Over the weekend I had the privilege of presenting at the InspireHer International Women’s Day event in Melbourne about ‘Living in the age of anxiety’.
Much of my work at the moment centres around an eight week course I teach called My Name Is Not Anxious, where we explore how our relationship with anxiety can begin to shift when we better understand the nervous system and learn practices that support it.
During the talk, someone asked a question that many people quietly carry.
“What should I do when I feel completely overwhelmed or in the middle of a panic attack?”
I wanted to share this reflection with you because I suspect it is a question many people hold, even if they do not always speak about it openly
I found myself responding in two parts.
The first part relates to what we can do when we are already in that acute state of overwhelm.
When anxiety surges, the nervous system has already entered a heightened fight or flight response. Stress hormones are moving through the body and the system is physiologically activated. In this state the thinking mind is often not readily available, which is why it can be difficult to reason our way out of the experience.
Many people immediately try to regulate the breath. While breathwork can be helpful, when the nervous system is highly activated the breath can feel laboured or restricted. Trying to control the breath too quickly can sometimes intensify the sense of panic rather than settle it.
In these moments it can be more helpful to begin with the body.
If possible, create a little space by stepping away from whatever stimulus or environment may have triggered the overwhelm. Allow the body to begin discharging the surge of activation that has moved through the system.
One natural way to do this is through movement or shaking.
In the animal world, after a threat has passed, animals will often shake their bodies to release the stress response before returning to a resting state. Humans share the same biological capacity, but we often suppress it or try to ignore it.
Allowing the body to move, shake gently, or release tension can help the nervous system begin to settle.
As the body gradually calms, the breath will often begin to soften naturally. As the breath settles, the mind slowly begins to come back online.
Body first.
Then breath.
Then the mind begins to settle.
Sometimes the most supportive thing we can do is simply allow the nervous system the time it needs to return to balance rather than trying to push through the experience or pretend it is not happening.
Acknowledging the experience, allowing the body to discharge the charge, and then reconnecting with the breath can be a powerful arc back toward regulation.
You may notice that much of the advice around anxiety today focuses immediately on the breath. Breathwork has become widely recommended within modern psychology and wellbeing practices. While the breath is indeed a powerful tool, the yogic tradition approaches it in a broader and more integrated way.
In yoga the breath is explored through the practice of pranayama, which sits within a much larger framework for understanding the human being. Yogic philosophy describes our experience through the five koshas, or layers of the self, and the three shariras, the three bodies that make up our physical, energetic, and mental existence.
From this perspective the breath is not addressed in isolation. It is part of a larger process of restoring balance across the body, the energy system, and the mind.
This is one of the reasons yoga often begins by calming the body before working directly with the breath. When the body softens and the nervous system begins to settle, the breath becomes more accessible and the mind can gradually return to balance.
The second part of my response relates to what we do outside of those moments.
While we cannot completely prevent ourselves from being triggered by life’s stresses, the most effective way to reduce the frequency and intensity of anxiety is through consistent practices that support the nervous system over time.
This is where the practices of yoga become incredibly valuable.
Regular movement, breath practices, meditation, and other forms of self care help keep the nervous system in good order. Over time these practices strengthen our capacity to remain within what psychologists call the window of tolerance, the range within which we can meet life’s challenges without becoming overwhelmed.
When we care for our nervous system consistently, we become more resilient, more grounded, and better able to respond to stress when it arises.
We may not eliminate anxiety entirely, but we can profoundly transform our relationship with it.
Much of my work now sits in this space between modern psychology and yogic understanding. I am deeply interested in how evidence based approaches to nervous system regulation can sit alongside the wisdom of yoga to help people develop a healthier relationship with anxiety.
If this is a topic that interests you, please feel free to reach out. I regularly speak, teach workshops, and offer courses exploring anxiety through both the scientific understanding of the nervous system and the lens of yoga practice. You can also learn more about the eight week course My Name Is Not Anxious, where we explore these ideas in greater depth.
And to conclude with my favourite quote in celebration of women:
“We need women who are so strong they can be gentle, so educated they can be humble, so fierce they can be compassionate, so passionate they can be rational, and so disciplined they can be free.”
Kavita Ramdas
From the heart,
Avril
