Orlando Therapist Providing Anxiety Therapy

These days you can respond to your boss’s email, text your partner about the kids, google search a recipe for your dinner,  answer your best friend’s phone call, and shop for your mom’s birthday gift all at the same.  This makes you a super-efficient human being, right?

Nope, it doesn’t.  It makes you a super stressed-out and anxious human doing in a pressure cooker about explode with anxiety.

You know the feeling, the heart starts pounding, breath gets short, thoughts start racing about deadlines and the insurmountable to-do list, anxiety is building, and you’re feeling edgy, especially with your closest loved ones. 

Next thing you know, BOOM, you say the asshole thought you were thinking and just earned yourself a first place position on the wall of shame.  Now you’re really feeling like shit.

Imagine this was a scene from a movie and we could rewind back to the part where your heart starts racing.  Pause there.

Tuning into the body’s cues of stress and anxiety are actually very helpful in learning to calm ourselves when we are under a ton of pressure.  The body has many ways of letting us know we’re getting to the edge of our own personal window of tolerance for dealing with things. 

So, what do you do when your body is telling you, you are getting close to an anxiety-filled freak out mode?

Choose to focus on each of your five senses.  Yep, it’s that simple.  But it takes practice, specifically a mindfulness practice.

As an anxiety and trauma therapist providing counseling in Orlando, I want to guide you through this Quickie Five Sense Meditation that will help you deal with anxiety and every day stress.  After you do this a few times to the script, you will be able to do it on your own when you’re in pinch.

If you would like to listen to me guide you, just click on the link below. Or you can read the script below the link and guide yourself through.  I find it easier to be guided, especially the first few times.

Quickie Five Sense Meditation

Quickie Five Sense Meditation Script....

Before we start, check your level of anxiety right now.  On a scale of one to ten, ten feels like you’re about to explode and one feels like you're totally zenned out, where is your anxiety right now?

Ok, now let’s get started…

What is the closest sound you hear right now?  Just notice.  What is the furthest away sound you hear? Just notice.  Which sound is more appealing to you?  Allow your attention to go there. Savor that.

Allow your attention to go your sense of touch.  What does your skin notice most right now?  It may be your clothing?  Maybe it is the cool breeze from the wind blowing.  Maybe it is the warm feeling of the sun beaming down. Tune into the subtleties of the touch sense.  Do you notice your hair tickling your face or on your shoulder? Become aware of the subtle things touching your skin.

Bring your awareness to your sense of taste.  Do you notice a particular taste in your mouth? Maybe you can sense the flavor of your last meal. Maybe by bringing awareness to your mouth, you notice you are thirsty.  Notice the subtle tastes in your mouth.

Look around you.  What do colors do you see?  What shapes do you see? Is there anything specific you find aesthetically pleasing?  Allow your gaze to go there.  Savor that. 

Tune into your sense of smell.  Do you notice any strong smells?  How about any subtle smells? Or do you notice the absence of a scent.  Just notice.

Allow yourself to tune into your inner stillness.  Find this place within you and relish in your in your own sense of calm.

Check your level of anxiety now?  Is it lower than before?

After practicing the Quickie Five Sense Meditation a few times to the script, and building that mindfulness muscle, you can start to do this on your own, especially when your body cues you to the fact that your stress levels are about to take flight. 

Happy Day!

Lauran

Mindful Living Counseling Orlando offers anxiety therapy, trauma counseling, eating disorder recovery, teen counseling, and EMDR Therapy in Orlando, Florida. We also specialize in helping people heal old broken relationship patterns that keep them from finding, creating, and keeping healthy relationships with partners, friends, and family. At Mindful Living Counseling Orlando, we use a down-to-earth approach infused with cutting-edge therapies that go beyond traditional talking to help clients feel calm in their body and mind and find peace within themselves. Please visit our free Guided Meditations to help you feel settled and calm now.