One of the most powerful things you can do is notice.
Noticing doesn’t mean pushing it away, avoiding it, begrudgingly tolerating it, fighting it, or anything else. It simply means noticing. You’re observing what it feels like to experience this without judging or changing it. Watch it and let it pass through you. Hold a curious and compassionate space for it.
To notice, try to observe what you’re experiencing. Get curious about it:
- What does it feel like in your body? Where do you feel it?
- Does the feeling have a color? A texture? A shape?
- What urges do you have? Do you want to move a certain way or take an action?
- What thoughts are you having?
- What set it off? Don’t think too hard; if nothing comes to mind, let it go.
- Can you sit with it?
- Does the feeling need you to do anything? Can you safely meet that need?
I find that noticing is especially helpful for fear and trauma processing purposes. Noticing lets you take a step back from the feeling or memory while still allowing it to happen, which means that it gets processed without overwhelming you.
Anxiety is especially soothed by noticing.
Think of it like this: if a bear is chasing you, then you don’t worry about it. You run. If you feel anxious, then you’re not in any active danger right now, but something made your nervous system freak out.
What is that something? Look around the room you’re in and see if you can spot anything that might have caused a Fear reaction. Maybe someone walked behind you in a way that felt unsettling. Maybe there’s a sharps bin on the wall and you’re scared of needles. Maybe an object reminded you of something unpleasant that happened to you.
Find the source of the anxiety; then, observe the source. Really look at it. Is it actually a threat right now? Could that change, or is everything okay for the near future? Notice how it feels to respond to that warning signal.
A lot of times, you’ll feel less anxious after doing this.