Anxiety is the Water of the Sea of Daily Crap.

I swam through my share 2010-2011. I was living alone, unemployed, and I borrowed five figures from an Australian man to start my business. It wasn’t pretty. I had more than one panic attack.

As time went on, I rook refuge in my support system– family, job stability, and pursuing my dreams. Anxiety, however, can never be eliminated. Only managed. And I had no idea the compounding effect it was having.

I reached a breaking point for stress this year.  Hiring employees, running my business, fulfilling writing jobs, and live shows for #WhoWouldWin almost did me in. I finally decided I was going to say fuck it and not let anxiety run my life anymore. Issues may come and go but anxiety remains like an invisible case of super-herpes. I was tired of living with it so I went searching for answers.

I found them. Crystal talked to me about her meditation techniques for anxiety. I did martial arts for years and learned something about it, but hadn’t thought or tried anything in about ten years now. I went looking online to become an expert via reading an article. I stumbled on this one:

https://www.yogajournal.com/videos/use-a-chair-for-meditation

This one stood out because I sit in a chair a lot. I wondered if I could meditate and manage my anxiety while sitting in my chair. That was the starting point.

Now I meditate twice a day. I begin by sitting on the floor–cross-legged– flat on my tush. Once I’m settled and still, the deep breathing begins– in through the nose, holding it in, then letting it escape by seeping out the mouth. Relaxing the tension in my jaws, muscles, and lower back came next.

The jaws are vital. I never realized how much tension I carried in my jaw muscles. We’re taught early in life not to sit with our mouth open, or as we say in the South, “are you trying to catch some flies?”

Open your mouth and let your jaw hang. When sitting down to breathe, allow your chin to drop and relax until it feels like candle-wax melting towards the floor. Same with shoulders and lower back.

If you don’t shower regularly, what happens? Dirt and grime infest your skin and pores. Same thing with anxiety. Meditation is as necessary to mental hygiene as showering regularly.  If you aren’t stopping to meditate in stillness, with a focused mind, deep breathing, and light stretching throughout your day then your anxiety will keep festering.