Simple Tools for Managing Anxiety or Overwhelm
Do you sometimes feel anxious or sad about life and the state of the world? The other day I noticed a lot of tension in my neck and back. It felt like bracing against all the war, division and calamity that we’re experiencing on Earth right now.
Here are the tools I use to help me feel better. I hope you resonate with one or two of them. All of these may already be familiar to you, but sometimes it helps to get a little nudge to actually use them. Consider this your nudge.
Your much more help to the people you love when you love yourself enough to take care of yourself.
Try a news fast
If you consume a lot of media - including social media - take a day off once a week or more. Most news operates on an “engagement by enragement” model - keeping you on their platforms by giving you a heaps of reasons to feel upset, angry, judgmental, victimized etc. Instead of spending time with news….
Do things that feel good!
Paint, sing, lie in the sun with your cat. Dance, hike, read a good book. Cook, bike, walk your dog. Have sex, take a bath, go out to dinner with friends. Maybe all of the above. Some of these things can take 2 minutes - like a dance break or taking a few deep breaths. If you get caught up in the to-do list, set a timer for every 2 hours and give yourself a short break.
Offer Gratitude
This is such good medicine and an amazing first-thing-upon-waking practice. It creates a field of positive energy and peace to start your day.
Louise Hay - the “you can heal your life” pioneer - suggested that we start simple. Be grateful for your comfy bed and pillow. Then you can extend that to your body, the birds outside, etc.
Be in Nature
All stress disappears when I’m walking in the forest next to a creek. The aspens in the Rocky Mountains in Taos just turned yellow and are incredibly beautiful! I’m currently visiting family in New Jersey (photo above) and the fall is equally stunning here.
At home, even a break to peek out the window at a family of quails drinking from our water bowl and eating seed makes me smile and relaxes my body.
Ground + Earth
Earthing - with shoes off, feet on the grass/dirt, turning off your mind, appreciating nature - is wonderful. Earthing grounds you. It syncs your body to the natural frequencies of Mother Earth, who is unconditionally loving and nurturing to all of us.
If you can’t get outside, setting the intention to ground energetically into the earth does wonders too.
Love on your body.
The other night when I was feeling the tension, first I laid down on the fluffy rug and let myself become a big puddle of tears. (I’m all for crying - it’s better out than in.) Then into an Epsom salt bath. Yum.
Give your body whatever she needs - extra sleep, water, hot tea, sunshine, a good cry.
Pray
Whatever you call it: God, Source, Creation, Great Spirit, we are all a part of it. My prayer that evening was: “Mother/Father God, fill me with peace. Fill my house with peace. Help me be a source of love, stability, wisdom and peace on this Earth.”
My mind often tries to figure everything out on its own - which never works! Turning it all over to a Higher Power helps to reorient us into a sense of wholeness and relaxes our minds and nervous systems. It also opens us up to receive nourishment from something greater.