Anxiety has been next to me all throughout my life. Eventually I had to learn some good tricks to get it under control so that I wouldn’t end up breathing in a bag under my desk during my lunch break. Eventually, I ran across this amazing trick to help me overcome anxiety.

I am ALL game for a quick and dirty trick that has the power to get rid of anxiety, STAT. Check out the video below. It’s super short, and it will teach you how to get that anxiety to take a hike. It’s all about getting that monkey under control, calling on the witness, and listening to your inner sage. This is a trick I learned from my beloved and amazing coach training teacher, Martha Beck.

Not in a place where you can check out a vid? I’ll go into it a little more below.

How to overcome anxiety like a boss

1. Start with your feet on the ground. Sit straight up, yet get comfortable. Close your eyes if you’re comfortable doing so.
2. Notice where, in your body, you sense the anxiety. It’s bound to show up somewhere in your body. Where is it? What is it like? Is it intense? Not so much?
3. Turn your attention to your mind. It’s possible that it’s just having a party of its own! It’s very likely obsessing over things that are unfinished, grabbing hold of things that are passing through your mind that are upsetting, or focusing on the bizarre behavior of your neurotic cat. This is the monkey mind. For this exercise, we will call it, simply, “Monkey”.
4. Allow the Monkey to express itself and even to pitch a royal fit. It’s okay. While your monkey is doing this, keep noticing what is happening inside your body.
5. Turn your attention to The Witness. The next part of the mind that you are going to turn your attention to is a part called “The Witness”. The job of this part of the mind is simply to watch what the monkey is doing. Yep…just like when you go to the zoo and you watch that monkey fling poo at the visitors. You may even be a little amused. Allow yourself to feel amused by your inner Monkey. Notice every little thing it is doing. In fact, allow your Witness to take notes.
6. Have your Witness take the information to your inner Sage. So your Witness has been taking note of all of the crazy things that your Monkey mind has been doing. It is now the Witness’ job to take that list to your inner Sage. This is the part of you that is THE most in-touch with your inner pilot light, or your inner guidance. It holds infinite love for you and all things. It is the part of you that is connected to the divine, and only expresses divine love. Have your Witness turn to your Sage to let it know what the Monkey is up to. It’s not tattling. It’s simply reporting.
7. Allow your Sage to respond. Once the Witness reports on the happenings of the Monkey mind, the Sage will have only one thing to say: “Oh, sweet monkey.” The Sage knows that the Monkey needs love and compassion, so when The Monkey is freaking out, it is The Sage’s job to surround the Monkey with a blanket of comfort and understanding. The Sage knows that this is just one sweet moment throughout all of time. It knows how unique and precious you are. It recognizes that all of the discomfort that you feel is fleeting, and has the possibility of being gone in a moment.
8. Notice the way your body feels now. Compared to the way it felt before, what do you notice?

I’m eager to know if you tried this out, and how it worked to help you overcome anxiety. If you are looking for a much more comprehensive post, check out 10 Tools for Dealing With Anxiety Like a Boss. Please leave a comment below to let me know how it went. If this helped you, and you think it could help someone you know, please feel free to share.

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