Managing Anxiety with Mind-Body Practices and Christian Counseling (Part 1 of 2)

Anxiety Bites!

Responding to anxiety is like trying to ward off an attacking dog. What would you do if a hound sank its teeth into your arm? Pull away, perhaps? It’s instinctive—a ferocious beast lunges towards you, you retract to safety. However, I have been told by a Boy Scout or two that the exact opposite response is safest. If you pull your arm out of the dog’s mouth, it will dig in further to keep it’s grip; but if you push your arm into the dog’s mouth, it releases its bite, causing less damage to your arm. Yes, those fearsome incisors will still penetrate the flesh, but they won’t rip you to shreds in the end.

Anxiety Isn’t the Enemy

So is anxiety like an attacking beast aimed at destroying me? Well, not exactly. Anxiety isn’t the enemy – It’s a God-given warning sign meant to protect you. When you feel anxiety, your brain is sending a message to your body to warn you of an actual or perceived danger. In the angry dog analogy, anxiety is comparable to the pain you feel when the dog’s teeth sink into your arm. If you pull away from the pain of the puncture wound, the animal will dig in further and cause greater damage. The same is true of anxiety. If you try to run from it, ignore it, or alleviate it by thoughts or behaviors that bring temporary relief, you will experience more harmful long-term effects. However, when you focus on the feeling of anxiety, accept it, and feel your body in it, you will notice a flow. The nervous system sends currents in a wave-like motion through your body. The tension grows stronger and stronger until you eventually come safely to the other side. By paying attention to your body, you communicate to your brain that the anxiety won’t actually destroy you. It may not feel great, but you’re strong enough to recover from it.

Distinguishing between Actual and Perceived Danger

Although anxiety is not the enemy, its appearance in situations of perceived (as opposed to actual) danger can limit us from living life to the fullest. I am a vocalist. After decades of solo and group performances, I have never experienced any actual threat to my physical or emotional safety during a performance. No rotten tomatoes, no yelling to get off the stage, no phantom menaces vengefully releasing giant chandeliers upon unsuspecting audiences. Yet, despite years of experience, I occasionally find myself in a spell of performance anxiety before stepping on stage. My heart races, my breathing becomes shallow, and my body feels jittery. In case of an actual disaster, this fight-or-flight response would be quite useful. However, as my body prepares to ward off a perceived threat, it leaves few remaining resources to energize my singing. The anxiety limits me from being able to accomplish my goal in that moment. This is just one example of how anxiety symptoms sometimes do more harm than good. In 2nd Timothy 1:7, Paul says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (New King James Version).” I have found that mind-body practices help me to regain the strength that God intended for my mind. Before performing, I often employ a mind-body practices that I describe below. Over the years, I have noticed a decreased frequency and intensity of performance anxiety as a result. Stay tuned as next week I share with you four mind-body practices that train your brain to respond to anxiety in a healthy way.

Images: freedigitalphotos.net “Depressed Business Man” by David Castillo Dominic