We all need to be ready for change. What if it all seems to be too much right now?
From time to time, things can get on top of us and cause us to feel anxious. These feelings may increase to the point where they become unbearable. In such moments we are no longer concerned with the facts such as mounting debts or ill health. We have become overwhelmed by the anxieties such facts cause us to feel.
So what can we do about such truly awful feelings? Well, if we are suddenly struck while at work or shopping say, we can find a space and let time pass:
Let Time Pass
Sit – Close eyes – Hands on knees
Let what is in your mind be in your mind
Let your thoughts be
Let your feelings be
When you feel calm, open your eyes
This is a version of the ‘face, accept, float, let time pass’ technique developed by Dr. Claire Weekes (‘Peace from Nervous Suffering’, 1972).
If we have more time and space available to us we can choose to practice mindful relaxation. Here is a straightforward version of mindfulness that I use with some of my clients:
Mindfulness
Sit – Close eyes – Hands on knees
Three deep breaths
Notice what is in your mind
Say: I am thinking about … – It’s just there – I’m going to let … go
Notice what you are feeling
Say: I feel … in my … – It’s just there – I’m going to let … go
After a while:
Three deep breaths
Open your eyes
Lift your hands from your knees
There are, of course, many different versions of mindfulness and many different applications of mindful techniques. I first came across the practice of mindfulness at Recovery College Collective (ReCoCo) in Newcastle upon Tyne. The above is an adaptation of what I learned there.
To address issues within your body such as stress and tension the technique of body scanning can be of great. Here is a simple version:
Body Scanning
Start with the top of your head and work your way down to the tips of your toes
Say: I feel … in my … – It’s just there – I’m going to let … go
Stretch your face and limbs – relax
Tense your muscles – relax
Then start with the tips of your toes and work your way up to the top of your head
Body scanning can be practiced on its own or together with longer, more involved mindful techniques favoured by many such as Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Taken together these three techniques address issues in the here and now, in troubling thoughts and in difficult feelings. They also serve as a useful preparation for further investigations and potentially useful understandings through counselling and psychotherapy.
David Large Therapy 