I choose to reflect the times
and situations
in which I find myself
That, to me, is my duty
- Nina Simone
So, how are we feeling?
I mean how are we REALLY feeling?
For me it’s been a variety of emotions. Most days I’m feeling energized, productive, hopeful, creative, and secure. But recently...dude! Let’s just say I came downstairs from my room Saturday morning and got pissed off at the dining table...for just being there.
Who does that?!!
Yes, my energy has taken a dark turn lately and I’ve been drowning in anxiety and hopelessness and not addressing it fully.
I finally broke down and called friends, shared my sorrow, and was blessed with compassionate listening and advice.
I also came across a podcast by accident last night that I found to be very timely and needed.
It was an apple podcast by Jay Shetty (On Purpose with Jay Shetty) where he shared some action steps and techniques on addressing stress and anxiety that I felt would be an encouragement to anyone who’s been feeling as overwhelmed as I’ve been lately and you know....cussing out furniture.
These are some of the advice that I connected with.
Deep Breathing -
slowing down your breath gives you more mental clarity. It brings you back into the present moment. That sense of stress and pressure we're feeling is coming from worrying about the future or having regrets about the past even though we no longer have control over it.
Breathing brings our mind and body back in sync with each other. Moments of stress are triggered when our mind is ahead of our body - we are thinking ahead of what needs to be done but we are physically unable to perform or follow through. Our body is not in sync with our mind. I’ve found myself in this position many times (unable to act on the minds requests), and it’s literally brought me to tears.
Breathing Techniques:
Place your left palm on your stomach. Breath in and let your stomach go out. Breath out and let your stomach go in.
Breath in for a count of 4, hold for a count of 2, and out again for a count of 4.
Try this through out the day whenever you feel that weight of anxiety start to overcome you.
Grounding:
When your mind gets lost in the past or future, practice the 5 4 3 2 1 method to bring you back to the present.
5 things you can see
4 things you can touch
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
My daughter actually told me about this method a couple of years ago when I called while having an anxiety attack at the airport for reasons I couldn’t explain. She walked me through it and it brought me to a calm place.
Journal Your Feelings:
I’m not very good at reaching out to people to share my feelings especially if I’m sad or depressed. If I do, I’ll wait until the very last minute when I’m in tears and desperate to be heard. I tend to think sharing my sadness will burden my friend and pull them into that same sad place I’m in.
I’d hate to be the bearer of “bad vibes”.
So I most likely will defer from sharing. This is where journaling my feelings comes in. It’s like a self check up. Checking in on myself as opposed to waiting on others to check in on me.
Ask yourself “how do I feel”? Write it down.
To follow up, ask yourself -
“why do I feel this way”?
“how do I want to feel”?
“what can I do to make that happen”?
Create your action steps, ask for an accountability partner, ask for a therapist- basically, do whatever needs doing to follow through.
The biggest return of investment you’ll ever get is in yourself.
This last one is personal from me to you.
Prayer:
Start your day with a prayer of gratitude. Be thankful for what you have and ask for what you need. Don’t hold back on your ask. Believe that you are worthy of peace, love, and wellness. Because you are. The gift of abundance is your birth right.
I encourage you to keep looking for ways to increase your self awareness and master mindfulness.
We are in the month of Mental Health Awareness and I can’t think of a more timely moment to share this message with you.
I won’t recommend any one podcast, person, or literature to follow. I leave that up to you.
I will instead encourage you to pay attention to your feelings, do the work, and invest in your wellness.
What you’re seeking, is also seeking you.
With all my love, Live Well.