Post election thoughts and unlearning anxiety Edited
“Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace.”
Judson Brewer, MD, PhD
“You see, anxiety hides in people’s habits. It hides in their bodies as they learn to disconnect from these feelings through myriad different behaviors.” Judson Brewer
“Watch your thoughts. They become words. Watch your words. They become actions. Watch your actions. They become habits. Watch your habits. They become character.” Judson Brewer
I started writing this post on anxiety in the echo of the second round of the general elections in Greece on June 25th. So, I’ve included a few thoughts on this. Abstention in these elections set a historical record, as almost half of those registered in the electoral rolls did not go to the polls, resulting in the highest abstention rate recorded, at least in the post junta period. There were regions in Greece where abstention reached almost 67%. Interestingly, the voters with the lowest abstention rate were the Greeks abroad. I felt that people before us have had to fight and even risk imprisonment and other consequences in order for us to be able to take voting for granted, and also, that this right is not even in place in some places in the world. If we cherish democracy, however imperfect it may be, exercising rights is important. There was more abstention the second time round which meant that maybe some people chose to visit the beach rather than go to the polls. One of the results is that many candidates from the smaller parties were left out, thus, decreasing the diversity of voices and opinions in parliament. It all saddened me, but I also pondered on whether through not voting people were making a point and that maybe this level of abstention reflected not only passivity and indifference, but also disappointment. The gifted Portuguese writer and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Jose Saramago, writes: “Abstention means you stayed at home or went to the beach. By casting a blank vote, you’re saying you have a political conscience but you don’t agree with any of the existing parties.”
However, today’s post is about anxiety, inspired by two recent podcasts I listened to related to Judson Brewer’s work and new book on unwinding anxiety. However, before I go on, I’d like to add something that I didn’t clarify in the previous post concerning all the different meanings of the word home in English because in Greek the word home does not include so many meanings. So, this paragraph is more relevant to the translation of the last post. The Cambridge dictionary firstly defines home as a house or apartment, where one lives, especially, with family, but home can signify the type of family we come from, a happy or a broken home, for instance. A home is also a place where people can live and be taken care of like a children’s home or an old people’s home. Home additionally means one’s place of origin or place that one might feel a sense of belonging. Home also means one’s country. In Greek we tend to use different words to express these different uses of the word home.
Speaking of home and belonging I’d like to share two old traditional songs that move me to tears sometimes. I’ve recently been listening to some traditional music as I’ve been reading and writing about home, belonging and identity. Some of these seem to connect me to my own sense of Greekness. The first is titled Ξενιτεμένο μου Πουλί / My bird in a foreign land. I recently came across a contemporary rendition by Alkyone, a young musician with an amazing voice [https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=alkyoni+jenitememno+moy+pouli#fpstate……… ]. It talks about someone missing a loved one that has migrated to a foreign land. The second song is titled Neratzoula / Little Sour Orange Tree. An amazing rendition by the actress Eleni Kokkidou at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ozAJhTab5I\
I’ve written about anxiety before, but not from the viewpoint of anxiety being a habit that we can learn to unlearn. In his new book Rick Hanson writes: “Anxiety can become chronic, a kind of habit, and hard to budge. People can even be anxious about not being anxious, since then they might lower their guard, and get hurt again. It’s important to realize that you can be alert and strong about potential threats while not feeling anxious.” As I mentioned I listened to two recent podcasts [on Tara Brach’s website or on YouTube], in which she and Judson Brewer, MD, PhD, discuss how anxiety is a habit that can be unlearned as we cultivate a curious and kind mindful presence. Dr Brewer offers the scientific grounds for this “unwinding”, drawing on his experience as a leading researcher in the field of mindfulness and addiction. He treats anxiety similarly to addiction. They talked about the genesis of worrying, how it perpetuates anxiety and ways we can become disenchanted with this habit, and also, explored particular mindfulness-based strategies like noting what is happening, recognizing our habit loops, arousing our curiosity and cultivating self-care.
Anxiety and fear are common human experiences. Brach comments that worry comes from the word strangle and that anxiety is also the waters we’re swimming in collectively. They discern between adaptive fear and non-adaptive fear and they introduce the idea of treating anxiety and worrying as a habit. Some of the many things people often do to soothe their anxiety, like: drinking alcohol, smoking, turning to chocolate or stress eating, checking phones compulsively, and so on, simply reinforce anxiety because the reward system in our brain is activated. For instance, instead of this hunger signal coming from our stomach, this emotional signal – feeling sad, anxious, etc – triggers the urge to eat. So, practically, every time we use something that momentarily provides pleasure or distraction from our anxiety or fear and triggers the reward system in our brains, negative reinforcement takes place creating a vicious cycle.
There’s a 10 minute video of a TED Talk on YouTube [24 February 2016] by Judson Brewer with the title: A simple way to break a habit, in which this process is briefly explained.
Both Brach and Brewer describe some of their own experiences related to anxiety. Brewer described his experience of panic attacks in his sleep during medical school and Brach refers to anxiety rising during mediation, experienced as an existential clutch. I think anyone meditating for a while is likely to come into contact with this deeper layer of anxiety, which is present in all of us, to some extent or other, due to many causes, which we may be aware of or not [Gabor Mate writes that “People can be affected by unconscious anxieties and stresses they have no conscious knowledge of whatsoever.”], but also the mere fact that we are aware of our own and our loved ones’ mortality.
They also offer ways to unwind anxiety with awareness. This practically requires our becoming aware or mindful of the habit loop itself and of the quality of the reward, and then, finding the Bigger Better Offer (BBO),We need to notice our spiraling moments and become curious about our anxiety, to see where it is located and how it feels in our body.
One practice they go through is the RAIN practice, which has been more expanded upon by Tara Brach. I have written about it in previous posts. The R stands for initially recognizing, in this case, the anxiety. The A for accepting what is and that it is here. John Pendergast further notes that when something might be too difficult to accept we might start with an open welcoming acceptance. Also, I’d like to note that when engaging with exercises and activities it is important to remember that we need to let the pain stay for a while, allow it to transform and teach us, but not allow it to overstay and overwhelm us. We need to titrate the process. The I stands for inquiry, the investigation of bodily experiences and sensations, related core beliefs and thoughts, a getting in touch with the hurt or discomfort. We might ask ourselves: What’s this anxiety about? What am I getting from this worry? Finally, the N stands for non-identification, which Tara Brach combines with nurture and kindness towards the self, which might involve nurturing ourselves through kind and compassionate words and soothing touch. Brewer includes a noting process, which is a naming at a deeper level, and in John Pendergast’s adaptation the N is replaced by L, which involves a letting in of a deeper knowing and felt insight. Finally, Rick Hanson’s version of RAIN includes working with the mind after the 4 RAIN steps to build up more inner resources.