How to reduce anxiety by anchoring your mind

MINDFUL LABELLING – AN ANCHOR TO THE MOMENT

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^{Most people get caught up with all the thoughts that bombard our consciousness in moments of high stress or performance dependent activity. We think about how hard it is, how we might fail, why we cannot achieve the task and all the other worst-case scenario outcomes.} 

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^{If we take time to anchor ourselves to the task we are doing, while we are doing it, and not become consumed with the thoughts about what we are doing; we will often perform better in that task.} 

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^{To do this all we have to do is be conscious and aware of what is in front of us.} 

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1. LOOK - Take a moment to look at what is in front of you, and around your field of view.

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2. LABEL - Name what you see, as you see it, without judgement or value statements; hand, phone, computer, red door, tree, bark, leaf, ant. 

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3. ACKNOWLEDGE - Do not think about how you feel about the label, or the think, simply acknowledge it is there and accept that it is there. It needs nothing more than that.

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^{You can do this when you are talking to someone and feel yourself becoming emotionally activated.}

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1. LOOK – See the person that is talking to you, see their face in their eyes, their body, their clothes…

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2. LABEL – Without judgement, in your head name what you see on the person; nose, eyes, brown eyes, eyelashes, mouth, lips, teeth, chin, etc…

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3. ACKNOWLEDGE – Your thoughts about these things are irrelevant, listen and label only what you see to be part of the moment. 

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