Where Do We Turn To First?
In the last year I’ve learned a lot about myself but I’m no where close to where I want to be in that department. I still have a long way to go but we all need to look at how far we have come, at all our progress, instead of how far we still need to go.
When my anxiety starts getting too overwhelming the first thing I do is remind myself that it is OK to take a time out. This time out for me is to only do the basics in my home and not much more if I’m not feeling it.
Give yourself some grace! No one can give 100% 24/7 and that’s totally ok! This is something that is pretty difficult for me to convince myself. Being a perfectionist is a hard job ๐ Seriously though, you really do need to remind yourself that even Superman has days off and time to chill and time to go out with friends and time to read etc
Part of my self care practice has been to dedicate myself to reading more. I love books and if I can’t physically read them then I get a book on cd to listen to in the car. I spend a lot of time travelling between work and extracurricular activities with the kids. Having something to listen to has really helped to decrease the anxiety! As long as I can stay focused on the book (or podcast etc) and not let my mind wander like it loves to do!
If you have someone to talk to then let it out. We’re not always looking for advice or a conversation. Sometimes all we need is to babble and make sense of all our thoughts out loud. Let your person know they aren’t required to respond (or even fully listen lol) and it will help them to relax about it. Listening to the anxieties of another is often pretty mentally draining for some and if they don’t feel pressured to have the “perfect” response afterwards then it’s a lot easier on them. I personally talk a lot and pretty quickly when I’m anxious and I can jump from topic to topic without a breath in between. Hard to follow for the listener AND myself ๐.
After We Figure Out Our Fears…
If we can keep our stress levels down we can have a bit more control over it. My anxiety stems from my PTSD and many years of abuse. It didn’t always show itself in this form though so I didn’t realize I had such bad anxiety.
I can’t stress this enough:
Self-care is essential for our survival. This can even be as simple as a 10 minute nap in the afternoon. Listen to your body. Meditation can help determine what our bodies need. This can mean a 10 minute walk around the block. A quick bubble bath. Taking a moment to drink a glass of water can do miracles as well!
Too many people think of self-care as a selfish practice and don’t allow themselves to show themselves love. It doesn’t have to be spending money on nails or hair or shopping for new clothes. If that’s what you want, need and can accomplish than go for it! It can just be watching a movie in the afternoon by yourself on the couch while the kids are in school or napping.
Writing in a journal is very therapeutic also. Getting it out onto paper is a great way to get it out of our heads so we can stop thinking about it. A brain dump is another interesting way to rid all of those thoughts overwhelming the mind at night to help the sleep come easier. Just jot all of it (to do’s, don’t forgets, and everything in between) onto a scrap paper, into a notebook or whatever you have handy.
Getting enough sleep is so important to our mental health. If one doesn’t get enough sleep then the mind just doesn’t work as well. The decision making skills just don’t work.
The last thing I want to throw out here is that therapy or counselling is a great place to start. Be sure to ask what kinds of tools they could give you for anxiety, other coping skills they suggest and if your anxiety stems from trauma or abuse be sure to let them know this as well. If they don’t have experience in trauma therapy this could cause you to relive this at the wrong time and cause more damage, putting you further back in your recovery or losing any progress you have made so far.
Good luck! And don’t forget that YOU ARE ENOUGH, PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION. You’re doing great no matter where you are in your journey. Keep going ๐
Have a blessed day ๐
Ang