Anxiety: How to deal with it

Anxiety is, is something that youth, even adults, deal with, almost on a daily basis.

And it's something that, you know, is not very fun to deal with.

It's not pleasant.

And one of the ways that we can help each other is by helping each other with our breathing and to kind of share our calm with the other person that is experiencing anxiety. Or if it's yourself that's experiencing anxiety.

So this method is almost similar to box breathing method, but in a more culturally safe way.

So not only are you focusing with each of these stems here, coming off the main bow with your breathing, but you're also touching, you're smelling, you're focusing in looking at the bow as well while, you're waiting and working on your anxiety.

And for it to pass.

A lot of good memories come with our bows too.

Memories of sitting in the teepee with family, friends, sleeping in a canvas tent and the bows, the smell of the bows on the ground, even going out together to pick bows.

It's a lot of good family memories with us. So to follow each little branch and breathe is a good way to help control your breathing and bring back your calm.

So starting from the stem and work our way out to each individual branch, breathing in very deeply, hold and out and back to the base of the stem again, in hold and out again, back to the base, in hold, and back to the base of the stem.

And continue until your breathing is back to its calm, steady state.

So this can be achieved indoors as well. In fact, it's, it's very nice to hang bows within your home to help with breathing and that feeling of calm and peace that we get from out on the land.

And when you pick bows, think about your elders around you.

Loved ones who maybe didn't have a chance to go pick bows and pick for them as well. And when you're done with your spouse, always return them back to mother Earth.