Firstly let’s address anxiety. I am sure that there are plenty of us who have experienced it over the past year. We have all experienced change in one way or another, whether we have wanted to or not.

At some point in time, I also imagine that we have all the feeling of dread wash over us as we have experienced things which are way beyond our control.

Stepping into 2021 we may still plenty of unknowns and plenty of uncertainty whether it is about family, friends, work, education, shopping, travelling, going to appointments and so on. Our feelings of security could be challenged and fear can override us.

Experiencing anxiety can be overwhelming due to its chronic persistency. It can be made up of physical sensations such as increased heart rate, breathing, alongside difficulty with sleeping and reoccurring negative thoughts which seem to like to hang about. Anxiety can be physically draining.

Identifying and understanding what we are experiencing can allow us to address it much better. Our mind is a wonderful thing but it can certainly be a busy place. Have you noticed how busy your thoughts can be and how they are making you feel? Noting is a great tool to have to help look after your mental health.

When we are anxious or worried, we can often zone out of our body and we get caught up in our own thoughts and emotions. 

We don’t always know how to react to our thoughts or know what direction our mind is going in, especially when we are dealing with anxiety. We can feel lost and pretty overwhelmed. Our thoughts and emotions can be big, and they can certainly have a huge impact on our quality of live.  So, what is noting and how is it actually relevant to anxiety?

Noting is what it says, noting our thought and our emotions. We don’t try to stop our thoughts happening in our head, but we what we do is stop to recognise our thoughts and restore our awareness of what is going on in the mind.

Whilst we note our thoughts, we don’t analyse or judge them, we can simply recognise them to gain overall awareness. It can take practice. A lot of practice, but the more you start to listen to your mind the more you become aware and the more you can deal with what is causing you anxiety.

Some people find labeling thoughts or feelings helps to provide them with clarity and awareness.  It helps them to identify and become aware of what the mind is doing and making them feel.

By noting and labeling the thoughts and emotions can help lighten the mind and you can start recognising what is the causes of anxiety. This then gives you awareness of your thoughts and allows you to adopt a much calmer, more accepting and more oriented mind to help reduce your anxiety.

It can be overwhelming when you start this process of noting and labeling. When you are first starting out it can again feel overwhelming and you can question whether you are doing it correctly or whether you are benefiting from it.

That’s why apps such as Headspace and Calm can be great way to guide and supporting you on your journey to help reduce your anxiety.