How To Build More Trust (So You Don't Feel So Anxious All The Time)

Trust is more about "letting in" than it is about "letting go."

Trust is like an invisible, indestructible bubble that you get to practice surrounding yourself with. As you practice trusting, your level of awareness will grow with you as you open up your heart, mind, and soul. If you stay the course, you'll be more than capable of resting in a space filled with trust that can anchor you in safety, guide you with clarity, and open you up to expansiveness. Trust is about letting in everything that has come before this: an acknowledgment of and grounding in the present, an acceptance of the present moment and of yourself, an awareness of the power you house within your mind through intentions, and an openness that requires letting go of judgment. Trust holds all of it together and opens you up to the ultimate expression of love, possibility, expansion, bliss, and peace. When our fear shows up, and we lose elements of that recipe, the end result doesn't come out quite right. Sure you can experience them on their own, but together they are so much sweeter. After all, do you want an occasional chocolate chip or the whole cookie?

This meditation grounds you to this present moment.

Set your alarm for five to 20 minutes. With your eyes open or closed, take a deep breath in through your nose, hold that breath at the top of the inhalation for one or two seconds, and let it out through your mouth. Repeat for five breaths, and then allow your breathing to relax. Effortlessly breathe in and out through your nose without an attachment to the speed or rhythm of it.

With every inhalation, begin silently repeating in your mind, "INHALE."

With every exhalation, begin silently repeating in your mind, "TRUST."

If your mind drifts to a sound you hear, a physical sensation in your body, or another thought, bring yourself back to the repetition of breathing in "INHALE" and breathing out "TRUST." With each exhalation, allow yourself to invite in that feeling of safety and surrender that accompanies deep trust.

In a more abstract context, the Universe doesn't offer tangible co-signers who validate your trust. It's easy to look for external assurance that it's OK to trust, that it's OK to believe that we'll be all right/happy/employed/loved/financially secure. Embodying trust at the deepest level of your being (beyond your mind) awakens a sense of safety and stability regardless of the external circumstances. Those circumstances outside of ourselves make us feel like everything is going to be OK, but they're not real. Recall a time when you felt fear and scarcity around something that was uncertain in your life. Maybe it was the last time you were looking for a job, for example. And then let's say you ran into a friend who, after hearing that you were looking for work, said, "Oh, they're actually hiring at my office, and you might be great for that position." In that moment, absolutely nothing in your reality has changed. You're still unemployed. And yet, you instantly feel a wave of relief wash over you because you've received external validation that things will be "OK" again. Just to reiterate, in that moment you still don't have a job. You just have ideas and other people's trust, which are easier to have faith in than the unknown because they don't require anything from you. But leaning on others' foundation will ultimately always feel unstable. The strongest foundation you could possibly stand on is your own source of trust. Trust that what you need is already within you.

Step 1: Breathe and relax.

Step 2: Affirmation: "I trust that the seeds of what I need are within me."

Step 3: Mantra: "SO HUM."

When you're ready, start by setting an alarm for however long you're going to sit in meditation. Ideally this is 15 to 20 minutes. Make your environment as quiet as possible. If you want to light a candle or incense, take a moment to do that as well. Once you're finished prepping, move into a comfortable seated position with your back supported, and place your hands together in your lap or resting on the top of your legs. Sitting with your palms up is receptive to energy, and palms down will feel more grounding.

Then, gently close your eyes and take a few deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Use these first few breaths to become present and, most importantly, give yourself permission to rest in that space for the remainder of your meditation. For these first couple of minutes, just notice how you're feeling mentally and physically. Continue taking a few deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. With each inhalation, settle more into the present moment, and with each exhalation, let yourself relax more and more.

Really feel into your breath. As you breathe, notice where you feel it in your body. With each breath, let go a little more of anything that doesn't exist with you in that room, in that moment. Allow your breath to then move in and out gently through your nose at a pace that feels relaxed.

Next, check in with your physical body, moving from the crown of your head down through your toes, and actively soften and relax any areas where you sense tension or tightness.

If you need to, take a look at the affirmation. Begin silently repeating to yourself, "I trust that the seeds of what I need are within me." Gently repeat this for about a minute.

Then begin silently repeating the mantra "SO HUM." If linking it with the breath is helpful, feel free to do that in the beginning: With each inhalation, repeat "SO," and with each exhalation, "HUM." Don't get too attached to keeping the mantra linked with the breath, though. Continue the effortless and silent repetition of the mantra.

If your attention drifts to another thought in your mind, a feeling in your body, or a sound in your environment, simply notice that your mind has left the mantra and bring your attention back to the mantra.

Continue the repetition until your alarm goes off, and then take several deep breaths to gradually bring yourself out of your meditation. When you're ready, open your eyes gently.

If it feels comfortable, set the intention for the rest of your day to practice believing that affirmation. Practice thinking it, even if you don't believe it at all. And notice how you feel at the end of the day.