometimes!). I’d had a home yoga practice on and off for years, but the practice I had used wasn’t working for me this time.
With the help of my yoga teacher (also a yoga therapist), I now had the tools and the support to integrate them into real life.
With what I learned then, and what I know now, here are 3 ways to deal with anxiety in the moment (and when doing child’s pose in the middle of Wholefoods isn’t an option):
1. Connect with and name sensations in your body: there’s something about recognizing and acknowledging your current experience that can make it less overpowering.
It could be:
“My chest feels tight, and it’s ok.”
“I am breathing”
“I feel my feet on the ground”
2. Humming bee breath: this breathing technique can help to soothe and calm. The sound and a longer exhale gives your nervous system a break.
Practice:
Find yourself a somewhat private spot, like a bathroom or your car (in particular if you’re in a public place!), then take a few natural breaths.
Then, keeping the lips sealed, inhale through the nose.
Exhale as you make a humming sound.
Then repeat as long as it feels good: inhale through the nose, then hum like a buzzing bee as you exhale.
3. Alternate nostril breathing: this is a great way to center the mind, body and emotions. The idea is to direct the breath through one nostril at a time, alternating between left and right.
Practice:
Place your right index and third finger in between your eyebrows.
Block your right nostril with your thumb, inhale through the left nostril.
Block your left nostril with your ring finger, exhale through the right nostril.
Inhale through your right nostril. Block your right nostril with your thumb, exhale through the left nostril.
Repeat 6-12 times.
One more thing I want to share. Creating a routine when everything is changing and there’s no routine is so so so important. For my first few months here in Oregon, I couldn’t yet work, and the idea of days of nothingness, with no structure, was both exciting (the possibilities!) and overwhelming (the possibilities 😯)
So I built my own structure with yoga – I know now that routine is something I crave and thrive in.
It was only 15 minutes in the mornings, but it was enough to bring a sense of structure.