Hi Marya!

Thanks for dropping in with such a thought provoking comment! When I work with clients in my practice, I think some of the “befriending anxiety” is just me giving people permission to feel anxious. I think sometimes we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to always feel happy or calm. Clearly the volume of anxiety that many of us feel these days is the problem. However, my validation and normalization of someone’s anxiety can at times empower a person to accept their feelings. I find that this acceptance can diminish the power of a feeling a bit. Accepting and normalizing your feelings can diminish its power, and also help put a person in a more observant state.

If a client is in the midst of a breakup, or they are struggling to define their direction in the world, of course they feel anxious! However, the severity of the anxiety is what we need to change.

So with my clients, we try out a host of different tools to develop a toolbox of approaches that work in different contexts. So for instance, one client might find that in class squeezing a stress ball is helpful, or using Zentangle techniques (www.zentangle.com) calms them. At home they might find relief using a gazing meditation, or bouncing on a yoga ball and throwing a ball against the wall simultaneously. I really try to help people find a combination of approaches that they can use when their energy is high or low, when they are with others, or alone. We tune into where they experience anxiety in their body, and work from there to decide which approaches will best address the body’s needs. I use a combination of sensory and art based approaches, and distraction and breathing techniques.

I hope that this answered your question. What sorts of approaches do you find useful? Please share!

All the best,

Amy