Three Fear Survival Strategies

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PHEW, y’all! Last month was a doozy, and this month is proving to be another interesting one.

In light of current events, I’m going to talk about fear—there’s a lot of that going around these days. Here are three fear survival strategies to keep you from going off the rails.

If you’re already prone to anxiety and distress, then the news is sure to trigger you. First survival strategy: Turn off the TV, delete your social media apps, and be strategic about the information you take in. I understand that’s asking a lot. At first it might elevate your anxiety, but in a couple of days you’ll start to feel calmer.

If your fight or flight response baseline is heightened, then the idea of changing your routine in any way is likely to send you reeling. Second survival strategy: Get outside in nature, let the sun shine on your skin, put your feet in the grass, and feel your essential connection to the earth. That will help you get grounded and take in changes more easily. There’s something “magnetic” about being in nature. ;)

If you are totally freaking out and on the verge of panic, then you might want to “freeze” and do nothing. Third survival strategy: Exercise. You may find that vigorous exercise helps when you’re anxious or stressed. The nervous system doesn’t know the difference between real or imagined threat, so give your heartbeat something REAL to rise about. Walk briskly, cycle, go for a run, go to a hot yoga class, rollerblade, swim, whatever actually matches your physiology. … AND! Some of you might find that “soothing movement” is better for you when you’re on edge. How do you know which one works when? Start doing something. If it makes things worse, do something else. Keep trying until you find the thing that works. It’s truly a process of trial and trial and trial with some errors mixed in.

The TL;DR Version for Surviving Fear and Finding Calm:

  1. Turn off the news, unplug from social media, and be selective about your sources for information. Set boundaries around information intake.

  2. Go outside and connect to the earth. Touch a tree. Put your feet in the grass. Reconnect to the earth’s magnetic field and let yourself take a few deep breaths.

  3. Get moving. Find a way to move that works for you and do it daily.

  4. BONUS, not above: Eat your greens, and remember that you have more control over your internal environment than you might think.

So there you are…these are good practices even when people aren’t cuckoo-bananas about [insert issue of the day here]. Give them a try. Let me know how they work for you!