Break Free From Anxiety

August 2008 - How To Do… Mindfulness Meditation

Karen — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:17:48 +0000

August 2008 - Welcome!

How are you? Well, I’m on a roll! I have yet another practical technique which you can use straight away. I hope you find it helpful. As I mentioned last month, I’m practising emotional freedom technique and alongside that, I am also practising mindfulness meditation and that is the topic for this newsletter. Both techniques are great ways to reduce your anxiety and build a relaxed and calm state of mind.

Congratulations to the reader who won my prize draw to say thank you for filling in my survey. A FREE email coaching session is yours! (You know who you are…). The results of my survey were extremely helpful to me. You told me that:

Your most wanted topics are dealing with negative thoughts, dealing with panic attacks and making techniques a part of your everyday life

Your favourite formats are daily & weekly e-courses and e-books - although audio is another favourite

Also, you shared your own personal challenges with me which I really appreciate and which will inform my newsletter and new products.

So a big THANK YOU to everyone who responded.

As usual, I would welcome your comments and feedback - you can email me at karen@breakfreefromanxiety.co.uk.

Warm regards,
Karen

How to do…. Mindfulness Meditation

I am reading a book called ‘Full Catastrophe Living’ by Jon Kabat-Zinn and he explains how mindfulness meditation can help you to cope with stress, anxiety, pain and illness. The technique strengthens the mind so it becomes easier to control your thoughts and this creates a centre of calm within yourself. If you can learn how to move into this centre of calm created by mindfulness mediation, you are able to begin learning how to apply this to moments of stress and anxiety.

Here is my summary of the basic mindfulness meditation technique for you!

Find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed

Sit in a chair in which you are comfortable but able to sit upright in an alert position (no slumping!)

Focus on your breath as it goes in and out of your body and notice everything about it - feel all the sensations as you breathe

If your attention wanders as you breathe, become aware that thoughts have crept into your mind

Don’t judge your thoughts or try to suppress them - just notice that the thoughts are there, recognise what the thought is about and then gently bring your attention back to your breath

See if you can build up the time you spend meditating to 30 minutes per day - but it is quality not quantity which counts… And remember, mindfulness meditation doesn’t involve berating yourself if you find it difficult to focus completely on your breathing - it’s a non-judgemental technique!

Karen recommends

The Complete Anxiety Management Toolkit is my comprehensive guide to learning how to manage your anxiety. Take positive action NOW to manage your anxiety! The toolkit includes 23 techniques and tips to help you manage your anxiety alongside a step by step guide to put it all into practice. Don’t wait, change your life today!

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Karen Field, Personal Development Coach, founder of http://www.breakfreefromanxiety.co.uk helps people to learn to manage their anxiety to create a life free from stress. To sign up for her free mini e-course, visit http://www.breakfreefromanxiety.co.uk.

Disclaimer

I am not a medical professional. If you have any doubts about the suitability of these techniques or if you have any pre-existing medical conditions; please consult your doctor first.

Tap Your Way To Freedom

Karen — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:10:39 +0000

As I mentioned in my July newsletter, I am learning how to use a powerful new tool called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). I would love to hear your experiences of using EFT - feel free to share your comments here so that we can all support each other

July 2008 - Tap Your Way To Freedom

Karen — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:08:56 +0000

Welcome!

How are you? I hope you found Gina’s article interesting in last month’s issue - I always find it useful to read about techniques that I can put into practice. And so that is the focus of this month’s article too - enjoy!

Just a quick thank you to everyone who has completed my short survey. This will really help me develop my services to best serve your needs. If you haven’t filled it in yet, click here to take the survey - it really won’t take long. And you will be in with a chance to win a $29.47 value email coaching session with me. I realised that I didn’t say when the survey would close - you have until 1 August 2008 to tell me what you want!

As usual, I would welcome your comments and feedback - you can email me at karen@breakfreefromanxiety.co.uk.

Warm regards,
Karen

Tap Your Way To Freedom!

What is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) (also known as Tapping)?
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) was developed by Gary Craig and works on the principle that the cause of negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system. It works by tapping your fingers on energy meredian points - tapping the energy points enables you to unblock the energy in your body. And by unblocking the energy, you release the negative emotions - many of which can cause anxiety and stress. Gary Craig calls it ‘an emotional form of acupuncture’.

What does it involve?
The good news is that it doesn’t involve any equipment (other than your fingers), it can be learnt by anyone and it can be used anywhere. Basically you say a phrase related to the emotion you want to release while tapping particular energy points on your face and upper body. It can seem strange when you first learn the routine, but it does work and there are lots of examples of how it has helped people with all types of anxiety. Although EFT does seem rather odd, remember that it uses similar principles to many complementary therapies such as Reiki, Acupuncture, Acupressure etc.

How can I learn this for myself?
There is an excellent tutorial on the website ‘Try It On Everything’ which explains more about the origins of EFT and also takes you through the tapping sequence. Click on ‘How To Tap’ on the left hand menu for more information.

If you want to learn more and really start to refine the way you practice EFT, visit Gary Craig’s website and download his free e-book.

How can I get the most from EFT?
While tapping on particular energy points, you will also say a specific phrase which focuses on the emotion or feeling you want to release. The key to making EFT effective is to be as specific as possible with the phrase.

And finally….
Please let me know how you get on with EFT, I’m learning how to use this technique myself and I am very interested in your experiences. Share your thoughts on my article blog.

Karen recommends

If you would like more support with managing your anxiety, try the EasyCalm system which contains lots of information and specific strategies to beat your anxiety. Check out the EasyCalmVideo Coaching Series and watch the FREE 27 minute training video at their website.

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Disclaimer

I am not a medical professional. If you have any doubts about the suitability of these techniques or if you have any pre-existing medical conditions; please consult your doctor first.

Are your thoughts making you crazy?

Karen — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:02:55 +0000

In my latest newsletter, Gina Rafkind shares with us some of the techniques she uses to become more of a ‘feeling’ body - and talks about how this can help you manage your anxiety. Do you use any of these techniques or have you found other techniques to help you? Let us know what you think or if you have a particular challenge, please share it with us - just post a comment below. Look forward to speaking with you!

June 2008 - Are Your Thoughts Making You Crazy?

Karen — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:01:17 +0000

Break Free From Anxiety newsletter - June 2008

I am so excited about this month’s newsletter as I have a special guest author, Gina Rafkind. Gina shares with us some of the techniques she uses to manage her anxiety through becoming a ‘feeling’ body instead of a ‘thinking’ body. Some of you have told me that you are aware that your negative thoughts feed your anxiety - well, Gina’s article should be really helpful as she gives us some great tools for dealing with those ‘crazy thoughts’. Enjoy! If you would like to share your thoughts on Gina’s article, you can post a comment on my article blog.

Another reason I’m excited is that it is my birthday this month on 30 June. I can’t wait! And to celebrate, I want to make it easier for you to learn how to manage your anxiety - so I have a special offer on my Complete Anxiety Management Toolkit. For the next two weeks, you can get your own copy of the toolkit at my birthday discount price of US$25. The toolkit is a great way to learn how to manage your anxiety - check it out now at http://www.breakfreefromanxiety.co.uk/anxietytoolkit/. But don’t forget, this offer will end on 1 July 2008.

As usual, I would welcome your comments and feedback - you can email me at karen@breakfreefromanxiety.co.uk.

Warm regards,
Karen

Are Your Thoughts Making You Crazy?

by Gina Rafkind

“Unease, stress, boredom, anxiety and dissatisfaction come from compulsive, unfulfilled wanting.”
Eckhart Tolle

Eckhart Tolle’s statement above from his book, “The Power of Now”, inspired me to explore, in more depth, the cause of my own anxiety and what exactly it is that I am wanting or not satisfied with. After I pondered that question, I realized the majority of the time what I was longing for was not to be in the moment I was in. I was trying to get away from my current situation by resisting the present moment and thus, anxiety arose.

Any time we resist ‘what is,’ some form of fear or resistance will manifest. My resistance manifested in the form of anxiety. Other forms of resistance appear as stress and boredom as well as anger, grief, depression and so on. My anxiety still occurs at times, but due to my continuous practice of changing my ‘thinking’ body to a ‘feeling’ body, I am able to realize the insanity of non-acceptance - of not being in alignment with what is - and thus I feel more peace and calm. You too, can empower yourself to enjoy this freedom.

When you find yourself resisting what is, (you will know you are resisting from the emotions that arise within you), first check in with yourself as to what thoughts you are processing at the moment. We tend to go into automatic ‘story telling’ in our heads when we are not happy with our situation. Many of these stories are negative and can cause unwanted emotions in our bodies - we become a ‘thinking’ body.

An example of this is being caught in a traffic jam and you are already late to work or late picking up your child. We’ve all been in some kind of traffic jam so I’m sure you can relate on some level. Can you remember the emotions that arose from those experiences?

So how do you change your ‘thinking’ body to a ‘feeling’ body and start to overcome your fears and resistance, in whatever form they take?

Here’s how:

Set an intention - Say out loud to yourself what you want to accomplish. You can also write it down if you are more visual. Here are some examples:

~ I am changing from a thinking body to a feeling body.
~ I am aware of my thoughts.
~ I am aware of my energy body.
~ I take the time every day to feel my inner being.

Thought Awareness – Most of us think just like we breathe - without awareness. Check in with yourself a few times every day to become aware of what you are thinking. Our thoughts are mostly negative and self-limiting - start to become aware of this.

Feel the Energy – Take 1-5 minutes every day to sit and ‘feel’ your inner body. Close your eyes. Start by concentrating on one of your hands - let’s say your right hand. Focus on the feeling in your hand. If you didn’t know your hand was there, how would you know it is there? After a minute or two, you may feel warmth, tingling or coolness in your hand. It may take a few sessions to feel the energy in your body so don’t get frustrated. Practice this every day and once you do feel the energy in your hand, then you can try feeling your other hand, then both hands simultaneously. One day you will be able to feel the energy of your entire inner body at once.

This process is a journey and it is your birthright to feel peace and joy. Be kind to yourself and allow time to develop this practice. Whenever you find yourself in a stressful situation and you notice unease and anxiety developing, become aware that it is the thoughts you are thinking that are making you feel like this. Immediately take in a deep belly breath and exhale. Start to FEEL the sensation(s) in your body. Don’t think about it and create a story around it, just feel it.

You are on your way to unleashing your vibrant inner being so you can feel profound freedom and deep peace every day, no matter what.

With gratitude,

Gina

Gina Rafkind is the owner and founder of VedaSun; a company whose mission is to be your Aromatherapy Luminary and inspire you to Break Out and unleash your vibrant inner being by enhancing your awareness practice of using your senses as a pathway to presence. Visit http://www.VedaSun.com to learn more about Gina’s products and sign up to get your free report Break~Out, Be~Free to discover how to live a more energetic, happy and peaceful life.

Karen Recommends

Don’t forget to pick up your copy of The Complete Anxiety Management Toolkit at my birthday discount price of US$25.00. Visit http://www.breakfreefromanxiety.co.uk/anxietytoolkit/ now!

Disclaimer

I am not a medical professional. If you have any doubts about the suitability of these techniques or if you have any pre-existing medical conditions; please consult your doctor first.

May 2008 - Are You Balanced?

Karen — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:54:36 +0000

Welcome!

How are you? Well, it’s been lovely to enjoy some warm, sunny weather here in the UK. I find that it does become easier to deal with anxiety when the sun is shining! Of course, sun also helps generate Vitamin D in the body which is believed to aid good balance - which leads me neatly into this month’s article. I’ve given you a sneak preview of one of the 23 anxiety management techniques outlined in The Complete Anxiety Management Toolkit.

As usual, I would welcome your comments and feedback - you can email me at karen@breakfreefromanxiety.co.uk.

Warm regards,
Karen

Are You Balanced?

Balance is important in every aspect of life – breathing is no exception! You can bring your breathing into balance with this simple yogic exercise. Alternate nostril breathing helps you to keep both sides of the brain in balance which positively affects all aspects of your life. Yogic breathing exercises help you to control your breathing which in turn helps you to control your anxiety. The exercise below aids relaxation, calms the mind and improves concentration.

Sit comfortably in a cross-legged position on the floor or on your knees. Keep your spine and neck straight, but not tense. Do not lean forward.

Place a cushion under the buttocks or the knees if you need more support. Rest the left hand on your left knee.

Start by breathing out completely using both nostrils.

Then close your right nostril with your thumb and breathe in slowly and deeply through the left nostril for a count of 8.

Hold the breath for a few, comfortable seconds; then press your thumb against the left nostril and breathe out slowly and fully through the right nostril for a count of 8.

Inhale slowly and deeply through the right nostril, still holding the left nostril shut for a count of 8. Then press your thumb against the left nostril and exhale through the left nostril for a count of 8.

Repeat the sequence 5 times.

Karen recommends

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Disclaimer

I am not a medical professional. If you have any doubts about the suitability of these techniques or if you have any pre-existing medical conditions; please consult your doctor first.

It’s good to talk!

Karen — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:18:32 +0000

My latest newsletter features an interview with me in which I talk about how improving your diet and nutrition can help you manage your anxiety. What do you think about this? Have you made changes to your diet which have helped you manage your anxiety? Do you think some foods or drinks make you more anxious? I’d love to hear about your experiences - feel free to comment on this post.
Karen

April 2008 - It’s Good To Talk!

Karen — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:40:50 +0000

April 2008

Welcome!

How are you? It’s been a busy month for me and I’m so pleased to have launched The Complete Anxiety Management Toolkit. Check it out now - I will be making the toolkit widely available soon so your subscriber offer will end on 25 April 2008. Take advantage now and claim your great bonuses including a free guided imagery audio download - this is such a great tool to help you manage your anxiety.

As usual, I would welcome your comments and feedback - you can email me at karen@breakfreefromanxiety.co.uk.

Warm regards,
Karen

It’s Good To Talk!

This month I have something a little different for you. I was recently interviewed by nutritional consultant, Janet Gomez, and we talked about how improving your diet and nutrition can help you manage your anxiety. You can listen to the interview now.

You can also discuss how diet and nutrition affects your anxiety or share your experiences on my new blog - I would love to hear from you.

What can you do?
I would also like to invite you to think about how you are looking after yourself:

Do you set aside time each day to practice an anxiety management technique? If you do - can you increase this time? Or if you don’t set aside time in your day, how could you free up some time to focus on you?

Are there any anxiety management techniques in my free e-course which you don’t use at the moment but would like to try? Which one(s)? When will you start using the technique?

Karen recommends

Reprint?

You may reprint this article as long as the article remains intact and you include this information:

Disclaimer

I am not a medical professional. If you have any doubts about the suitability of these techniques or if you have any pre-existing medical conditions; please consult your doctor first.

March 2008 - How To Stop Worrying About Anxiety!

Karen — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:17:18 +0000

March 2008

Welcome!

How are you? I hope you are finding the techniques from my e-course helpful. To support you in your journey to manage anxiety, I am developing the resources section on my website. I would really like to know what you would like to see in this section. What would help you? Just drop me an email to tell me what you think.

Warm regards,
Karen

How To Stop Worrying About Anxiety!

One of the most common challenges facing people who follow my e-course is how to cope with getting well. I know that sounds strange, but as you learn to manage your anxiety you will then find that another type of worry starts to creep in. Many people find that once they learn to manage their anxiety, they will then start to worry about whether the anxiety will come back. You may start asking yourself questions like ‘Will my anxiety come back?’ and ‘How long will this peace actually last?’. But now that you have beaten your anxiety, the last thing you want is to have a different type of anxiety!

So, what can you do?

Well, the first thing is that it is very unlikely your anxiety will come back. Obviously I can’t guarantee it but one key thing has changed - and that is that you have broken the control anxiety has over you. You now know that you can control the reaction your body has to stress and anxiety. You can do this by using relaxation techniques to control physical symptoms. And you can also do this by using the techniques to control the way you think - learning to control your thoughts is very important and one of the key ways you can manage your anxiety.

But managing your anxiety is something which you also have to keep practising - practice really does make perfect! The more you practice all the techniques in my e-course, for example, the more you will be able to control your physical and mental symptoms.

A real benefit to you will be to start creating a way of life which focuses on wellness:

surround yourself with people who will support you in changing the way you live

concentrate on practising the techniques which will help you every day

make sure that each day you put aside some time to focus on yourself

keep improving your diet so that you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, increase your intake of fruit and vegetables and eliminate stimulants like caffeine and refined sugar.

And start believing in yourself and know that you can do this!

Karen recommends

The True Purpose Living Program removes traumas from your past, nurtures you in the present & coaches you towards a future with True Purpose. Go to http://www.OakTreeHolistic.com to learn more and sign up for the weekly ezine “TrulyU”. Annika Ek is a True Health & Life Purpose Coach. She combines Homeopathy/Heilkunst, Holistic Nutrition, Life Purpose Coaching & Hand Analysis in the True Purpose Living Program for powerful & synergistic results in her clients lives.

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Disclaimer

I am not a medical professional. If you have any doubts about the suitability of these techniques or if you have any pre-existing medical conditions; please consult your doctor first.

February 2008 - The Top 3 Negative Thoughts

Karen — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 21:35:02 +0000

February 2008

Welcome!

So, how has the New Year started for you? Have you been able to set aside more time to practice the techniques I talk about in the e-course? I hope these techniques have helped you to manage your anxiety successfully. But if you could do with a bit more help, watch out for my new anxiety management toolkit which I will be launching in March!

Would you like to listen to my thoughts and experiences with anxiety? You can listen to my interview with Rich here. Find out more about the work Rich does to help people beat driving fear at his website.

As always, I hope you find the information in this newsletter useful. If there are any particular questions you would like answered, please email me.

Warm regards,
Karen

The Top 3 Negative Thoughts

A very real aspect of anxiety are the negative thoughts that many people have. Research on social anxiety, in particular, has shown that there are a whole range of negative thoughts but the three most common types of negative thoughts are related to ‘performance’, ‘negative outcome’ and ‘other-labelling’.

‘Performance’

These are thoughts where you are concerned about your performance. So you will be thinking ‘I’m going to mess up this presentation’ or ‘I won’t know how to answer the questions’.

‘Negative Outcome’

These are thoughts where you think there will be a poor outcome. So you will be thinking ‘I bet no one turns up to the meeting’ or ‘She won’t want to talk to me’.

‘Other-Labelling’

These are thoughts where you ‘mind-read’ what other people are thinking. So you will be thinking ‘He won’t like me’ or ‘She will think I’m stupid’.

What can you do?

If you recognise any of these thoughts in yourself, think about the times when you have had these thoughts. Did these thoughts come into your head even before you had talked to people or before the event? It is likely that these thoughts are your subjective interpretation of the event rather an objective assessment.

Don’t try to hide these thoughts. Let them come out in your mind and learn to question the thoughts. So if you start to think ‘She won’t talk to me’ - question this thought by considering whether there are any reasons for the thoughts. What evidence, if any, can you find either for or against? By questioning these thoughts, you can begin to challenge whether these thoughts are accurate.

Karen recommends

Are you a busy professional struggling to manage your time and energy? Nutritional consultant Janet Gomez has written ‘Plans for dinner?” for you. This practical holistic cooking guide to preparing satisfying food rapidly is a unique opportunity to increase your vitality and efficiency. Receive balanced menu plans, shopping lists, original tried and tested recipes and much more. Visit http://www.nutrijyoti.com/plansfordinner.htm.

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You may reprint this article as long as the article remains intact and you include this information:

Disclaimer

I am not a medical professional. If you have any doubts about the suitability of these techniques or if you have any pre-existing medical conditions; please consult your doctor first.