How To...'Manage' Anxiety

It feels like a very long time since I last posted on my blog and for that, I apologise (assuming that you missed me!)

You may be wondering why I've been so dormant, and I intend on explaining why! Last year I endured a period of anxiousness. I think it's something we all face at different points in life, to varying degrees. It would take another blog post for me to explain why I think it happened in hindsight (i.e. perfectionism...) But for now, I want to talk about how I've cultivated rest into my lifestyle in order to look after myself: mind, body, soul.

https://unsplash.com/collections/139346/soul-care?photo=fMD_Cru6OTk

Let me put it this way:
Life is busy isn't it. I'm in the last 3 months of my degree, writing a book, working, running Belle, and all of life's other fun things (i.e. eating) - I'm sure all the things you're busy with are coming to mind for you too. Anyway, I had to explore and invest in SELF-CARE. I figured I would try this whole 'work from rest, don't rest from work' malarkey. Note: Maybe read that again and try to understand it before you continue.

Everyone is different, everyone has different limits and different lifestyles. However, everyone has the potential to be inspired. BE INSPIRED by a few things I try to do to create a lifestyle of rest to try to manage any anxious thoughts (knowing that this list is by no means exhaustive, and by no means difficult):

1.   Sleep

Ok, maybe I shouldn't have started the list with 'sleep'! But, at the same time, what a fabulous place to start. I mean, if you're not sleeping, you're probably not awake enough to function - and therefore, not awake enough to ponder ways of instilling 'rest' in your life. 

My housemates and I joke about how 10:30pm (sometimes, 10pm, yes, 10pm) is 'bedtime' in our house, but it's only because we know we'll be pathetic at life the next day if we don't make it!

I think it's partly a psychological process. I know that by resting my body, my mind and soul will wake refreshed.

2.   Comfy-ify

Life isn't solely concerned with work, though we're all created with a purpose to fulfill. Whenever I'm home, I like to create a cosy oasis with the simplest of things, i.e. CANDLES (invest in them!)

The Danish word, 'hygge', was short-listed as Oxford Dictionaries' word of the year 2016: it's a feeling and a lifestyle. It's making the little things special. Highlighting the 'extraordinary' in the little things, takes our mind away from the large, overwhelming, anxiety-provoking things of life. 

N.B. try to process what it is that drives anxiety - I understand how hard this is in the moment, but please feel encouraged, you are not alone.

Be mindful of your needs, feelings and emotions - but don't let them RULE your mind. Acknowledge them and let them pass. 

For me, it's making a mug of green tea and taking time to reflect.

http://hyggehouse.com/hygge

3.   Be Energised

Cultivating rest allows you to give yourself fully (an 'undistracted' mind, body and soul) to the fun, crazy, silly things in life. We were created to live fully. Check your diary and guard time to do new and special things with friends. Whether it's getting your nails done, a spa day, adventure day, walk, exploring a new city, baking a crazy meal etc.....
Acknowledge what energises you and make time for it. I know that for me, the gym energises me (or walking outside for however long or short each day), reading a good book, spending time with God, creating good food, and staying in for at least 3 nights a week...

What we value, we guard. Guard your time, guard time for FUN because fun things will remind you of the joy of life. 

FINALLY:   TALK

There is power in vulnerability. There is power in your voice. There is power in acknowledgment. 

This blog is about cultivating rest to manage anxiety. Yes. But I cannot publish this without convincing you of the power of speaking out about what makes you feel anxious. Even the mundane, stupid-sounding things. Text a friend, ask them to pray for you or keep you in their thoughts. Get home, tell a parent/housemate/sibling about what seems to be niggling at your mind. Get it off your chest. Allow the burden to begin to lift. We were created to be interdependent (to depend on eachother). Try - you WILL be ok. 

At the risk of sounding paradoxical, to live fully = to simplify. We make things more than they need to be. By cultivating rest, we allow our mind, body, and soul to settle - we make room to do the things that energise us, bring life and inspire.

MYTH: Self-Talk is Overrated

"I AM" are possibly the two most powerful words because what you put after them shapes your reality. By your reality, I mean your thoughts, your attitudes and your actions. I wonder what, in this moment, you would say after the words "I am"...I wonder what you may have said yesterday after the words "I am"...I wonder what you may say for tomorrow?

We all fall into the trap of thinking that the thoughts we tell ourselves are fleeting and irrelevant. OR, are true and unchangeable. 

DID YOU KNOW?

• We have between 150 and 300 thoughts about and to ourselves per minute. That means around 30,000 per day.

• 70% of these words are negative, and out of those 70%, 70% are subconscious thoughts that we tell ourselves, I.e. You aren't aware you\re having them.

• Oh, and one more thing, you repeat the same things to yourself 95% of the time. So, it's more than likely that you're repeating those negative things about yourself to yourself.

Words have power. And although most of the time we don't speak words out loud to ourselves (although, no judgement if you do!), the thoughts we have are just as powerful because they're the words we're speaking to our inner selves which shape our outer reality.

Think about what would happen if you spoke to one of your closest friends, 21,000 negative words to them over a period of one day. Imagine the damage that would do. Imagine the lies that you would have to come up with to fulfil such a task. Imagine the effect that would have on their emotional health.

Positive self-talk is essential to our emotional health because our emotional health is a tapestry of mind, body, soul and spirit interwoven together.

However, positive self-talk can only begin with self-awareness: I.e. The awareness of what we're actually speaking to ourselves.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says "take every thought captive"

I love detective, spy, thriller, dramas. And so, I love this imagery because I imagine literally taking every thought captive by sitting it down, grilling and questioning it about its intentions and its origin, it's purposes and perceived power. By the way, I mean the thoughts you have when you catch the reflection of yourself in the mirror, when you make a mistake at school or work, when you think you overhear someone talking about you...

Only then do we become aware of what thoughts we're having, when we're intentionally looking out for them. Only then can we tell whether it's positive or negative and trade it for what is truth-speaking and life-fulfilling.

Start with self-awareness. Awaken your mind to the thoughts it has about your self. Speak what is truth, life and health-restoring to your mind, body, soul and spirit and you will begin the journey of self transformation which will seep into your attitudes and actions. 

I'll keep you posted.