Emotions are information, our body’s way to help direct us into action. The way our body responds to stress is a protective mechanism, powerfully functional in actual danger but sometimes limiting when the danger is only perceived (vs a running away from a tiger).  Heart racing, body tension, stomach aches, and fearful thoughts don’t help us with most modern stressors, but they are signals from our body that we need to stop and take action.

When you are experiencing anxiety, there are a number of ways to help signal from the body back up to the brain “I am safe, I am okay, no need to stay on high alert”.  Guided meditation and breathing exercises are powerful ways to help the body to slow down and help you change your state of mind.  Going on a walk to move blood flow and energy, admiring something beautiful like the details in a tree leaf, engaging your senses to pull your focus away from rumination into the present moment, and finding something that makes you laugh are all ways to shift your state of mind.

During this week’s political stress, our team offered live drop-in online meditation sessions, which you can view below. You can follow along in the comfort of your own home, or even just listen and follow as a break in the middle of the day to reset.

Dea Luvon, MSW, LSWAIC

Join licensed social worker Dea Luvon in this 10-minute guided meditation. She offers a way to rest using breath and focus, moving from head to toe.  Shift your nervous system from on alert to open and relaxed.

Kate Dillon

Join meditation teacher and intimacy coach Kate Dillon in this 20-minute guided meditation. In addition to a guided body breathing exercise, Kate offers words of wisdom via poetry and suggestions for how to get to a calm state. Shift your nervous system from alert to open and relaxed.