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1266: What Claire Weekes Really Meant By Floating And Why It Helps Anxiety

  1. 1266: What Claire Weekes Really Meant By Floating And Why It Helps Anxiety Gina Ryan 21:06

In today’s episode, Gina discusses Claire Weekes’ concept of “floating” and how to best understand this step in her anxiety clearing protocol. Floating is a natural companion to the important “acceptance” step and is an essential aspect to clearing anxiety. Being able to float and not respond to the uncomfortable symptoms anxiety throws at us ensures our best path through any anxiety provoking situation. Listen in and master Claire Weekes’ “floating”!

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Quote:

Do not resist the wave of fear. The less you fear it, the less it will frighten you.

-Dr. Claire Weekes

Chapters

0:27 Floating and Acceptance

4:00 What Floating Means

8:27 Stop Adding Friction

10:42 Nervous System Armor

12:49 Active Willingness

15:21 Move With the Wave

16:17 Floating in Daily Life

17:29 A Calm Practice

19:03 Less Resistance, More Ease

Summary

In this episode we continue our series on Dr. Claire Weeks and focus on her teaching about “floating.” We explain how this term relates to acceptance, allowing sensations, and non-resistance in modern language. We frame floating as stopping the habit of fighting anxiety rather than doing something to anxiety.We use the example of learning to float in water to show how tension and effort can make it harder to stay afloat. In the same way, we describe how anxiety often leads us to brace, clamp down, and try to control symptoms, which adds more strain. 

Floating is presented as softening into the experience instead of tightening against it.We also connect the idea to nervous system responses, describing common signs like shallow breathing, clenched muscles, narrowed attention, and racing thoughts. We suggest small acts of release, such as loosening the jaw, unclenching the hands, and easing tension by just a small amount. Floating is described as active willingness, not passivity.We compare this approach to images like Chinese finger traps, quicksand, and waves in the ocean, where struggle makes the situation worse and cooperation is more effective. 

We then offer simple language to use in difficult moments, such as noticing that sensations are present and returning attention to the next breath or next step.We close with a short practice of relaxing the face, shoulders, hands, and breathing, and imagining resting on calm water. We end by emphasizing that healing comes from changing our relationship with fear, not from winning a battle against it.

#Anxiety #AnxietyRelief #PanicAttacks #ClaireWeeks #FloatingThroughAnxiety #NervousSystem #NervousSystemRegulation #MentalHealth #Mindfulness #Acceptance #RadicalAcceptance #SomaticHealing #AnxietyRecovery #AnxietyCoachesPodcast #GinaRyan #StressRelief #SelfCare #EmotionalRegulation #FightOrFlight #MentalWellness #PeaceAndCalm #HealingJourney #OvercomingAnxiety #StressManagement #SomaticPractices #MindfulLiving #LettingGo #SelfCompassion #InnerPeace #MentalHealthAwareness #ACP

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Gina Ryan is the producer and host of the top 50 Mental Health shows on Apple Podcast -The Anxiety Coaches Podcast. Gina is a Nutritionist and coach who, in 1993, opened New Health Natural Products in NY and also struggled with stress, anxiety, and panic for over 20 years.

Before the internet, she was able to climb out of her fear and panic to peace, calm, and well-being by finding what did and did not work. She now teaches thousands of others how to do the same in a fraction of the time.

After moving to Maui in 2005, Gina spent 12 years as a nutritionist/consultant for the Intensive Outpatient Eating Disorder Center and, the only Residential ED Facility in Hawai'i. She shared her compassion, along with her knowledge and wisdom of the mind-body-spirit connection, helping clients clear their food-related anxiety, obsessions, and compulsions.

Gina is dedicated full-time to anxiety-clearing, coaching, writing, and teaching clients worldwide. She considers her work her calling and lives a mindful and compassionate life.