“I am so anxious right now,” my client shared with me in a low voice.

“Things are not getting better around me in the world, and it seems that each day they are getting worse…people are scared and defensive and treating each other horribly. Others that I depend on are getting sick. The stress is piling up by the hour. And it appears to be getting more so, not moving in a good direction…”

I gently said to her, “I hear you. I am here with you, and I hear you.” I let my roots sink deep into the earth as I spoke.

She looked a bit disoriented and asked me why I wasn’t trying to fix her attitude like her friends did – trying to make her feel better so she wouldn’t be so anxious and scared. She asked me why I wasn’t telling her that it is hard on everyone right now, and that she needed to pull it together…

I let her know that was not mine to do. I told her that I, too, live in this world. That the challenges were going on all around both of us. And that I cannot change the world, and I wasn’t going to try to placate her with promises or spiritual phrases about how it all was going to be okay.

Then I looked at her and continued, “However, I am here with you, and I hear you. You are not alone”.

I sank my roots of awareness deeper into the earth and felt the settling in my own body, even as her body began to relax, layer by layer with my words and presence.

The antidote to fear and anxiety is feeling connected in a deep steady way, so that sense of aloneness can dissipate, and you know you are being heard.

I think that most people want to help each other but they inadvertently connect to the fear in the atmosphere rather than what can provide stability and connection.

When times get scary and anxiety provoking, I have a simple protocol that helps my nervous system calm down even as I am holding space for others. I will share it with you now, in hopes that you too, can stay present and grounded in these chaotic times.

Find a quiet space where you can explore this for the next 5 -10 minutes.

1. Allow your breath to slow and deepen by inhaling through your nose and sighing as you exhale. Count your inhales and exhales if that helps you slow down. If your breaths naturally get slower – great. Inhaling slowly through your nose is the most important aspect of this step.

2. Imagine breathing into the airspaces within your bones. Into the deep honeycomb of the marrow – into your deepest recesses. This allows you to drop back inside, to a space that is naturally steady and calm.

3. Next drop your awareness into the earth beneath you, as though you are putting down roots or light beams or riding a river through the bottoms of your feet. Make this connection be as deep and wide and rich as you are comfortable doing.

4. As you breathe, with each inhale allow yourself to receive whatever would nourish and nurture you most – first in your feet, on into your legs, up into your whole torso, deep into your bones and down your arms into your hands and fingers. And finally, up through your throat, neck and head until all of you is filled with nourishing breath.

5. From here, allow your essence to radiate to the world. And now, you can be aware of where you stop, and the rest of the world begins. Your inner energy reservoir is full, so you know where your boundaries are. This means you don’t have to take on anything that is harmful or that is not yours to receive.

6. Your Presence becomes a huge asset to you and those around you. As you slow down, your thinking will clear, and your creativity will arise allowing you to see more optimal outcomes to issues that are going on around you.

7. Practice this at the beginning of your day and anytime throughout the day that you need it. Then, when you need it the most, it will be a habit you can call up on a moment’s notice.

Yes, the world is in a time of deep challenge and darkness.

Can you be a beacon of Light and Hope?

It will fill and lift you as it provides for those around you. There is a free brief meditation at this link if you need more guidance.

And, enjoy!