Step 5 – Make a New Choice

To review: In the first video, you started thinking differently about anxiety – it is a habit and a consequence, not a cause. In the second, we told you about how sensations relate to states of being. In the third video, you began to feel your energy build and transition from one set of sensations (state of being) to another. In the fourth, you were introduced to cycles and began discovering some of your edges, triggers, and tipping points. In this step, we are going to show you how to eliminate anxiety by making new choices.

Sample Practice:

Step 1 – Grab something the size of an orange and hold it in your hand.

Step 2 – Begin tossing it into the air and catching it in the same hand.

Step 3 – Identify the sequence of events (cycle) – Find, hold, toss, wait, catch, hold, repeat.

Step 4 – Make a different choice for each part of the cycle and acknowledge the results.

By changing your choices, you change your outcome. If you choose a tractor tire instead of an orange, it will be challenging to hold and difficult to toss and catch. If you choose to hold the object with the other hand or in your mouth, it will change the toss. You can choose to toss it with one hand and catch it with the other. You can choose not to catch it. Or you can enlist a friend and toss it back and forth. You can toss it into a river. When you choose to alter any part of the sequence, the results will change.

Make sure you actually do this. The physical action will feel very different than just thinking it through.

Try it with other things in your life, habits that you have, or things you want to change.

Step 1 – Identify what you are feeling (sensations) with a Current 30.

Step 2 – Identify your state of being.

Step 3 – Feel your desire to transition to a different state of being.

Step 4 – Make an atypical choice somewhere in the cycle.

Step 5 – Note the changed result.

Bonus Movement – Do the movement from Step Four (lean forward to your edge) again but this time start standing, lean to your edge, and then make a conscious decision to return to standing. Acknowledge that you don’t have to fall forward, that you can decide not to. Recognize the possibility that you make a different choice with every aspect of your life, relationships, habits, and anxiety.

Next, lean ¾, ½, and ¼ of the way to your edge and then return to standing. Feel how much easier it is and how much less energy it takes to regain your balance when you make the decision earlier in the cycle. Take that example into other areas of your life that you want to feel easier.

Make a New Choice Description:

Step 1 – Feel yourself starting to get anxious or recognize that you are in a familiar place, situation, or relationship that might typically lead to anxiety.

Step 2 – Move. Do something physical.

Step 3 – Move powerfully enough and for a long enough period of time to displace the energy that was building toward anxiety.

Step 4 – Acknowledge that you didn’t complete the anxiety cycle.

Step 5 – Explore each of the Five F’s Movements to give you more tools to make different choices.

Now that you can identify what you are feeling, your energy building, transitions, and edges; you are going to begin to make different choices before you get to your edge. As you feel yourself transitioning away from your baseline – from comfortable to uncomfortable, or not anxious toward anxious – move your body. It doesn’t even matter initially what you do, just do something physical. Take a walk, yell into a pillow, dance, do some push-ups, squats, or pull-ups. (See the list of alternative movements at the bottom of this step).

Just make sure you do the movement long enough and vigorously enough to bring your energy level down to your baseline, back to a comfortable or typical level – a level without anxiety and with a feeling of familiarity or safety. If you do the movement and are still anxious, you didn’t do enough … or you didn’t do it early enough in the cycle. Keep practicing, you will be successful.

What you do and the length and power necessary will be dependent on your current anxiety level and where you begin the movement in the anxiety cycle. The longer you wait, the more anxious energy you will have to vent. The sooner you begin moving once you feel yourself ramping up, the less it will take to get you back to your baseline.

This won’t work every time in the beginning. Initially, you won’t be able to sense your energy building before you reach the anxiety tipping point and allow yourself to get triggered. Keep at it, you will learn to feel your energy and when you do, you will have the opportunity to make different choices sooner. Your different choices will lead to new habits and your anxiety will disappear.

FROM

Baseline ➜ Expansion ➜ Discomfort ➜ Unsafe ➜ Anxiety/Stress/Overwhelm ➜ Trigger ➜ Diffusion ➜ Baseline

TO

Baseline ➜ Ramp Up ➜ New Choice ➜ Success ➜ Growth ➜ New Baseline

Making new choices will transform your habits. That is how you are going to eliminate anxiety. Feel the energy build, make a new choice, and repeat as necessary. In the beginning, this may feel hard. Stick with it. You will get better, and it will get easier.

Why it Matters – Anxiety happens when you follow your habitual cycles – the mental, emotional, and physical scripts your subconscious mind writes. Changing habits requires that you change aspects of those scripts. You must do things differently to have a different outcome. This practice will cement the realization that you can be in control of your energy before it is labeled as anxiety.

Everyday Usability – The choice to move in an alternative direction will allow you to remain at your baseline longer without being anxious. Initially, it might only be a few minutes but with practice and determination, those minutes will compound into hours, days, weeks, and months without anxiety.

Progression – As you begin to understand this process, try allowing yourself to create a healthier baseline. Soften, relax, and be more playful. The farther you are away from anxiety, the longer it will take to get there … until it disappears like the greasy diner in your rearview mirror as you drive away down Route 66.

Progression 2 – Your other habits will be similar to your anxiety cycle. You can use these tools to change every habit you have to something more beneficial, fulfilling, fun, and productive. It will also work on anger, depression, unkindness, intolerance, laziness, and dishonesty. It can improve your health, relationships, intimacy, fitness, and career. As you change your other non-beneficial habits, it will positively influence your baseline.

Step Five – Wrap Up

Choice brings freedom. Freedom from anxiety and freedom from the limiting or often debilitating effects of your anxiety, stress, tension, and overwhelm. Every anxiety cycle has a myriad of choices – most of them are habits and probably unconscious. When you can develop conscious awareness, you can choose differently. If you choose differently more often, your habits will change, and anxiety will be something in your past.

Step Six will give you a recap, talk about your next problem, and give you some opportunities.

Alternative Movements

Pick one of the Five F’s Movements linked below or: Walk, Run, Exercise, Swing your arms, Bear Crawl, Jump, Squat, Twist, Lunge, Plank, Skip, Jumping Jacks, Push-ups, Pull-ups, Yoga, Bike ride, Workout, Dance, Yell, Sing, Meditate, Isometric exercises, Plyometric movements, Stretch, Pulsing movements, Shadow Box, Core Exercises, Handstands, Dips, Elastic band exercises, Squeeze a ball, Martial arts, Tai Chi, Qigong, Unicycle, Scooter, Basketball, Batting cage, Soccer, Organized sports, Tennis, Ecstatic Dance, Table tennis, Hike, Climbing gym, Wood carving, Pottery, Sculpture, Pantomime, Yodel.

And don’t forget the Five F’s movements to help you stay centered and balanced.

If you get stuck or have any questions, please feel free to email us.