The 3 Step Anxiety Reset

0:00Hey, this is Port Shepherd and welcome to the Mindset Change podcast. What an episode I have for you because what if I told you that you could move from feeling anxious to calm and confident in just three easy steps? Now, you might not believe me, but this is a technique I created for myself after years of anxiety struggle. I have shared it with hundreds of clients who also love how quickly it can work. If I bump into a client that I worked with years ago, it's the one technique they tell me they still do to this very day. Now, just imagine being able to go into any situation knowing exactly what to do to stop anxiety or stress in its tracks. And just imagine no one will know that you're even doing this technique to remain as cool

1:07as a cucumber. Wouldn't it be lovely to go into any situation where there's a risk that your mind and body might want to go into fight or flight and you just know what to do? This will be very different with this method in your talk about. So the method is very easy to remember as it's called ABC. Now step one is A and it stands for accept because one of the biggest mistakes we can all make with anxiety, stress, anger, frustration and life is resisting it. This simply trains the brain to perceive anything you're experiencing as dangerous and this can cause your anxiety and stress levels to be turned up even higher.

2:08And the reason being your limbic system, which is your survival and emotional parts of the brain, begin to take control when you are anxious and stressed and it does that to get you to safety. That is your priority and it will tighten its grip the more you resist what you're experiencing. Your natural anxious thoughts, which can feel dark, catastrophizing, intrusive and uncomfortable can be seen as even more threatening, which can cause you to push them away or to try to change them into something more positive. And then you are accompanying feelings and sensations can be misinterpreted as something is terribly wrong. So you again, you're trying to push them away, try to avoid feeling them or try to numb them as much as possible. And who hasn't done that?

3:08This is why acceptance is so important because it will begin to train your brain to change your experience of anxiety. This is where you can begin to allow yourself to experience your thoughts, your feelings and your sensations without chasing them away or trying to change them far too quickly. Now I know how hard this can feel. I know how hard it is to accept something that can feel that uncomfortable to experience. But with small steps and regular practice, it does become easier. I've seen it with my clients and I've experienced it myself. And it becomes something that over time will become so natural to do, it will happen without you even thinking about it. And to make it easier for you, we have step two, B, which stands for breathe.

4:13Have you noticed when you feel anxious or stressed that you begin to shallow chest and mouth breathe? Now this begins to activate the sympathetic nervous system which is part of your fight or flight response, which is absolutely brilliant if you're ever in danger. But not so much if you're just going for an interview or you're trying to catch your holiday flight. It's very simple. You begin to swap your shallow breathing by taking a few normal breaths in through the nose and then slowly out through the nose. When you're ready, begin to extend your exhale as you breathe out as this begins to activate your parasympathetic nervous system. And this signals to the brain that you are safe. Your limbic system begins to loosen its grip as your smart, rational brain to prefrontal

5:17cortex begins to come back online to help you. Practicing breath work will make this much easier for you. And our link to breath work exercises in the show's description to help you not only train your mind and body to become calm quite quickly, but also to help it become much more resilient when you're facing natural challenges in life. But to take things to the next level, we have step three. And step three is C and it stands for choose. Did you know that making a choice no matter how small when you feel anxious or stressed continues to bring your smart brain back online. And there are plenty of choices you can make to stop anxiety in its tracks, reverse it back so you can feel calm and confident once again. And here are two of my favorite choices.

6:18Number one, simply choosing to label your experience. So this could look like to simply saying, this is just anxiety. This is normal and it will pass soon. This is just anxiety. It is normal and it will pass soon. Watch how quickly anxiety reduces when you combine that with accepting and breathing. And then we have choosing curiosity. This is a really powerful way to explore without any judgment or analysis what you are experiencing, what's going on in your mind, what's going on in your body, what's going on around you. This can really shift your anxiety state to a more curious state incredibly quickly. And try to hold feeling anxious and curiosity at the same time. It is incredibly difficult. And the thing I love about this method is how confident it can make you feel.

7:24No more being held back by any situation where there might be a risk of anxiety or stress. You know you can adapt to whatever comes your way. That is a game changer for life. Practice this method and let me know in a comment what happens for you. I would love to know what you're experiencing. And if you want to know more about other choices and how I can help you liberate yourself from your unconscious patterns that create any anxiety stress that try to hold you back, then come and join me in my community. See the link below. And my book, anxiety is your wake up call. It's now finally out in the wild for you to read and experience. I'll put the link down below in the show notes too. And if you would like to share what's helped you with anxiety, what's not helped, let me know below in the comments.

8:27Let's keep inspiring your channel to grow and thrive like never before. Thank you so much for joining me for this episode. Remember my friends, I am you, you and me, we are one. Have a wonderful, peaceful and present day.