You are a source of comfort to me. Very grateful.
Thank you for the course. I’m just about to start week 3 and I think it is definitely helping.
Can you please explain how to “turn off nervous tension” which you say to do. Is there a technique like there is for relaxing?
Hi @LloydS. The intention is to get you to experience turning off your nervous tension. Are you able to do it? If you can what does it feel like?
Hi David I haven’t been able to experience turning off nervous tension. I don’t know how and I think it’s a major factor in my chronic stress. I can relax muscular tension now, so I’d really appreciate some techniques and suggestions for turning off nervous tension as well. Thanks
What is the new 21 day program. After 3 videos
I recently received 3 videos. Now what is 21 day program. I get back to old one that has been on site. Is that the one your are talking about? Hard to navigate. Maybe
Maybe my computer? Finding hard to navigate. I am subscribed and it seems to keep sending me to subscribe more or again!
Hi Bette. Yes the 21 day program is the (old) anxiety program that is in our Programs area. Many of the people who sign up to receive the 3 emails are new to the sign so haven’t seen the anxiety program before. Apologies for the confusion.
In respect to the nervous tension, the first step is simply feeling it. Do you feel that you can be still, close your eyes and feel the nervous tension in your body?
In my own experience, tackling anxiety/panic attacks was like peeling an onion: getting to the core had to come in learning stages. I could not meditate in the beginning, my “generalized anxiety disorder” was a on-coming I didn’t understand; Today, people are much more open to talking about the suffering and the techniques that help them better their quality of life.
Week 3 tips are very good ones. What one strives to do is turn on the parasympathetic nervous system and that can be done by diet, counting backwards from 5 to 1, or other techniques for being present, like yoga has been good for me, but it does take practice like getting good at any endeavor does. Explore childhood traumas. Be on the web, looking into research and website that appeal to you. Dr. Kelly Brogan has been a pioneer in helping people come out of anxious / depressive states.
Hello Interested in Kelly Brogren. Can u tell me what to look? What would help? Anxiousness makes me not able to concentrate I need to start simple. Thanks
I can recognise when i feel nervous tension - tingling and the urge to be doing, and sometimes catastrophising thoughts that are hard to let go even when concentrating on breathing.
I wondered if there was a physical technique for turning it off, or letting it go as there is for physical tension such as softening and letting gravity take over.
Hi Lloyd.
Yes, relaxation can be effective, absolutely. But I think what you’re referring to is the ongoing tendency of your mind to create tension and anxiety in your body. To address that, you need to watch and learn from what your mind is doing and that requires that you are paying attention as much as possible. It helps to ask questions like “Why do I feel the way I do?” or “How am I reacting to my current situation?”, questions that prompt you to look deeper into your common, everyday experience.
Does that make sense?
Thanks. That helps.
When I finished the course I found (briefly) that I seemed to change down a gear while eating lunch - much more slowly and mindfully. It’s been difficult to keep in a lower gear though, so I’m now doing parts of the course again.
I’ve been depressed a long time. Read a little of Kelly Brogan’s. Feel duped like she says. Where to start to get off meds. Find anxiety class hard to follow at times. Now did day 3. Don’t feel. Light. Just a lot of body pain. Is this for younger people. Hard to concentrate. I’m 70. Been doing yoga 30 some years, but usually on own. Using drs, meds Thanks for listening. Bette
Thanks @LloydS and @bette.bukrey for sharing.
This is hard, no doubt about it. Keep in mind that things will shift when you open up and feel what you’re experiencing. The hard part is that when you do that, it feels like you’re making it worse. But you’re not. If you feel your body openly, without judgment, throughout the day, after some time you will notice something has shifted. It may be small or big, it may take a week or a month, but the point is that things are shifting. You just need to trust that what you’re feeling is ok and that you can embrace it and let it go.
The other challenge is that it frequently feels like what you’re doing is not helping, since the pain doesn’t seem to go away and it’s overwhelming most of the day. We simply need to be ok with the fact that can take time. We have all developed patterns that are difficult to shift out of, and for you and I that pattern has likely involved pushing away the pain, disliking it and judging ourselves for it. We need to stop doing that, completely. However, when we do, the momentum that we have built up, the momentum that is prolonging our anxiety, depression and inner pain, needs time to slow down and change. It’s just the reality of where we are at.
Thanks for responding and your concern. I will keep putting the time. Bette
Thank you so much for your reply and for the course. As I said, I’m doing much of it again. The pranayama sessions are particularly helpful I find.
Is there a follow up course or something you would recommend to keep up the momentum?
You’re welcome!
The best thing you can do is figure out what works well for you, what you need to do to avoid shifting into the default state of mind that feeds the anxiety. Practice pranayama, do yoga, remain aware of how you are conditioned in your life and let go of the tension and worry that you can create throughout the day.
If you would like more guidance, you could try one of our programs, such as Beginner Yoga for Strength and Flexibility. It’s a 30-Day program with 3 classes per week, so it’s manageable and it’s designed to encourage relaxation and keep your energy levels well balanced.
Take care,
David
Yes today did class 8 or9. Feel the ocean waves and not so much numb and tingling and restless. Still hard to follow. Going back and forth. Anyway to get all classes together? get mixed up trying to get back to 1st part and sometimes skip 2ndm