3 ways to reduce Anxiety- Trusting The Moment

The last two weeks have been pretty tough as my girls are on school holidays but my work needed to continue, sending newsletters and seeing patients. Finding time to perform my daily yoga practice at home was proving to be nearly impossible. I sensed a loss of control over my situation, leading to stress and anxiety.

However, I recently came across this passage, which has resonated deeply with me and which helps me immensely whenever I feel the need to control everything. So I tend to come back to it regularly, indeed on a daily basis.

“The world is a work of art, and so am I. For me to contribute positively to this ongoing creation, it is necessary that I trust the process of life. If things get difficult, I confidently go within and anchor my thoughts in truth and love. I ask for the guidance of the universe as I make my way safely through stormy seas and calm, blissful weather. My job is to stay in the present moment and to choose clear, simple, positive thoughts and words. I know it isn’t necessary or even possible to have a reason for everything. I do know that I was born a beautiful and trusting soul. I take a moment now to treasure the mysterious and invisible process of life that I am.”

Frequently we fight against the natural progression of life by exercising what we think of as control over our destinies; we navigate stormy seas by sailing against the tide. And sometimes it’s the right thing to do. Often, however, control leads to angst, which leads to stress and ultimately results in the onset of related health conditions.

To avoid this, I take three key points from this passage and constantly remind myself:

Letting go – to trust the hand at the tiller and the ocean’s tide. To allow life to take me on a natural path by being present and allowing intuition to lead. This approach, while seemingly flighty, can have unexpected benefits; think of how much easier it is to be a passenger rather than a pilot, it’s less stressful being on life’s journey if you don’t have to navigate. And lower stress levels mean better health.

I may not have all the answers – if we choose to accept that we may not have all the answers and that we might not need them anyway, and that there may not be a reason behind everything, we’ll be better equipped to accept and trust ourselves and life as a whole.

Trust in myself – it’s important to trust yourself, to believe in the positive thoughts you encounter when you’re truly present. There’s no reason to temper positivity with doubt if you trust in yourself and in life. So many people place their confidence in preconceived notions or in societal norms, whereas if you have more faith in your naturally positive thoughts and trust life you’ll find yourself feeling far more in control without having to actually be in control.

We take each breath trusting that the next will follow. Let’s begin to trust our experience of the present moment, to trust in ourselves, and true life will follow.

“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.”― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust: First Part

mi-yogaḥ offers customised yoga therapy sessions that provide you with tools of physical postures, breathing and mediattion to help you combat stress and anxiety. To book a session click on Yoga therapy page.