Why Does My Mouth Go Dry When I'm Nervous - 10 Minute Guided Meditation for Anxiety

It happens about 30 seconds before you have to speak. There's nothing there. You try to swallow and the swallow doesn't work either. There's nothing to swallow.

And now you're not thinking about what you're going to say. You're thinking about whether the first word is going to come out as a word or a small dry click that everybody hears. So you sit there. Give in your tongue around, trying to find some moisture and the more you look for it, the less there is.

If that's you today, my friend, if your mouth goes dry whenever you're nervous, every time, right at the moment you need it most, then this is your 10 minutes. Hi there. Welcome to calming anxiety. I'm your host Martin.

I'm a clinical hypnotherapist and before that, I was a paramedic for over 20 years. And I've also released anchored the app which has all these shows over 2,500. Ready in your pocket, discreetly, wherever you need them. There's a link in the show note description to download on iOS or Android.

Nobody has to know you needed it. But now find your quiet place somewhere comfy to sit or lie down and let's focus on the breathing. Today, die for a matric breathing. We're using this sometimes known as belly breathing.

Today it's simply a place to start. Today all of it breathing through the nose with the lips closed and keeping them gently closed. The nose is designed for breathing and for this exercise, we're going to let it do the work. So find your comfy place.

Place one hand on your belly just below your navel. If you're somewhere public, just rest it on your lap and imagine it there. It's gently closed, jaw relaxed. Ready?

Breathe in through the nose for a count of 4 with me. In 2 3 4 then out through the nose for 6 slow and unhurried.

Let's do that completely with my count. Breathe in 2 3 4 out 2 3 4 5 6.

Be aware of your hand on your tummy. Feel the rise and fall as you breathe deeply down into the lower part of your lungs. Let's do this again. In 2 3 4 release 2 3 4 5 6.

Breathe in 2 3 4 release 2 3 4 5 6.

Breathe in 2 3 4 release 2 3 4.

3 4 5 6. Now continue that in your own thoughts. Feel the end breath through your nose and the belly and slowly longer on the way out.

Then let your breathing find its own rhythm once more. Be notice without checking too hard, whether there's a little bit more moisture in your mouth than there was 4 minutes ago. And if you don't, that's fine too. Your body doesn't have to respond on command.

One quick, kind note before we go on. Your mouth is dry, a great deal of time, even when you're perfectly calm. And there's no talk to give, no meeting, nothing to be nervous about. Please do mention it to your doctor.

Now within the peace and calm, for your beautiful mind. Visualize these words that I say, taking note of the colour, the size, the font in your own mind's eye, and then repeat them softly. As I'm mentioning them out loud, or saying them silently in your thoughts, whatever works for you. So relax, drift deeply, visualize and repeat.

I am safe even when my mouth goes dry.

My body is preparing me, not betraying me.

A dry mouth from anxiety is a switch, not a fault.

I breathe through my nose and my mouth softens.

I do not have to sound perfect to be worth listening to.

The first word is the only hard one. After that, I am simply talking.

I am calm before I speak. I am steady within my own voice.

I am relaxed, my friend. Feel your breathing again, the hand on your belly, the soft rise and form, and breathing in and out through your nose. Maybe be aware of the change in temperature between the in and the out breath around your nostrils, but with every exhalation. I wonder if you could imagine the stressed attention evaporating from the surface of your skin, leaving your thoughts balanced and centered, because simply put, you are worthy.

To take with you this new sense of calm, this clarity and understanding. Here are your three daily caring tips. One, before you speak, let your jaw be loose and take three slow breaths in and out through your nose. Two, keep your attention on the first sentence, not on what your mouth is doing.

You do not need to monitor every sensation. Three, say your opening sentence out loud, softly, before you ever say it in the room.

The first sentence is the only one you need to prepare for. Once you begin, you can simply talk. Now, one more time, acknowledge the connection and feel your hand on your tummy.

Breathe in deeply, hold at the top and then breathe out and unwind.

Now let's come back now into the space around you, wiggle your fingers and then your toes. Hold on the chair or the floor underneath you. Breathe in deeply, hold, roll the shoulders, stretch the arms as you breathe out. And then when you're ready, let your eyes open.

You did that all on your own. If you would like this with you, at the moment you really needed, in the 90 seconds before you walk in rather than the night before, anchored is there. Discrete, no feed, no likes, nothing announcing itself on your screen. It's on iPhone and Android.

I wrote it so that hopefully one day you'll never need it. Thank you. And if I may, for the price of a large coffee for $5.99 for a month, you get all of it at free. Download your favorites, create your own perfect box breathing.

And if you think there's something that would really enhance it, then email me. Hello at calminganxiety.org. Have a lovely day, my friend. Smile often and in everything.

Be kind.