“Hula-Hooping eased my anxiety!”
Situational stress left Jackie Silver, 59, uneasy and on edge—until a familiar activity from her childhood helped her rediscover joy and peace
Can we go?” Jackie asked her husband, tugging on his shirt sleeve. They were waiting for a performance to begin at the state fair and a swarm of people had closed in around them. She could feel the dirt they were kicking up landing on her skin and clothes, and her nose and eyes began to itch as her allergy symptoms flared. Her anxiety rose as she was jostled by the growing crowd.
“When I was younger, I used to be a really gregarious, outgoing, fun-loving person,” shares Jackie. “I loved going to fairs and concerts, even thrived on them. But after I turned 50, sardine-packed crowds in public settings began to make me feel anxious. Rubbing shoulders with people I didn’t know…
I much preferred to be home.
Anxious and edgy
“I have always suffered from perfectionism—and because nothing is ever perfect, this left me with a
constant low level of anxiety. But things were manageable until about four years ago. At that time, we were living in a condo, when we got word that the landlord had died suddenly and we had to move. As I struggled to process his death, the stress of moving dialed up my anxiety. Soon after we moved into another rental, we realized the living situation wasn’t going to work out, and we were forced to move again.
“The turmoil exacerbated my anxiety, and I started to feel myself spiraling. I had tried things over the years to quiet my mind, including yoga and hypnosis. While each helped a bit in the moment, their effects didn’t stick around long enough to keep me from feeling on edge when I was steeped in stressful situations like this one.
Calm at last!
“One Saturday, in the midst of our moves, we went to a local farmers market. As we strolled through, one stall caught my eye: It was a woman selling gorgeous handmade HulaHoops. They were decorated with ribbon and tinsel, and they were beautiful—just looking at them made me feel happier and at ease.
“I’ve wanted to be able to HulaHoop my whole life, but I had never been able to get the hang of it. The woman selling the Hula-Hoops explained that many adults try to use children’s hoops, which are too lightweight. She said what I needed was a heavier, weighted hoop. Inspired to try again, I picked out the prettiest one, paid for it and took it home.
“That afternoon, I watched a YouTube video and started practicing in my driveway. I modified my stance, staggering my feet, and I focused on moving my hips forward and backward instead of in a circle. Before I knew it, I was Hula-Hooping!
“As soon as I could keep it going for a few minutes at a time, I started to realize how good it made me feel. It was so fun—in my mind, I equated Hula-Hooping with childhood and feeling free. It’s always been a challenge for me to stop my brain, but when I’m hooping, I just forget all of my worries. They say that laughter is the best medicine, and boy, do I laugh when I Hula-Hoop. Plus, hooping is something you do in a wideopen space—I don’t have to worry about being in tight quarters or being surrounded by crowds. It’s just me and my hoop.
“These days, my Hula-Hoop hangs on a hook in my garage. If I pull in, and I’m feeling anxious—like if I was dealing with traffic and angry drivers on the way home or I’d just been in a particularly crowded place—I’ll take it down and hoop for a few minutes to release my anxiety. Or if it’s a gorgeous day, and I want to go outside and forget my cares, I’ll take the Hula-Hoop to my backyard. I might hoop for five or 10 minutes, sit down and listen to the birds chirp, then get back up and hoop some more. I can even get my heart rate up enough that it counts as cardio if I keep the hoop going for 10 minutes or longer.
“I’m still not as social as I once was; I prefer to be home with my closest friends than out in crowded public areas. But when I do go out, I’m better able to control my anxiety in the moment. Then when I get home, I climb out of my car and see my Hula-Hoop. Sometimes I’ll pick it up and use it, but even just looking at it makes me smile and makes any remaining anxiety melt away!”
—As told to Alyssa Rosenthal