Anxiety can feel like a wave crashing down, leaving you overwhelmed mentally, emotionally, and physically...
Anxiety can feel like a wave crashing down, leaving you overwhelmed mentally, emotionally, and physically. The urge to panic during an anxiety attack is often crippling, trapping you within a cycle of distress.
Those who suffer from anxiety often practice various techniques for keeping anxiety in check, and one effective method is called urge surfing.
Urge surfing encourages individuals to observe physical sensations and recognize urges without acting on them, helping to mitigate unwanted behaviors.
This approach, known as an urge surfing intervention, is not only beneficial for anxiety but also plays a crucial role in relapse prevention for issues like drug addiction, obsessive compulsive disorder, and eating disorders.
If one focuses on the present moment and acknowledging bodily sensations, then urge surfing can aid in transforming how urges tend to manifest, offering a pathway to peace.
Mental health professionals - including anxiety therapists and counselors - advocate for this practice as a tool to counteract addictive behaviors and promote healthier coping mechanisms.
Let's examine how to practice urge surfing for anxiety together.
Urge surfing is a mental technique that encourages individuals to face and ride out their urges like a surfer on a wave, promoting self-awareness and patience until the urge naturally subsides.
Recognizing that those urges, including those related to anxiety and addictive behaviors, are temporary, urge surfing work helps individuals resist immediate gratification.
This method, originally developed for addiction treatment, offers a structured way to manage the physical sensations and urges related to various compulsions.
As urge surfing offers a mindful approach to handling impulses, it empowers people to deal with urges without letting them dictate their actions.
Those who suffer from anxiety know that anxiety can strike anytime for no apparent reason.
And yet, many people are familiar with their own anxiety triggers- external stimuli that aggravate anxiety.
The first step in urge surfing for anxiety is to identify your anxiety triggers.
Awareness of your own mind and body and your personal anxiety triggers will allow you to begin urge surfing for anxiety.
If you have anxiety related to stairs or elevators, be aware of your destinations: malls, office buildings, doctor's offices, etc.
If you know you're going to a party, predict which anxiety triggers like a big crowd or meeting people for the first time might create a wave of anxiety.
Imagine you're a surfer lying on your surfboard, on the lookout for the perfect wave.
You spot a place in the ocean where the water twists and triggers a new wave.
You're aware of the wave that's forming.
Urge surfing for anxiety means awareness of your anxiety triggers and when they create waves of anxiety.
Urge Surfing for Anxiety: Step 2 - Rise
You're on your surfboard and you've spotted the water trigger an ocean wave.
Now the wave begins to rise.
When urge surfing for anxiety, ask yourself- Where's this wave going?
How fast is this wave rising?
Awareness of the rising wave allows you to better predict its course, and how it will affect you.
Urge surfing for anxiety means being mindful of how a rising wave of anxiety is making you feel.
A crucial part of urge surfing for anxiety is being present in the moment.
Don't allow your mind to wander.
Breathe, focus and predict the rising wave of anxiety.
Is your rising wave of anxiety making you feel trapped, paralyzed, numb, or afraid?
Is your rising wave of anxiety making you feel nauseous, weak, achy, or shaky?
Urge surfing for anxiety involves being in tune with your rising anxiety.
Don't ignore it or allow yourself to be distracted.
You are a surfer lying on your surfboard, paddling towards the rising wave, so you can overcome it.
The peak of an ocean wave is when it's at its highest and most powerful.
This means the peak is also the scariest part of surfing.
Urge surfing for anxiety is about finding the courage and control to stand up on your mental surfboard and ride the wave of anxiety.
So far you've embraced the wave, noticed its trigger, and tracked its rising power.
Now, it's time to ride the wave, which means staying on top of it without letting it control you.
Urge surfing for anxiety means realizing that a wave of anxiety may be powerful at its peak, but it won't last long.
Waves are short-lived, and urges towards anxiety can be too.
When urge surfing for anxiety, your confidence to ride out the wave comes from your awareness and acknowledgment that it's temporary.
In fact, enduring the temporary discomfort of a wave of anxiety will give new power over it.
Because next time it won't seem so scary and powerful.
Remember, urge surfing for anxiety means facing down your urge towards anxiety, so that next time it won't wield the same power over you.
For every rise and peak of an ocean wave, there is an inevitable fall.
Urge surfing for anxiety is about feeling empowered by the awareness that your urge towards anxiety will inevitably fall.
You are a surfer standing on your surfboard, and you rode the wave as its power peaked.
Now, the wave is falling, losing its power and slowly returning to the rippling sea.
Not only did you not drown, but you feel empowered by the experience.
When urge surfing for anxiety, the end goal is to know that you didn't avoid your urge towards anxiety.
And you didn't try to distract yourself from it either.
You embraced your wave of anxiety and endured it without letting it control you.
One of the many benefits of urge surfing for anxiety is feeling empowered.
You are not the victim of your urge towards anxiety, instead, you are the victor.
Urge surfing for anxiety will also help you approach future waves of anxiety with more confidence.
Like a surfer in the ocean, the more you surf and the bigger ocean waves you tackle, the better you get at urge surfing.
Like any skill or technique, urge surfing for anxiety takes practice.
It takes a mental and emotional commitment.
Even the most skilled surfers had to learn to surf and still fall off their surfboards from time to time.
Anxiety is a serious condition and can manifest in many different forms.
Your anxiety is as individual as you are.
For this reason, seek treatment for anxiety from a licensed professional counselor.
A licensed professional counselor can help you better identify and diagnose your anxiety.
They can help you design psychological techniques like urge surfing for anxiety, that are personally designed for you.
Don't go surfing alone- get professional help today.
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https://www.amazon.com/Trauma-Sensitive-Mindfulness-Practices-Transformative-Healing/dp/0393709787/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?crid=Q28IQN6F5I1O&keywords=anxiety+mindfulness&qid=1659325956&s=books&sprefix=anxiety+mindfulness%2Cstripbooks%2C86&sr=1-3-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzMzNZOVk1NlZFWVhEJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDE2NDU0OUJLUlg1MzRBUUtWJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA3NDY4NTAyTloxM1U2RklQQTNDJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor, and owner of Overcomers Counseling. I'm dedicated to helping individuals find strength and healing through life’s challenges. With a deep understanding of mental health and years of professional experience, I specialize in fostering hope and resilience while equipping her clients with tools to thrive. Passionate about empowering others, she creates a safe, supportive space where everyone feels seen, valued, and capable of overcoming obstacles on their path to well-being.
Medication is often prescribed for anxiety due to the fact that it works quickly to ease symptoms of distress or panic attacks in some cases. However, this should always be discussed with your doctor so they can provide guidance on what's right for you and the type of medication best suited for your needs.
The duration of anxiety counseling varies for each individual, depending on the severity of their anxiety and their progress in therapy. Our therapists will regularly assess your progress and adjust your treatment plan as needed.
Other activities which have been found helpful in reducing both immediate feelings of anxiousness and long-term anxieties associated with chronic disorders include yoga, journaling, nature walks, art therapy, volunteering, and other low-stress activities. Additionally, developing a healthy lifestyle incorporating adequate sleep, physical activity, and nutritious meals can help reduce overall stress levels.
Ignoring anxiety can exacerbate symptoms and make it more challenging to manage over time. This can result in a negative impact on your personal, professional, and social life, leading to feelings of isolation and even depression.
Yes, Medicaid provides insurance coverage for therapy services specifically designed to help individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. Access to licensed therapists who specialize in these areas is available within the Medicaid network.
To reduce your anxiety, you can practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, and mindfulness practices. Additionally, regular exercise has been found to be beneficial in managing stress and improving mental health.
