Thoughts on Healing and Living

Hi Reader,

I was having a panic attack the other day. It always starts the same way:

I ate,

got a cramp in my stomach, and

then I started thinking about how bad it feels to have a cramp,

feeling trapped,

sad my life has been full of so many stomach aches,

wondering if I'll ever have a normal life...

This little pity party usually lasts a half hour or so until I feel totally defeated, and when the panic finally passes, I go into a state of collapse where I'm not exactly tired but don't have the will to get things done the way I need to.

I had a health coach who used to call it 'tired but wired.'

But this panic attack was different...

When I noticed my stomach start to tense up, I gently interrupted myself with a kind statement. I said, "I can understand why you feel so anxious. This is really uncomfortable, but I am here for you."

I then slowly started warming my hands up by rubbing them together. I focused on taking long cleansing breaths while massaging between my eyebrows, sweeping my hands across my forehead, rubbing points under my eyes, and continuing with this routine called the Havening Technique until I felt the thoughts start to slow down and a feeling of connectedness alongside the panic.

Of all the years I've been trying to heal anxiety and all the things I've done, the Havening Technique has helped me the most.

I first learned it when I was doing anxiety coaching and relearned it again more in-depth in a course I took with Ariel Schwartz called Applied Polyvagal Theory for Trauma Recovery.

​Here is an entire website dedicated to the Havening Technique with videos and a more in-depth explanation.​

It's so effective for a couple of reasons.

1. The first (the more scientific but very simplified reason) is that it stimulates the vagus nerve. That part of your nervous system helps you feel calm and safe. It's often referred to as a 'break' because when anxiety starts up, and there's nothing to be anxious about, a toned vagus nerve will recognize this and be able to slowly halt your body from responding as though there is a threat.
2. The second reason is that when you're using the Havening Technique, you're taking time to slow down and treat yourself compassionately. You're holding your own hand, massaging your face, even giving yourself a hug. Now, if all of this sounds a little corny, I get it. But oftentimes, we suffer from anxiety because we are denying ourselves self-compassion. So please be open to it and give it a try.

The Havening Technique is good during an emotional experience, anxiety, and panic, but it's even better if you can do it when you're feeling pretty calm. This will help train your nervous system and vagus nerve to respond appropriately throughout the day.

If you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to email me back or find me on instagram and send me a message.

This is a great resource, give it a try!

The Resources I mentioned in this post:

​Emotional Coaching with Ryan beatanxiety.me​

​Havening Technique​

​https://drarielleschwartz.com/​

If you have any questions, just ask!

Thank you for being here,

🖤Donna

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