It's not always panic attacks. Sometimes it's just an absolute inability to sit still and enjoy the afternoon. When most people hear the word "hypervigilance," they picture someone pacing the floor, hyperventilating, or on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. And while that's certainly one flavor of anxiety, it isn't what chronic hypervigilance usually looks like when you're in your fifties, sixties, or beyond. For us, it's a lot quieter. And in many ways, that makes it far more exhausting. After living with anxiety for over sixty years and spending years in medicine, I can tell you exactly what hypervigilance looks like in older adults. - It looks like an inability to sit on your porch and read a book without feeling a strange, hollow urgency in your chest. - It looks like checking your phone at 9:00 PM to see if an email came in, even though you retired three years ago. - It looks like constantly managing the mood of everyone in the room to make sure nobody is upset. - It's the sensation of having your foot hovering over the brake pedal, 24 hours a day, waiting for an accident that never happens. You aren't necessarily panicking. You're simply "always on." Your nervous system is constantly scanning the horizon for a threat. And when you carry that low-grade tension for decades, your body eventually forgets how to turn it off. The baseline shifts. You stop noticing that your shoulders are practically touching your ears, and you just accept that being completely exhausted by 3:00 PM is a normal part of aging. As a doctor, I saw this constantly. Patients would come in complaining of insomnia, digestive issues, or mysterious muscle aches. They'd tell me they were just "getting older." But beneath the physical symptoms was a nervous system that had been running hot since 1985. For the longest time, I was right there with them. I thought I just had a busy mind. I didn't realize my inability to relax was actually a biological alarm system stuck in the "on" position.

YESTERDAY WAS A DOOZY It started like any other day. I woke, spent some time rubbing Kona's belly, and then softly padding my way to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. We soon headed out to the mini dog park that we visit each morning; it's part of our routine that he expects. However, when we returned, I felt the first wave of anxiety washing over me. I thought it was rather early for that, and as I thought about what might've triggered it… I came up empty. That happens sometimes. It's not always possible to identify the trigger for every single anxiety response. That's the way the rest of my day went. One anxiety wave followed by a few hours of relative ease, and more anxiety waves. It's exhausting when I experience a day like this. Anxiety in itself is exhausting, both mentally and physically. ENGAGING IN THE PRACTICE I engaged in the 10-Minute Silent Sound Reset many times. Each time, I was able to signal my nervous system to back down, but not completely. As we say in Zen, "right now, it's like this." That means that all we have is the present, and it's silly to victimize ourselves by regretting the past or worrying about the future. I could have lamented that my practice was not completely effective and just relegated it to the junk pile and given up. I also could have thrown in the towel and said, "What's the use? It'll always be like this in the future." But that's not in my nature. I know this practice is effective most of the time. And I can't imagine where I would be without it. Even on my worst anxiety day, I'd rather have a practice that is 70% effective at signaling my nervous system to calm than have no tool at all. DON'T GIVE UP ON HIGH-ANXIETY DAYS Anxiety is not an easy partner to live with, as it tests every bit of patience and resolve that we possess. I'm grateful that my high-anxiety days are few and far between. Yours can be, too. Increase your daily practice to three times a day; once in the morning, once at midday, and once in the evening.

ANXIETY OFTEN WASHES OVER YOU LIKE OCEAN WAVES 🌊 - First, the waves crush you - Then you learn to see them coming - Soon, you're prepared for them - In time, you skillfully ride through them Q: WHERE WOULD YOU SAY YOU ARE CURRENTLY ON THE 'WAVE SPECTRUM' WHEN REACTING TO YOUR MOST BOTHERSOME FORM OF ANXIETY?