Anxiety…7 Ways I keep the Calm in My Storm
I think we all can agree that this year has been one for the books. With all that is going on, the virus I call the “C-Thang” to social injustice, anxiety, and depression is at an all-time high all over this country. I am dealing with stress. I've also been one big worry bubble, but I discovered ways to calm my anxiety. Here are the methods I use to manage my anxiety.
FILL-INS PUZZLES
Fill-ins puzzles are puzzles that you are crossword puzzles without clues; you must figure out what word fits in the slot by process of elimination. When I was young, my mother used to do these puzzles to help her deal with health issues. Mother let me do one puzzle, and I have been in love ever since. These puzzles are so addictive and keep my mind occupied for hours.
ADULT COLORING BOOKS
Yep, you read it right, adult coloring books! These coloring books have been a recent favorite. These coloring books' purpose is to help reduce stress and anxiety. The pictures in the books are beautifully detailed. It can take hours to days to complete one page, but I enjoy things that keep my mind focused on something that is not stressful. Another reason why I appreciate these coloring books because it takes me back to the simple years of childhood; it brings back happy memories. I know this may sound a little weird to some, but all I can say is that it works!
SELF PAMPER DAY
I love my self-pamper days! Self-pamper days help so much to unwind the mind when stressed. Just the thought of having a day to relax and focus on yourself is just heaven! My self-pamper day starts with a nice bubble bath, a manicure and pedicure, a facial, and end it with relaxing on the recliner watching a Hallmark movie or a moment of mediation.
SCENIC DRIVES
Long drives are one of my favorite ways of destressing. It's very soothing to have a moment to enjoy the beauty of nature while listening to my favorite playlist. The road's sound is also calming, sometimes a little too calming, causing this girl to fall asleep for most of the ride lol. My favorite places to drive to are somewhere in the country or anywhere near the ocean. Sometime the drives will end up in a few of my favorite cities in Texas like San Antonio, Austin, or Dallas.
SHOPPING THERAPY
Every gal needs a little shopping spree from time to time, or maybe all the time (wink wink). I know some people would be a bit confused about why this would be a good stress reliever, but again, anything that could occupy my mind away from stress is a winner in my book! One of the few things that I like to do is shop for is home décor. Nothing is more rewarding than coming home and seeing your place well put together with beautiful décor pieces that you have purchased during your retail therapy, lol! Another type of shopping I enjoy during stressful times is what I call theme shopping. Theme shopping is when I shop for items that go with a particular image in mind. For example, If I put together some outfits and feel like I am missing one specific accessory like a fedora hat, my goal is to find the best deal on fedora hats, theme shopping. Another example is when I want to make a jewelry collection dedicated to butterflies; then, my goal is to shop around and find the best deals on butterfly charms to make the jewelry pieces. I know it is probably just called simple shopping, but I call it theme shopping. It just gives me a mission that will only gain so much confidence when I accomplished it at the end.
JOURNAL TIME
Another one of my favorite stress relievers is journaling. Journaling helps so much with sorting out my thoughts at the moment and relieving the negative thoughts. One thing I do at the end of each journal is to give myself some motivation. I write keywords that describe my feelings and the keywords that I desire to feel to manifest positivity. Another joy of journaling is when I am having a frustrating moment, and I will look back at some of my journals and see how I could pull through that problem; it gives me confidence and calmness to make it through what I'm currently experiencing. It encourages me to keep pushing on and know that everything will work out great; you have to keep pressing on and stay positive.
THERAPY IS A CHARM
I cannot stress enough how much therapy has been such a great help in calming my anxiety and stress! About three years ago, I experienced a health scare that put me in such a dark place in my life where I was continually crying and couldn’t get myself to even think of one thing positive about this whole situation. My anxiety kept me from sleeping at night because I fear that I might have another health scare, which led to another emotional episode. The stress also carried on at work where I had to take several breaks to control the anxiety attacks. My coworker informed me about the program available for employees to have six free therapy sessions with a qualified therapist. After having another emotional episode in the middle of the night, I decided to call the free sessions number. This decision was probably one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made because I’ve met a fantastic counselor who helped me go through this storm with a little more ease. If it weren’t for my therapist, I don’t know exactly how I could get out of my situation the way I did with so much positivity and not being on antidepressants. Therapy is an excellent way of sorting out your thoughts, get to the root of the issue, and find the solution to your happiness. My therapist dug deep into precisely the real problem that caused distress and helped me reduce the mental chaos and focus on keeping a positive outlook. She also gave me weekly assignments to help me change the pattern of negative thoughts into optimistic outcomes. I now know how to deal with stress better than I did three years ago, thanks to therapy in stressful situations.
These methods are jewels in keeping my anxiety and stress at a minimum. Having good mental health is key to calmness and happiness and should never ignore taking lightly! What causes anxiety and stress in your life? What are your methods of keeping the calm in your storm?