When you think of a seesaw, you probably think of being in a park. When on it, you bounce up on one side and push down on the other. The two sides are in constant motion and, most of the time, always unbalanced.
Now, think of each side of the seesaw having an associated charge to it. One end is positive, and the other being negative. Like any normal seesaw, as it goes down, it comes right back up. In life, bad things are inevitable. Life will pull you down, hit you with heartache, grief, or hardships (the negative).
But life is inevitably as good. As the seesaw sends you back up to the top, you may feel happiness or tranquility. You seem to have never-ending drive and passion for your work and hobbies. You feel good about yourself and feel confident within yourself, the health of your relationships, and your goals.
This constant ranging motion of the seesaw can be seen as the fluctuating emotions of anxious individuals. There are good days, where we feel on top of the world. Then, we get hit with days of suffering, pain, and fear. The tranquility is what anxious people crave, but the motions of our mind and body create this false reality that this state of calmness can't be achieved.
Getting to the top of the seesaw when staring at it from the bottom is a difficult mind obstacle. There is the fear of never making it up again, of being stuck drowning in fear and feeling as if you are never enough. Being in this lower state, you conclude that no one deserves to be around you.
However, there is one thing to remember, you aren't on the seesaw forever. You end up stepping off and walking away.
By walking away, I don't mean avoiding your anxiety and filling your days with busy work and activities to distract yourself from the pain. Instead, I offer walking away from the racing mind and focusing more on the associating physical symptoms your body is enduring.
Physical symptoms associated with anxiety include (but are not limited to) headaches, heart palpitations, muscle strain, poor sleep, and more. When you experience a physical response to anxiety, a variety of scenarios can happen.
First, your mind could begin to create thoughts, making you feel as if you are in immense danger (ever heard of fight or flight?). The most common could be health-related anxiety. For example, we could worry that a simple headache could be a brain tumor. When something begins to hurt, our anxious mind can formulate detailed thoughts and worries regarding the pain site. The fear can grow into irrational thinking that can prevent us from doing what we love.
With our minds and bodies feeling painful, it can be challenging to complete daily tasks and function without becoming distracted. Aside from that, it can feel relentless and exhausting to manage, especially if we are not equipped with the proper coping mechanisms.
However, what if I told you that there is a way to relax your somatic symptoms, and in turn, relax the accompanying thoughts?
The solution: mindfulness activities.
By engaging in mindfulness activities, we can ease our bodily responses and eventually sync the relaxation responses with our racing minds.
In mindfulness-based activities, we separate our thoughts from ourselves. We begin to calm our bodies through breathing, closing our eyes, or progressively relaxing muscles in groups.
For example, one popular mindfulness activity is a body scan. To start, close your eyes and notice where the tension or pain is in your body. (if it helps, take time afterward to write down the specific places). Diverting attention to your body can help center you on the present and give you the warning sign you need to care for those tight areas.
As we gradually relieve our physical symptoms, our bodies begin to relax and release from the fight or flight state. Our mind has an influential role in dictating our physical condition, and once the body becomes relaxed, the mind won't have the pain site to formulate scenarios out of.
Releasing from fight or flight can also allow us to reframe our thoughts and look at the situation from a more relaxed and leveled state of mind. Investing time in locating where our somatic symptoms are coming from and how we can take care of them begins the process of providing self-care and teaches us how to prioritize our health.
Knowing where and when these somatic symptoms arise can allow us to prepare and remain aware of when the pain could reappear. Knowing specific triggers can enable us to communicate this with those close to us and notify them of when we need support.
A complete list of mindfulness-based activities can be found here https://moniquetallon.com/10-simple-ways-to-practice-mindfulness-in-our-daily-life/.
Here is a reminder that not all mindfulness activities work the same for everyone, and it's essential to find the activity that works best for your health, your routine, and your physical and mental needs. Just because one thing doesn't work doesn't mean another one won't!
If you find your mind resorting back to the seesaw. Remember that you can always walk away to take time to focus on yourself and your needs.
(PSA: I am not a certified doctor. All experiences described in this article are from personal experience and do not serve as a clinical diagnosis for anxiety. If you believe that your feelings and somatic symptoms are related to anxiety, I urge you to talk to your primary care physician, or seek guidance from a licensed mental health professional).
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