# 1 EXERCISE: When we are feeling anxious, our fight-or-flight mode is engaged, our nervous system feels wired tight, and our cortisol (stress hormones) go through the roof. This is a physiological process that strongly affects our emotional and mental state, and we can quickly become overwhelmed and ungrounded.

The antidote is to discharge the energy and burn off the stress through exercise. My favorite way to work out is lifting weights, but going for a walk, jumping rope, or doing any enjoyable activity that gets your heart rate up can help you shift your physiology fast. Even just 10 minutes of that type of activity can bring us back to baseline!

# 2 ACCEPTANCE: Often anxiety is really a reaction to feeling that we don't know how we will solve a particular problem, or how things are going to work out in a situation. It can be eased by accepting that there is an unknown element, AND accepting how we feel. This looks like, "It's OK that I don't know what to do. It's OK that I don't know how things are going to work out right now. And it's OK that I'm upset about it."

#3 COACH YOURSELF: When I'm feeling anxiety, I say to myself, "Even though I feel afraid, feelings aren't facts. I am safe, and everything is going to be OK. Even though I don't know how a solution can come into this situation, and even though I feel worried, things will work out. And, it's OK to feel how I feel right now. It will pass."

This works really well. In speaking as above, we are detaching our identity from the feeling. We go from "I am anxious" to "I feel anxious," which connects us to our observer consciousness. When we do that, we stop letting anxiety drive our thinking and take control of the narrative.

This is very important because we tend to believe whatever feels true, and what feels true when we are frightened or triggered is generally negative. This is why people can "spiral out." So, we can short circuit a spiral by naming the feelings, and in so doing, we are able to detach a little bit and shift from reacting to creating.

# 4 REVERSE WORRY: Often anxiety accompanies catastrophizing, imagining the worst. This creates a negative feedback loop. It helps to interrupt this negative visualization and envision a positive outcome instead!

We can take it a step further and imagine how relieved we will feel when things turn out well. Really embodying that relief, that peace of mind, makes it manifest!

# 5 REDIRECT: When we feel stuck in a negative state, often the mind gets into an obsessive loop, focusing and dwelling on the perceived problem. We can shift our attention from thinking about the stressful situation, worrying, or ruminating (fruitless problem-solving) by doing something enjoyable or productive that fully engages us in the present moment.

Cleaning or decluttering gives a sense of control over the immediate environment. Sometimes a change of scenery is called for: Leave home to go run errands, do an act of service for a friend or neighbor, or simply go sit outside in the park and commune with some trees for awhile. Whatever you choose, do something that gets your mind off of things. Energy flows where focus goes, so focus on something positive!

Plus, this raises our vibe and helps us resonate with the realm of divine help, so we can receive solutions.