If you’ve ever struggled with anxiety, you know it’s not just “feeling stressed.” It’s not just butterflies in your stomach before a big meeting or nerves before a speech.
Real anxiety feels like an elephant sitting on your chest while your brain runs endless marathons you didn’t sign up for.
For me, anxiety looked like this: cleaning. Obsessive, relentless cleaning. I’d wake up early to wipe down counters before work, come home at lunch to vacuum, and scrub again before bed.
One night, my girlfriend at the time was playing PlayStation in the living room, and I couldn’t vacuum. I went into my bedroom and cried — yes, cried — because I couldn’t vacuum the floor for the second time that day. That was the moment I knew:
I needed to do something different.
My Breaking Point: Crying Over a Vacuum
Anxiety is sneaky. It makes you think if you just do more — clean more, plan more, control more — the fear will go away. But here’s what I learned the hard way: while I was scrubbing the counters spotless, my mind was anything but clean.
The thoughts still raced. The
what ifs still piled up. What if I mess up that big meeting? What if the money runs out? What if I’m not enough?
Cleaning was my way of trying to control an uncontrollable storm. But sitting in that bedroom crying over a vacuum was my wake-up call.
Why Medication Didn’t Feel Right for Me
Like many people, my first step was the doctor’s office. I was prescribed medication.
And let me be clear — medication saves lives. For some people, it’s the exact support they need.
But for me, it just felt… different. Not good, not bad. Just not
me.
What I really wanted was to find a way to work with my anxiety — to feel more in control of what was happening inside my head and body without altering my chemical makeup. I wanted tools, not just treatment.
Movement as My First Mindfulness Teacher
The first tools I discovered weren’t fancy. They were walking and exercise.
At the time, I didn’t know anything about mindfulness. I just knew that when I walked — long walks, the kind where you can feel your breath finally slowing — something shifted.
When I kayaked down a river, that elephant on my chest loosened its grip. I could think more clearly. I could breathe. I could process the emotions I was trying so hard to stuff down with a vacuum cleaner.
Here’s what I eventually realized:
- Anxiety is usually
fear and worry about the future — the endless “what ifs.”
- Cleaning gave me the illusion of control, but my thoughts still raced.
- Movement slowed my body, which helped slow my mind.
I stumbled into mindfulness without even knowing it.
Science Catches Up: Mindfulness vs. Lexapro
Back then, I didn’t have research to back me up. Now, the science has caught up. And it’s big.
In 2022, a study published in
JAMA Psychiatry compared
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to
Lexapro (escitalopram), one of the most common medications for anxiety.
Here’s what they found:
- Both groups saw about a
30% reduction in anxiety symptoms after 8 weeks.
- Mindfulness worked just as well as Lexapro.
- Side effects? Up to 80% of participants on Lexapro reported issues like nausea, insomnia, and sexual dysfunction. In the mindfulness group, the “side effect” was basically: “Sitting with myself was uncomfortable.”
That’s it.
What MBSR Actually Looks Like
The program wasn’t complicated or mystical. It included:
- Body scan meditation (bringing awareness through each part of your body)
- Sitting meditation (focusing on breath, thoughts, and sensations without judgment)
- Walking meditation (paying attention to each step and your surroundings)
- Gentle yoga (slow, mindful movement)
- Everyday awareness (washing dishes, eating, even driving with intention)
Participants practiced about 45 minutes, six days a week. Which sounds like a lot — until you realize how many minutes we lose scrolling, worrying, or, in my case, vacuuming.
Practical Ways to Start Today
You don’t need an 8-week program to begin. You can start right now, right where you are. Here are a few ideas:
- The 2-Minute Breath Reset: Inhale for 4, exhale for 6. Longer exhales calm the nervous system. Do this for two minutes and feel the shift.
- Mindful Walking: Step outside, leave your phone behind, and notice your steps, the air, the sounds around you.
- Body Awareness Check-In: Pause. Close your eyes. Scan from head to toe. Where are you holding tension? Release your shoulders, unclench your jaw, soften your belly.
- Joyful Movement: Dance in your kitchen, kayak, stretch, take a walk. Movement isn’t punishment — it’s presence.
The SheHandlesIt Takeaway
Here’s what I want you to know:
- Anxiety doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means your body is waving a red flag that something needs care.
- Medication may be the right path for some. For others, mindfulness offers a science-backed, side-effect-free alternative.
- You don’t have to vacuum your way through anxiety (trust me, it doesn’t work). You can breathe, walk, move, and simply
be.
No, mindfulness doesn’t “cure” anxiety. But it can ease the elephant on your chest. It can give you back your breath, your presence, and your clarity.
And sometimes, the boldest move isn’t doing more. It’s learning how to pause.
If anxiety has been running the show in your life and you’re ready to find sustainable ways to reclaim calm and clarity, let’s talk. Schedule a free discovery call
here.
