The Second Most Essential Exercise for Managing Anxiety and Anxious Thoughts - Anxiety Course 15/30

In this enlightening interview with Nick Wignall, the focus was on the challenges of chronic worry and the power of mindfulness in addressing anxiety. Wignall emphasized a counterintuitive yet pivotal concept: resisting worrisome thoughts often amplifies them, akin to the 'white bear experiment' by psychologist Daniel Wagner. He distinguished between thought control and attention control, underscoring that while we can't directly control our thoughts, we can choose where to focus our attention. This focus is crucial, as "what you focus on becomes your reality." Wignall also highlighted the importance of practicing mindfulness not as a coping mechanism during anxious moments but as a regular exercise to strengthen attention control. He proposed a simple, non-judgmental mindfulness practice focusing on breath and attention redirection, advocating for its regular practice to effectively train the brain and alter its response to anxiety. This approach to mindfulness is not just a temporary relief but a long-term strategy to fundamentally change one’s relationship with worry and anxiety.

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

[Picklebum]

I’ve had anxiety for a long time and I finally crumbled and it was happening hourly/ daily to the point I thought about ending my life. This video brought me to tears it felt like I can be saved. Thank you so much.

[vickievans]

I REALLY appreciate the point made that mindfulness is an exercise and NOT a coping mechanism!

[lgude]

My Buddhist teacher says: remembering is not real, noticing remembering is real. Same with thinking. It really helped me stop giving most of my attention to thinking and remembering.

[KatieHuntCo.]

The thing about mindfulness and meditation is it's always there for you whenever you need it. If you don't do it for a few days you can always come back. Mindfulness and meditation don't hold anything against you for not visiting for a while. Meditation and minfulness are just there waiting ready to support you any time. That's a pretty amazing gift!

[kari]

This video was MADE for my husband! So I just shared it with him. Many therapists say what you should do, but don't tell you how.

[mm-gagnon]

I've been practicing mindfulness for a few months now, and I feel like he did a great job explaining it. For me, I struggled at first, but it "clicked" when I finally realized that getting distracted is not a sign of failure, it's actually a good and normal part of the exercise. It's great that this was stressed out here. I'm not always good at doing it everyday, but when i do, I actually enjoy it most of the time. It's been good overall for me

[ZsuzsaKarolySmith]

Mindfulness to me is a way of life - it requires a paradigm shift and it relates to all areas of your life. Once you learn how to be more mindful in your everyday activities - a big part of which is slowing down - you'll automatically start having fewer encounters with anxiety.

[treesart]

NOBODY has ever told me that getting back from the distraction is the point of the training. If they had, I wouldn't have stayed far away from mindfulness. What they always did is emphasize to be non-judgmental....which paradoxically gives the signal that getting distracted is a bad thing! Because, why would anyone be judgmental if there isn't some unwanted behavior to judge yourself about?! I always became so insecure doing it and so worried that I did it wrong. I once had to run from a group because I couldn't stop sobbing, it made me feel so bad.

I'm shaking my head here at those people who tried to get me to do this and never explained this. Jeez.

Another of my problem is that I start to anxiously worry about my breath if they tell me to concentrate on it. I thought i needed to concentrate on a slow and steady breathing rhythm. If anyone would've ever explained to me, as you do here, that I could've just concentrated on noticing the feeling of the air, not the rhythm, I would've also been spared a lot of anxiety.

[jamesmurphy]

I'm an active mindfulness practitioner and the more I practice the better I get. Like he said, you're building a new muscle and the more you practice, the stronger it gets.

[antoinettejones]

I really resonate with her joyful resistance. She's grinning through it.

[general_zizi]

I have struggled with mental illness and my mental health since I was a kid. Before I even knew what those terms were. After years of depression, anxiety, and even an attempt to take my life, I never thought I would be able to live without SSRIs medications. I clung to them because it was the only thing that made my mind quiet, but it also made me a zombie. Microdosing has given me control of my mental health for the first time, and they essentially gave me my life back.

[jennifercrosdale]

Emma, I would really appreciate a video on hormone-induced anxiety. I'm perimenopausal in my early 50's and this hormonal roller coaster is ridiculous. I can't control them and I'm not sure if your techniques you teach will even help us middle-aged ladies. I'm tired of medical doctors just tells us to "deal with it".

[NawresSAAD-em]

HIS SMILE IS SO GENUINE AND CHARMING I LOVE IT ❤

[Jennifer-bwku]

Psychedelics are just an exceptional mental health breakthrough. It's quite fascinating how effective they are against depression and anxiety. Saved my life.

[abraadduci]

This was an especially helpful video in the anxiety series, that really resonated with me. I have a fierce anxiety disorder that feels like a gremlin is gnawing on my chest. After decades of therapy and every drug on the market, my symptoms finally abated when I started practicing guided meditation in two half hour sessions a day. If you're having difficulty with this particular exercise, try guided meditation with visualization; it provides something to focus on while still getting the physical benefit of mindfulness. Also, if you try it during the day, see if lying down helps instead of sitting. Thanks again for this series and both Emma and Nick have provided invaluable advice to the legions of anxiety sufferers!

[PsychoBible]

This confirmed so much that I already tell my clients. But I really needed to hear that part about going 20-30 minutes!

[brettneuberger]

I started doing mindfulness meditation years ago and discovered so much more about myself than I ever ‘thought’ possible. Mindfulness doesn’t just help with attention, it slows down thought - the monkey mind - which then exposes us to the one that’s been here all along. Our True Self….our true nature, which is naturally at rest. Peace itself.

[Rydog_.]

A few weeks back my therapist suggested I start mindfulness meditation for 4 minutes 4 times a day. Thanks for the video! I feel much better about getting distracted while practicing this now.

[nema]

ADHD people can benefit massively (speaking from experience!)
Before starting acknowledge and be ok with the FACT that getting distracted is OK and litteraly apart of the process.
Try not to have any negative feelings when you realize your mind was wandering. You're also practicing resetting your mind.
Getting distracted is an important part of life.
If you're so focused on a video game or writing an assignment that you can't be distracted then you won't realize that your house is on fire.
Get distracted but reset your mind if it's not important.
Reset! Reset! Reset! Also rest!
Now you'll much more likely to get in "the zone".

[carlospinedo]

Hey Emma and everyone else, give this a shot:

Since it's natural for your mind to wander, it's a good idea to plan ahead. When your thoughts try to pull you away from focusing on your breath, redirect your attention to specific, predefined anchors. These can be external cues like a spot on the wall, a particular sound, the movement of your belly, a blink, a scent, or anything you choose in advance. You can have as many anchors as you want, but it's essential to have them predefined. And, of course, the key is always to bounce back, redirecting your focus to your breath.

Ideally, these anchors should be external stimuli, but in my case, I've found it helpful to include a single predefined word as well. Give it a try, and I hope it proves beneficial for you too!