What to Quiet Your Mind and Manage Anxiety? Go Outside.

How often do you replay a stressful conversation you had with someone in your mind? 

How long have you been rethinking that comment you made on a social media post last week?

How many times have you second guessed an email you sent this week?

As women, we are constantly getting stuck in our heads. We analyze the past and play out future scenarios that haven’t happened. We let our minds run amuck – leading us to feel anxious, experience racing thoughts, and generally feel overwhelmed. 

So how do you to quiet the chatter and find some respite from all the thoughts running through your mind?

The answer is simpler than you think, and mindfulness and breathwork can help you silence the constant conversation happening in your head. 

Mindfulness and Breathwork help you both psychologically and neurologically. What's more, neuroscientist Ethan Kross found there is a direct connection between quieting your mind and being outside in nature. 

Kross found that being outdoors for just two hours per week gives your attention the ability to recharge by subtly drawing your attention to things that are interesting to you, but don't necessarily take a whole lot of bandwidth for us to make sense of. 

By changing your daily environment, you interrupt the negative thought loop you're stuck in. 

So next time you find yourself stuck in your head, lost in negative thoughts, or unable to calm your anxiety, take a step back and take several depth breaths. 

If you want to, use an app such as Calm, Othership, UCLA Mindfuless or Huma Breath to help guide you in a short centering session. Or take a meditation or yoga class online. 

Or head outside for walk in a park, drive to place you can hike, walk along the beach. Or if you're in the Seattle area, you can come and spend some one-on-one time with me or the horses. I am always open to helping you quiet you mind, recenter, and help you get out of your head.