Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong Spring forest for anxiety?

Hi Marianne. Sorry to hear of your struggle with anxiety. I experience some feelings of anxiety from time to time as well. What works for me is to assume the attitude of a disinterested observer. I acknowledge the fact that my body and my mind are experiencing some 'undirected feelings of stress' and let whatever happens be OK. That's easier said than done, but it does work for me.

Sometimes these feelings turn out to be vague premonitions of impending changes in my daily routine or responsibilities. Other times they seem to signal a shift in or a movement to a new level of awareness. This implies growth, and growth is often uncomfortable because it means I have to let go of an old, comfortable way of doing and being and embrace a new (scary!) way of doing and being. Let's face it. Change can be scary and it often means we have to work a little bit. I resist having to work (doesn't everybody?) but discomfort often comes from the resistance, not from the effort itself.

All of these premonitions, movements and shifts seem to be made more intense if/when the movement of chi through my body is impeded in some way. I am convinced that the free and unhampered movement of energy through my body helps me relax and allows me to better cope with things as they arise.

Another thing that I try to do is to focus on one thing at a time. I find myself getting nervous when I look too far ahead. It's too much.

I also try not to figure out "What's the right thing to do next"? I focus instead on "How do I do the next thing right?" I don't get all caught up in it, I try to trust my own first impressions and judgment. Sometimes I'm right. Sometimes I'm not. But when I'm not, I learn something and I take it for what it's worth.

Be confident in your own ability to cope with people and situations as they come into your life. Like the rest of us, you can only do one thing at a time so just focus in on what that one thing is, and do it. We learn more from difficult people and situations than we do from those that are easy. Remember, "If the mountain was smooth, you wouldn't have to climb it!" and "Nobody gets strong by reading books about weight - lifting!"

You have a great tool for self-development in Qigong. Just keep practicing. When you feel stressed-out, take a minute or two for Small Universe. Observe your feelings of anxiety from a dispassionate perspective.

Remember, they're just emotions. You don't have to act on them. They're coming about because your body is producing a chemical in your brain. That's all it is.

Let the feelings pass through you like wind through a screen door. Don't hold onto them. Remember, discomfort and pain comes from resisting what is. Identify what you're feeling. Name your emotions. "I'm feeling fear" or "I feel nervous" Name your emotions but don't hold onto them. Let whatever your feeling or experiencing arise, come into being and then pass away without holding onto it in any way.

The Small Universe exercise always helps me reduce stress because it helps me "flush" energy through my body.

Maybe repeating the affirmation, "I am in the universe, the universe is in me, the universe and I are one" will help you as well.

I have affirmations that I tie in with my breathing. I inhale while mentally saying "I am..." and exhale while mentally saying "...at peace". That's one I like to use with Small Universe. It's short, sweet and highly effective (at least for me).

God bless.