Anxiety is a frenemy of mine. I have known anxiety since my early teens and have spent my entire adult life masking it, fighting it, and today, living with it as a guide to my inner peace.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a nervousness that does crazy things to your mind and body and can make us feel very weak, unsure, fearful and vulnerable.
Over the years, I have learned to cope with and face anxiety. Instead of letting anxiety hold me down, I listen to it, and let it lead me to my truths and triumphs.
Anxiety is the uncomfortable unknown between Where you are and Where you want to be.
How I Handle Anxiety
Here are 7 steps to dealing with anxiety and letting it lead you to peace and relaxation:
1) Journal: journal your thoughts, feelings, goals, and plans. Listen to what your mind and body is telling you. Often times I don’t know why the hell i feel so “off” until I put pen to paper (or thumbs to keyboard, these days). Recognizing where you are and where you want to be is the road map to happiness and LESS anxiety.
2) Execute: take action steps that get you closer to your goal. When you keep recognizing what you want and consistently take action steps toward achieve your goals, your anxiety will become less pronounced. I say it doesn’t go away because our goals are constantly changing. If your goal is to make $10k a month, do you stop there? No! You make new, tougher, more rewarding goals like making more money or doing something with the money that will make an impact on the world.
3) Get exercise: goals, especially big, multifaceted ones, cannot be achieved overnight. You have to eat the elephant one bite at a time. So, even if you know what your goal is and what you need to do to get there, it can still be overwhelming causing stress and, you guessed it, more anxiety. Exercise is proven to reduce stress and negative health symptoms associated with stress such as weight gain, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure. Some exercise is better than no exercise at all so if you don’t know where to start just start small, for example, take a walk around the neighborhood for 5-10 minutes in the morning before you start your day.
4) Get restful sleep: for some, this is easier said than done. If getting Restful sleep is something you struggle with, get some sleep help. CBD helps me get restful sleep. You may need to change your sleep patterns and routine. Dr. Michael Breus is an expert sleep doctor who has written books about chronotypes – people perform best on different sleep schedules.
5) See a chiropractor/wellness clinic: Pain can be a big cause of stress and anxiety and keep you from focusing on your end goal. It can also keep you from getting exercise that you know you need to help combat your anxiety. I had a very life changing experience with my chiropractor in San Antonio, TX that opened my eyes to the healing power of chiropractic care.
6) Eat Well: Get your recommended servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Fruits and vegetables are nature’s medicine. The natural vitamins and minerals in fruits and vegetables are what vitamins were created to mimic! Hello! Are you understanding the words you are reading!?! Vitamins are synthetic forms of the real thing that you get from eating a variety of fruits and veggies. Try to eat the rainbow every day – and I don’t mean skittles.
7) Natural supplements: CBD oil, gummies, and topical salves are becoming more and more prevalent. I am not a pot smoker, nor am I against it, but CBD is 100% legal in every state and is proven to help with sleep, pain, and anxiety. There are other supplements with natural ingredients such as Ready Calm and herbal teas that help with anxiety.
I know anxiety well. And instead of fighting it, or trying to mask it with prescription medication, I now approach anxiety in a more productive light.
I allow anxiety to lead me to my strengths and desires and use health and wellness to help keep me focused and relaxed along the journey.
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