Thoughts on Anxiety: Favorite Practices and Resources
Hi Creative Friend!
How are you doing these days? I know that for me its been very up and down since March. As someone who deals with a good deal of anxiety during normal times, this upside down time has kicked it up into a higher gear for me, so I've had to pivot and spend dedicated time & energy diving further into finding daily ways to manage my anxiety. In May I made it into a bit of a game for myself as a way of feeling more light-hearted about it, asking myself if I could put together a whole list of resources that I could turn to for anxiety support when I need it. So I thought I'd share that list with you, we're all in this time together and perhaps you need it too!
Of course I am not a doctor, and
anything that I recommend is what has worked for me, please use your own
judgment and try what works best for you.
Sending you tons of creative inspiration where ever you are. Be gentle with yourself and have a beautiful week,
xoFaith
My List of Favorite Practices & Resources for Anxiety Support:
- First, one of my favorite practices has been starting my day with gratitude: sometimes I get up and write down all that I am grateful for in a list format. Often I will just do this mentally while I am still laying in bed upon waking. I will run through a list of everyone and everything that I am grateful for, visualizing them and sending them light. I have found this so grounding.
- Connecting with nature to calm my nervous system: once our local beaches opened up after lock down it was an amazing relief, we go as a family at least once a week and my husband and I go more often just with our youngest son who loves the waves. The beach has become one of the only public places where we feel really safe enjoying the outdoors as its easy to socially distance and feel so FREE. Standing with my bare feet on the sand, sun on my face is complete mental therapy right there.
- Exercise: I know it goes without saying but getting regular exercise has been a big anti-anxiety friend for me for years, I would walk a 2 mile loop in my neighborhood almost daily & play tennis a couple times a week but with lock down I wasn't able to do those things as easily. SO, I invested in a Peloton bike in March, and it has been life changing. I love the classes, the feeling of community, the fact that my workout is right here in my house AND its a great workout, I sweat a ton which always leaves me feeling like my anxiety has been wrung out of me!
- Cold Water: This is a therapy that I read about, how people bio-hack by taking ice water baths to pump up their immune system and overall sense of well being, read more here. I decided to give it a try by finishing all of my showers with cold water, and I love it: it leaves me feeling happy.
- Breathing techniques: I heard about Box Breathing a few months ago and it has become a powerful go-to when I feel really anxious, head over here to read about how to do it and watch a helpful gif to visually prompt your breath.
- Supplementing with CBD: My journey with CBD has been a bit like Goldilocks: I've tried a bunch of different products but never found the ONE that felt just right for my anxiety....until now, finally! I started taking Equilibria at the end of May and it was love right away, I just felt like it stopped my mental spiral of anxiety. The company offers the highest quality full spectrum CBD in the form of a daily regimen specifically designed for women, and they offer free consults with a dosage specialist to get it just right. Turns out for me, taking CBD twice a day was the key! Head HERE and Use code faithevanssills to get $10 OFF your first order!
- Reading, and re-reading old favorites: I noticed early in the pandemic that I was feeling drawn to only read (and watch) things that I had read or watched before. I think its because of the predictability, as a highly sensitive person its comforting to know what to expect. SO I'm going with that. I've been re-reading the entire Harry Potter Series, which brought me great joy years ago and is proving to be wonderful all over again! And my daughter and I binged the entire series of Friends, which was so funny to re-watch! These rituals have been especially helpful in the evenings, like settling into an old cozy comfy sweater.
- Sound therapy: I discovered the app Synctuition that creates "sound journeys" that completely transport you to another place. You listen to them in a comfortable position with your headphones on and eyes closed, and the experience is immersive and hard to describe! Each experience is around 25 minutes long, so I love to do one when I'm in the middle of an afternoon energy slump, afterwards I always feel more grounded and refreshed almost like a nap.
- Keeping it Simple in the Studio: I have found that I've needed my time in the studio to be super nourishing these past months, so for me that means no big experiments, no pressure on myself to produce XYZ or feel like I should be doing something other than what I WANT to be doing. I've purely followed my bliss and that has meant painting abstract landscapes with lots of color. I've been in a good grove and I'm not messing with that, I'm letting it feel easy by just keeping it simple.
- Meditations and Affirmations: I have found it tricky to find a meditation app that I really enjoy, I've tried quite a few. I really like the Shift Meditation app, by Lacy Young who came on our Morocco Retreat last autumn. And I have been LOVING the meditation and affirmation albums by the spoken word artist Londrelle. His albums "Self Care Package" and "Eternal Sunshine" are my favorites, I have had them on repeat!! Experience his Solar Plexus Meditation HERE.
AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST......virtual travel has been an escapist pleasure lately. Looking at my own photos from past trips have given me great painting inspiration, my kids & I binged a bunch of House Hunters Hawaii recently and it was SO relaxing.
If you're looking for more ways in to your deepest self, more clarity and more confidence in your direction, creative voice, passion and purpose check out my Creative Growth Workshop! An instant access self paced Masterclass to help you harness and achieve your creative dreams!