Moving through anxiety
If you’ve been part of this community for a while, then you know that I’ve been getting in touch with the anxiety I experience and learning to let her go. I wanted to share things that helped me and also just chat about why it seems that every friend we chat to is experiencing anxiety too.
“This year 38% of adolescent girls recorded experiencing some form of anxiety.”
(The National Institute of Mental health)
So, let’s chat about the things that really helped me kick anxiety to the curb (for the most part, it’s human to have a full spectrum of feelings at times).
“You my dear are absolutely perfect, anxiety isn’t a part of you, a feeling we experience exterior to ourselves, and a feeling that will pass.”
Journaling
My favourite tool, I turned my nose up against it for so long uninterested in the words my mind wanting to share. Once I put my pen to that paper it became a ritual, sitting down and letting words flow in their most raw form, unfiltered, half the time they probably make no sense to anyone else but that doesn’t matter because it’s for me, every word is to express a piece of my heart so she can go about her day a little lighter.
5 & 5
Inhale for 5, exhale for 5
I really do swear by this breath, specialists call it the ‘perfect breath’ how we all should breathe all the time. When I feel myself getting anxious, I’m conscious of that feeling and pause in that moment and take as many of these breathes as I need. Our breathing is so so important, if you’re interested, Breath by James Nestor changed my life.
Little things bring joy!
Feeling anxious? Find comfort in “soul food” that thing that just feels so good to you. It might be a cuddle with a dog, your favourite tea, sitting in nature, a chat with a best friend, your favourite snack or just a binge of your favourite TV show, release the guilt, life’s too short, do something you love.
A walk in the park
We all know exercise is good for us but why it’s good for us is so far beyond the physical. Getting the body moving boosts the feel-good hormones, helps oxygen pump around our body, making us feel energized and clears a busy mind. It doesn’t matter what exercise it is, if you hate running don’t run, do something you love like a dance class or a walk in nature.
Herb up!
Sip on some soul nurturing herbs, there’s so many plants in this world handed to us by mother nature to ease our mind and soothe our soul.
Here’s a few of my favourites so you can find yours,
Lemon Balm
Schisandra
Gotu Kola
Chamomile
Holy Basil
Passionflower
Rose
St John’s Wort
Vanilla Rooibos
Ling zhi or Reishi mushroom
My personal fav is to mix my own; Vanilla Rooibos and Rose or Schisandra, Lavender, Chamomile and passionflower.
Take a 5 min Zen out
Easier said than done... Take 5 mins to meditate, if your mind is too busy in that moment just sit, breathe, let the thoughts pass by you. Acknowledge that they’re there but they don’t control you. Centre your focus on one thing that brings you joy and just focus on that as if your whole world is centered around that one thing. It could be your pet, your loved one, a place you visited or something you ate it’s for you to decide.
Only you know what sparks joy inside that beaming soul of yours.
Word vomit
Honestly fabulous healing, friends aren’t friends unless they’re okay with an ugly cry and a word/life vomit for 3 hours on the phone, that is what friends are for. Sometimes support is all we need, I stand by that a problem shared is definitely a problem halved.
With love,
