Anxiety: 10 Tips for Self Care

People in my community and circle are becoming more aware of the impact anxiety is having on our lives and bodies, I am seeing a larger dialogue about it. Maybe it's because I'm in a creative field and anxiety disorders tend to affect creative people more, or maybe people with anxiety tend to be more creative. Whichever the direction the circle goes, we are all sitting it in and looking around at each other with more acceptance, truth, and support in our eyes. 

We are having a bigger conversation about what "anxiety" means. It doesn't mean that you are negative, or a pessimist, or a worrier, or are stressed. The anxiety I am talking about is the biochemical part of our body that tells us we are in danger. It wakes up our brains and sends adrenaline pumping through our veins so forcefully that even when we are DEAD TIRED, our bodies are alert and ready to take on the world. This can serve us in positive ways and it can harm us and take us down. When we empower ourselves with awareness, information, and support, we can create a more informed, positive relationship with anxiety. We can harness it to work for us, and we will notice when it is working against us.

We may not be able to cure or control it, but we can create the space and time and behavior patterns to engage ourselves in what will lead to a more free and comfortable life. I will always be working through my anxiety, and I've turned to resources and people to help me. One of the most impactful people who have helped me is Michaela Cullen, one of my best friends (bridesmaid and Godmother-style), and she happens to be an integral life coach who has worked with her own anxiety for most of her life.

In today's MACC video, we talk about 10 different ways you can empower yourself and start to have a healthier relationship with your anxiety.

10 TIPS

• Your anxiety is just a part of you, it does not define you
• Develop your relationship with anxiety through journaling
• Anxiety is part of your biological chemical makeup
• Create a support network (friends, family, therapists, coaches, etc.)
• Use meditation, guided imagery, and visualization
• Look at any family history with anxiety
• Filter anxiety through a positive light
• Connect with your breath
• Self care is survival
• Preventative action can help you remain present

RESOURCES

• 7 things people with anxiety want their loved ones to know - Hello Giggles
• 13 Easy Yoga Poses To Flush Stress Hormones From Your Body - Healthy Food House
• Stop Anxiety Now Kit by Dr. Eve A. Wood - Visualizations and meditations that are great to have on your phone to guide you through your anxiety and panic attacks in the moment. I travel with this all the time.
• Abraham Hicks: The Law of Attraction - Teaches you how to move from fear based thinking into the feel good thought and how to attract more of that vibration from your mindset
• Marianne Williamson - Podcasts, books... any and all. She discusses managing fear and moving through it into a space of love. I feel so much calmer after just listening to her voice or reading her books. The Course In Miracles is great also (this is the book she bases all of her teachings from).
• The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment - by Eckhart Tolle
• Brave Enough - by Cheryl Strayed