Beyond Thoughts: Embracing Embodied Awareness to Cope with Anxiety 

Tips & Resources
Written By Sharlynn Neam

If you have anxiety, then you are likely familiar with the feeling of racing thoughts. A thought can appear suddenly, brought forth by the smallest of triggers. It then links to another thought, and then another one, and so on. Just like a frog leaping from one lily pad to the next, and the next, and the next...

Leap. Leap. Leap.

Sometimes there is only one frog leaping. Sometimes there are many having a party up there. These frogs may be released by the critic within us, jumping to the worst conclusions and criticising at every opportunity. They may also come from the child-like self that is overwhelmed and in need of some soothing.

If you have attended mindfulness courses or perhaps practise yoga, you have probably learnt to observe your thoughts—allowing them to arise and watching them float by like clouds, like cars on the road passing by.

Letting the frogs be, even counting them as they jump around.

Yet, I’ve recently realised in my own practice of mindfulness that I’ve been missing an important piece in the puzzle. I’ve focused so much on my thoughts, trying to let the frogs do what they want, but doing that only made my mind full.

“The problem with mindfulness is we put the word “mind” right in it. We conflate “mind” with brain, the head, thoughts. We tend to think of the brain as separate from the body (and in need of ‘connection’). Isn’t the brain part of the body? Where exactly are the mind and body disconnected? The skull? The neck? The mind and body are not truly separate.

— From You Belong: A Call for Connection by Sebene Selassie

In reading the book written by Sebene Selassie titled ‘You Belong: A Call for Connection’, I came across the term ‘Embodied Awareness’:

“‘Embodied’ denotes that mind and body are fundamentally not separate. ‘Awareness’ is the capacity to know both physical and mental/emotional experiences. Embodied awareness leads us to belonging.”

— From You Belong: A Call for Connection by Sebene Selassie

Sebene’s sharing on ‘Embodied Awareness’ reminded me of the meditation practice that I have once learnt but forgotten about: the Body Scan.

Body Scan

I first learnt about it under the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Programme created by Jon Kabat-Zinn. In this practice, you sweep your attention over your body and notice each body part from head to toe. It has been proven to help reduce stress and improve sleep (O’Bryan, 2021).

Since this reminder, I have made more effort to pay attention to my heart and my body. Instead of focusing solely on the mind, I let my physical body take up space, feeling the sensations within and around my body.

Other than the Body Scan, here are some activities that help me practise Embodied Awareness:

Hand on heart

I place my hands on my chest. I feel my heart beating beneath my palm, my chest rising and falling with each breath. I remember that I am a living being—breathing and alive.

Mindful inhales and exhales

I pay attention to each inhale and exhale. Inhale, two, three, four…exhale two, three, four, five, six. There is some discussion that keeping your exhales longer than your inhales can reduce stress (Bergland, 2024), though the evidence for this is still mixed (e.g., Birdee et al., 2023).

Get moving

I remember to move my body within my means. If I’m really busy or feeling too exhausted for anything strenuous, I will at least do some stretches. For the times that I have more energy, I might do brisk walking or attend a dance class. When I’m feeling socially anxious doing these activities because there are people around, I remind myself to pay attention to the muscles in my body, thanking them for supporting my movements and independence.

Willing hands

Willing Hands is a strategy from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)*. It can be practised in any position: sitting, lying down, or even standing. The idea is to place your palms face up or out so that your overall posture is open to the world (Counseling Center Group, n.d.). Personally, I like resting them face up on my folded legs. It reminds me to welcome all that is happening at that very moment with openness and non-judgement.

*First developed by American Psychologist Marsha Linehan, DBT is used for treating and managing a range of mental health conditions (Cleveland Clinic, n.d.).

With equal attention to the mind, heart, and body, we can learn to better cope with anxiety and challenging situations. We can learn to live more mindfully, so that we notice not only the leaping frogs, but also how connected we are to the world within and without.

References:

Sharlynn Neam
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