How to manifest when you're stressed: soothe anxiety and align with what you want
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Have you ever tried manifesting something while feeling overwhelmed with stress? The Law of Attraction teaches us to align with what we want, but when we’re anxious, that can feel almost impossible.
In this post, I’ll share the story of how I spiralled into anxiety, and the surprising way I managed to shift how I felt. I’ll also show you how to calm your nervous system, even when you feel like you’re stuck in fight or flight.
The day everything changed: when the Universe forced a new beginning
A couple of years ago I was at my desk about to go into a work Teams meeting, when I heard a frantic banging on my front door.
I rushed to open it and found my upstairs neighbour wide-eyed and pale. Looking past her into the downstairs hallway, I saw my landlord lying on his back, not moving. I ran down the stairs, knelt beside him and tried to find a pulse. There wasn’t one.
His name was David. I’d lived in one of the studio flats in his house - where he also lived – for fifteen years. He liked to say the three of us who lived there with him were like family.
Later that day, when his niece arrived, one of the first things she said was:
“Don’t worry. You have plenty of time to find somewhere else to live. The house will take a while to sell.”
Outgrowing my flat: the leap the Universe made me take
I’d outgrown my studio flat long ago. I craved more space, and the freedom to make it my own. David neither enjoyed doing house maintenance, or paying others to do it, so the house was in need of some TLC.
Over the years I’d made half-hearted attempts to find somewhere else to live. But one thing kept me where I was: the rent. David had only raised it once in fifteen years. Paying so little for a central city flat, even with its flaws, was hard to walk away from.
Now my hand was forced. The Universe was, in no uncertain terms, telling me it was time for something new.
When anxiety took over my manifestation journey
I gave myself a couple of months to grieve and adjust before starting my search. But as soon as I started looking, anxiety showed up – big time.
I tried to avoid reading about sky-high rents and record numbers of applicants. But every time I mentioned I was house-hunting, I was met with sharp intakes of breath and horror stories.
I felt desperate. I made offers on flats I didn’t like, in areas I didn’t want to live. Each time, I was outbid or overlooked in a sea of applicants.
The closer it got to the house being sold, the more anxious I became, and the less able I was to calm myself.
Thinking myself into anxiety
One day, after learning I’d been outbid again, I walked to my local park. Nature usually soothes me. I sat down, took off my shoes and socks, and buried my feet in the grass. It felt good, but the debilitating thoughts kept coming:
What if I don’t find a place before I have to move out?
What if I can’t afford to stay in the town I love?
What if I end up imposing on friends or family?
What if the only flat I can afford is horrible and rundown?
What if I’m always outbid? What if I never get anywhere?
As I spiralled, I felt the colour drain from my face. My heart raced. My mouth went dry. I felt shaky. The sounds of children playing and dogs barking faded, replaced by a hissing in my ears. My peripheral vision blurred, until all I could see was the grass.
I’d thought myself into a full-on panic.
The technique that helped me stop an anxiety spiral
I knew I could force myself to pull out my notebook and write positive thoughts. I could force myself to do a Focus Wheel, or to get up and go for a walk. But I’d spiralled too far. I was in fight or flight and none of my usual practices to realign would work.
What can I do? I asked myself, feeling utterly overwhelmed. And I had a thought:
I don’t have to feel like this. I can choose to feel differently.
Could I? Could I choose not to feel anxious?
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. As I exhaled, I imagined the anxiety leaving my body like a grey mist.
I took another deep breath, imagining breathing calmness into my solar plexus and heart centre, and radiating that calmness through my body. I told myself I was okay. Everything was okay.
With each exhale, I let anxiety go. With each breath in, I welcomed calm.
Five minutes later, I was still sitting in the park, bare feet in the grass. But I felt completely different. I felt calm.
Want help shifting out of anxiety too?
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What I finally understood about alignment
I’ve been immersed in the manifestation and Law of Attraction world for over twenty years. I’ve heard, ‘It’s a choice’, countless times. But until that day, I hadn’t truly understood what it meant.
We’re conditioned to react in certain ways to certain situations. In the face of the ‘reality’ of high rents and fierce competition, my reaction of concern, and panic, was ‘normal’.
But it doesn’t have to be.
I walked home from the park in a bit of a daze, knowing something special had happened.
Over the following days the unhelpful thoughts returned and so did the anxiety, although not to the same level.
But now I knew what to do. I’d chosen a different feeling once, and I could do it again.
Manifestation tips: how to calm anxiety before it spirals
Although the title of this blog is ‘Manifesting while stressed’, it’s way better if we don’t let the anxiety build up in the first place.
I’d known for weeks that my nervous system needed calming. Most of my thoughts about the situation were fear-based. They were lowering my vibration, but I wasn’t doing enough to shift them.
I did some things. I occasionally meditated and I did the odd Focus Wheel, but it wasn’t enough.
In hindsight, a simple daily practice to recentre myself and raise my frequency would have made a world of difference. Even just fifteen minutes of meditation, appreciation lists, or Focus Wheels would have helped me feel more aligned and grounded.
But why ‘do the work’ if you can just choose to feel differently?
After my breakthrough moment in the park, I realised I didn’t always need to effort my way into alignment. I could simply drop feelings I didn’t want.
If I noticed myself start worrying about money, I’d remind myself that I didn’t have to go there – and just let it go.
But in a world where the negative is constantly amplified, having tools like appreciation lists, visualising, and affirmations is powerful. They attune us to joy and calmness, emotions we’re not always that familiar with, making it easier for us to tap into these higher feeling states when anxiety does appear.
But even when we do everything right, high-stress situations can still creep up on us. And when that happens, we need to know how to let go, and choose a different feeling.
6 steps to shift out of an anxiety spiral
If you’re already in a spiral, be extra kind to yourself.
Understand, that even when you’re in a challenging situation, you can choose how to feel. It’s simple, but not always easy. Here’s a practice to help:
Close your eyes and take a deep breath.
Turn your focus inwards. Where do you feel the anxiety? Is it in your chest, your stomach, or all over?
Allow yourself to feel it. Don’t think about what led up to the feeling or get lost in the story.
Exhale the anxiety. Imagine it leaving your body with your breath. Maybe it has a colour or shape – however you picture it is perfect.
Inhale calmness. Imagine breathing in calmness. Maybe it has a colour or texture. See, or sense, this calm feeling radiating through your body.
Repeat. Do this process as many times as you need to.
The aim of this process is to feel calm. Don’t give yourself a hard time if that doesn’t happen. Instead, notice if you feel even a little better.
Calm your energy and align with what you want
I ended up moving to a wonderful flat where I feel happy and at ease. It’s not my ‘perfect’ home, but it’s given me the breathing space and calm I need to think about what my ideal home looks like – and the freedom to manifest it in the future.
If you’re trying to manifest while stressed, remember: you don’t have to be perfect. Even small moments of calm can shift your energy and make a difference.
To help you find calm quickly, I’ve created a free 4-minute meditation – designed to guide you from anxiety to calm so you can reset your energy and align with what you want.
Take a few quiet minutes for yourself.
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