Why Do I Feel Anxious When Nothing Is Wrong — A 10-Minute Meditation for Anxiety

Everything is fine, nothing is happened, nobody is called with bad news, there isn't an emergency, the house is quiet, you've got nothing you urgently need to deal with, and yet there it is, that feeling, that little knot somewhere inside you saying, something isn't right, and perhaps that's the most frustrating kind of anxiety, because if something was actually wrong, at least you would know what you were dealing with, but sometimes there isn't anything you can point to, you simply feel anxious, and then because you're an anxious person you start looking for a reason, what have I forgotten, what have I dealt with, what could go wrong, why do I feel like this, and before you know it you've taken a perfectly ordinary quiet moment, and filled it with the things to worry about, so if you've ever thought, why do I feel anxious when nothing is wrong, these ten minutes are for you, hi there, this is calming anxiety, I'm your host Martin, clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic, and before we settle down together, let me remind you, about Martin's five things to try when anxiety hits, it's just five simple things you can reach for when anxiety starts, so you don't have to stand there trying to think your way out of it, they're absolutely free, and you can find them at calminganxiety.org/carm, that's calminganxiety.org/calm and one of those five things is exactly what we're going to practice together now, because today we're not going to try and find what's wrong, we're going to practice what it feels like to stop looking, so settle yourself somewhere comfy, where you won't be disturbed, you don't need to sit perfectly, you don't need to empty your mind, and you certainly don't need to make yourself feel calm, just let yourself be here, take a comfortable breath in, then let it go, now another, breathe in, and then out, you don't have to close your eyes if you don't want to, just notice where you are, notice one thing you can see, now one thing that you can hear, and one place where your body is being supported, perhaps it's the chair underneath you, perhaps it's a bed or sofa, and perhaps it's your feet against the floor, just notice that you're being held, you don't have to hold yourself quite so tightly for these few minutes, and now notice your breath, don't change it, just notice it, perhaps it's fast, maybe it's shallow, perhaps it's already beginning to slow, whatever it's doing is fine, you don't need to fix it, because that's what we're going to practice today, not fixing, not solving, not searching, just allowing, you see, sometimes anxiety doesn't arrive because you've consciously thought of something frightening, sometimes the feeling comes first, and then the mind goes looking for an explanation, and because the mind is extraordinarily good at finding things to worry about, it usually finds one, but you don't have to follow it, so if the thought appears now, you don't need to argue with it, you don't need to prove it wrong, and you don't need to work out whether it's important, just notice it, there's a thought, and then come back to the breath, there's a feeling, and then come back to the body, there's that familiar little sense that something isn't quite right, and you can simply say to yourself, "I don't have to know why right now, let that sentence settle, I don't have to know why right now." Perhaps there is a reason, perhaps there isn't, perhaps you'll understand it later, but right now, you don't need an explanation, in order to feel a little safer. Take a breath in, and then let the breath leave slowly, again, in, and gently out. Now just let your jaw loosen, let your hands become slightly heavier, let your belly soften if it wants, and notice something, nothing has changed outside you, the room is still the room, and yet you're beginning to create a little more space inside them, and that's enough.

Imagine just sitting beside yourself now, and say, "I'm here." You don't have to figure everything out tonight. "I'm here." You are safe in this moment.

You don't have to solve tomorrow today. You don't have to find a reason for every feeling. You can simply let this moment be this moment. Now breathe in again, hold, and relax as you breathe out.

Remember, you are the person noticing it. You are still here underneath it. So a anxiety is present today. Let it be present.

You don't need to push it away, and you don't need to invite it to stay. Let it pass in its own time, and perhaps say quietly to yourself, and still be safe. I can feel uncertain, and still be okay. I can have a thought without believing it.

I can feel something without needing to act on it. I do not need to know why. Now just float within this moment. Feel your breathing with your beautiful mind.

Allow yourself to let the stress, the tension, just melt away. And to help you with your journey, here are your three daily caring tips. One, when anxiety appears without any obvious reason, don't immediately start searching for one. Notice the feeling and say, "I don't have to know why right now."

Two, when you notice yourself asking, "What if something is wrong?" Bring yourself back to what you actually know in this moment, right now, not tomorrow, not next week, but right now. Three, ask yourself, "What would help me feel a little safer for the next five minutes?" Then do that one thing.

Small is enough. You don't need to learn the right to take care of yourself. Now gently, bring yourself back into the room, wiggle your fingers and now your toes. A deep breath in, hold, and then as you breathe out, stretch out the muscles in your arms and legs.

And when you're ready, just open your eyes, my friend. Thank you for taking care of you today. I wish you smiles and positivity throughout today and the rest of the week. And if you'd like to just spare a few minutes, please do leave a review on Spotify or Apple or even better, my friend.

If you haven't done so already, do download the app, and could. It's on iOS and Android. There's a link in the show notes and you get all my content, all of it plus so much more that I've created. Thank you.

And if you want my five tips to try when anxiety hits, again, calminganxiety.org/calm. It's genuinely free. Because no one should live with anxiety any longer. Take care today.

Smile often, positive when you look at yourself in the mirror, and then to your beautiful soul. Be kind.