Hey! It's Monday, the start of a new week. Who knows where this week will take us!? I'm normally filled with positivity and happiness-filled vibes, however; I'm going to take you through some ways that help me to connect with the now in times of heightened anxiety.
Firstly, I'll go through "the feeling". That's how I try and explain my anxiety when it's absolutely through the roof. I can imagine my anxiety as a tangled bundle of wires that are difficult to comprehend. If I sat and journaled, I'd probably unravel some of those wires... which explains why I feel the constant argh omg stress stress stress feeling right now.
My anxiety can make me feel frozen, stuck, and like I don't even know how to even think about sorting it out. It can stop me from going outside for a walk on my own, but it hardly ever stops me from working... I can tell you that much! I think that's because I've been in circumstances before where I've needed and wanted to succeed, but, people or experiences have prevented that. Now, I'm in a place of knowing exactly what I want and absolutely nothing will stop that.
Here's how I try and connect with the now when my anxiety is through the roof...
Firstly, acceptance is key.
When I'm feeling anxious, I don't bother trying to fight it. I'm just like this is annoying and really do you need to come and inconvenience my day? I'll give myself a tiny portion of the day to be like urgh really, and then I'll put things into practice to make sure that my anxiety doesn't impact my day-to-day. This includes...
Paying attention to my surroundings.
I'll have a look at what's in my room for example. That could be a plant, a book, or out the window. It helps to distract my mind from those negative thoughts or anxious feelings. This is because I've got something totally different to focus on at that moment.
Understanding what my body needs at that moment- whether to push or pull.
This is where I'll really listen to what I need. That could be pushing myself to go for a walk (which 9/10 is the best thing to do), making some yummy food, or actually winding down and putting a film on. I don't let feeling anxious impact my day anymore, but I'll decide whether it's best to push through and go out for example (sometimes it definitely is), or whether to re-focus my energy elsewhere... That could be bullet journaling how I'm feeling, completing a piece of work, or switching off.
I hope that you enjoyed this post! I'm always open about talking about my experiences, how I'm feeling, and techniques that work for me. If you have any questions, I'd love to chat with you.
All the best,
Amy x