To Pull The Weeds of Anxiety
3 Methods To Use Neuroplasticity And Visualization To Heal
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Two nights ago I went to bed kind of dizzy. I’d done a small workout an hour or so before to continue in strengthening my neck. I must have tweaked the nerve(s) that is(are) causing all my issues — strong rushes of vertigo came on as I put the kettlebells down. I drank a protein shake directly after to get my muscles some immediate nutrients for rebuilding and put on a neck brace for support.
After about a half hour, I started to feel better again.
However, when I finally went to lie down, I did some nerve glides which have been standard practice every time I go to bed. One method I use is an imitation of pumping the gas or brake pedal with my feet. The signals that communicate to my brain travel all the way up my legs, spinal cord, and through to my head. That’s when I feel the vertigo. A problem with my brain receiving the proper signals, it seems. A kink in the electrical currents, if you will.
My next exercise is what in yoga they call “cat/cow”. I mimic the yoga poses while lying down by arching my back for 5–10 seconds before going the other way and sticking my butt out with my head tilted back and shoulders rotated back.
This exercise really got me.
The feeling was intense right away. Imagine you’re on a canoe in the middle of the sea. It’s at first relatively calm; with a small sway here in and there, but nothing sinister. Then, all of a sudden a storm pops up in a matter of seconds and you’re now riding fifteen-foot waves.
Scary sh*t.
I had no choice but to start visualizing.
It’s hard to concentrate on anything else when you’re in the thick of mental and/or physical complications, especially if it’s a new occurrence to you. I myself still struggle after several years of knowing about the practice.
However, the immense power behind visualization can take you out of any unwanted headspace and can implement the powers of neuroplasticity. Here are three of the multiple methods I use that can hopefully help you out as well:
- I visualize healing water that runs down my neck, through all the crevices and joints and muscles. Like a mountain stream — the water forms to all of the different obstacles it comes into contact with. Sometimes the water’s cold, sometimes it’s warm.
I visualize my vertebrae shifting, my facet joints rebuilding collagen, my nerves getting un-pinched and flowing freely, my brain getting proper blood from to and from the heart, and my muscles relaxing yet staying supportive.
2. David Goggins has two personalities: “David Goggins” and “Goggins”. “David Goggins” is someone who always looks for excuses to get out of hard tasks; to avoid pain and suffering. “Goggins”, on the other hand, is his alter ego of immense strength. He can handle anything thrown his way and will not bow down to any negativity that’s keeping him from moving forward.
My alter ego is “Alexander”. The mental fortitude, intelligence, and bravery of Alexander the Great, yet in cowboy form. “Alexander” is tough to the core and whenever he gets knocked off his horse, he gets right back on. He always has a smile on his face and tips his cowboy hat before heading off into the sunset.
So with this, I ask you, who is your alter ego?
3. My last exercise, and the basis of this article’s title, is the visualization of “pulling the weeds of anxiety”.
This is pretty straightforward. I envision myself pulling weeds labeled with such words as “pain”, “nervousness”, “death”, “vertigo”, “panic”, etc. I then sow seeds of beautiful flowers with labels such as “gratitude”, “strength”, “determination”, “keep going”, “love”, and “healing”.
Feel free to use these methods during meditation or while falling asleep. It’s best to get your brain calm and in the “Theta wave” state, as that’s when neurons in your brain start to make changes. Neuroplasticity is occurring.
One great way to know you are in “Theta” is that your thoughts start to slow and your heart rate drops to sleeping levels.
Imagination is a fantastic tool to use, however, it is a two-sided coin. It can be your most powerful ally or your worst enemy. So make sure that you use it in the best way possible, unwinding the negative and replacing it with positive.
You WILL heal.
Thank you for reading! I do hope that these small tools can help you in your quest for inner and outer peace.
Much love
-AK
(PS: Check out my “Wild West” ride on a hemp farm in Colorado with the memoir WOLVES OF HEMP STREET!!)