If you’ve ever felt stressed, anxious, or have suffered from insomnia, you probably know just how fast it can take over your mental state.

I know that’s how it was for me.

In fact, my anxiety was so bad that even a caffeinated drink would send me into a panic tail spin. My vision actually shook because I was so nerved up and I would have to close my eyes to make it stop. I would wake up every day hoping that nervous feeling would be gone, but sure enough it never did.

That was at least, until I found the cure. The float tank cure. But first let me explain how I got to this point…

It was sometime in my journey back to a healthy mind in 2007 that I discovered a tool to achieve peace and happiness again: meditation.

It was actually my therapist that first challenged me to try meditation. And at the time I was willing to try just about anything because I needed more relief than I could get from prescription medication alone.

My exploration led me to guided meditations, which I found to work pretty well. Although guided meditation were awesome, I soon discovered that real, “mind-off” meditation wasn’t so easy to achieve. So I did what most people would do to get better at something, I practiced (It takes a lot of it). But once I started seeing results, I realized that there is nothing more powerful for my mind than pure, focused attention.

It was at this point I began to have hope for a normal, peaceful life again—maybe even one without medication. So I started searching for better ways to meditate. Something other than a softer pillow or a quieter room.

I searched and searched and one night while I was up late browsing I came across a device called an isolation tank. (It’s also called a float tank, a sensory deprivation tank, a flotation tank or a mix of those keywords.) I remember thinking these tanks were kind of freaky but how cool was the idea of shutting the world off?

I watched a video of a guy named Joe Rogan, who at the time was the host of the TV show Fear Factor. He was into floating, so I thought, It must be somewhat legit.

In fact, Joe had a podcast where he talked frequently about float tanks. Someone had compiled several episodes, thrown up some graphics, and made a video that I watched over and over.

It. Was. Killer.

This video inspired me like I had never been inspired before.

It was in that moment I knew I was ready to introduce floating into my life.

Floating started as a hobby for me, a way to relax and ease my anxiety. Now, it’s a powerful tool that I use regularly and it has transformed my life for the better in multiple ways.

Since getting into floating I have been able to reduce my medication to taking it only as needed. I no longer need to see a therapist weekly to work on my anxiety. Today, I rarely get anxiety, and when I do I know exactly what to do to relieve it. I see my counselor once a month now, but those sessions have become more about coaching than anything else.

We focus upon creating a better future rather than fixing issues.

I want to be clear though. Am I saying that if you float all will be cured for you? Absolutely not.

There’s no such thing as a cure-all for anything in life, and I encourage you to seek out help and relief anywhere you can get it. Every person is different, every situation is special, and the many things I’ve had to do to find peace again were all worthwhile.

What I am saying is floating was the cure for what ailed me.

It was the cure for my spinning thoughts, anxiety, hopelessness, and depression. Floating remains a cure for those issues. As long as I’m floating regularly, my life is stable, my mind is healthy, and my future is bright.

If this story resonates with you at all or if you’ve ever felt how I did, floating just might be your cure too.

I urge anyone seeking a happier and more peaceful life to go try it out for yourself!

Relephant Read:

Mindful Mindlessness: My Floating Experience.

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Author: Shane Stott

Editor: Renee Jahnke

Images:  Toni Frizzel-Library of Congress Public Domain & Jon Roig-Flickr

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