Self Care for Anxious Days
Anxious days come and go, and I think it’s important to have a good self care routine established for when they do come. It’s like having a plan to look after yourself. We do it for our physical health. We exercise, drink water, go to the doctor and dentist for check ups. And I think it’s important to have everyday home remedies that can elevate our mental and emotional health as well.
Since we’ve been home with Arden, I feel like I have established better routines for managing my anxiety than I used to have. I will admit that when I was working as a teacher, my anxious thoughts often consumed me, and I would become caught in a spiral of feeling “not good enough.” I often felt that because I couldn’t get everything done, or do it the way that other people did, that it wasn’t enough.
Don’t get me wrong, I still have a lot of anxious thoughts.I still regularly have feelings of self doubt. But I’ve learned to understand that not everything is in my control. And the things that are don’t always have to be completed all the time, all at once. I used to focus on faraway deadlines with dread. Now I choose to focus on only what is needed in the near future.
When Arden was in the hospital, we didn’t know what was going to happen in a week, a month, or a year. Thinking about it often made me feel scared or sad. So I chose to focus on loving and healing my boy each and every day. I feel like that shift in focus has carried on in life after the hospital, and it’s been helpful to my mental health. I’m introspective enough to understand the big picture, but I don’t have to have it all figured out right now.
Lately, when I feel my anxious days coming on, I try to focus on doing things that help me stay in the present moment. When I’m anxious, I know that I need to slow down and do some things for myself so that I can heal and feel better.
My Self Care for Anxious Days:
- Read a book or watch a show that I’ve read/seen before: This is comforting in so many ways. I think it’s because the outcome is predictable, and as such, the story and characters feel familiar and comforting. It’s like spending time with an old friend.
- Do one task that I’ve been avoiding…and give myself big praise for it! When I’m anxious, tasks can feel daunting. “The gottas” seem to pile up and I get scared that they’ll get out of control. Focusing on one at a time, and making it a big deal when I complete it makes me feel good about myself! And we should all feel good about ourselves!
- PLAY! Allowing myself to set aside the adult stuff and truly focus on playing with Arden always lifts my spirits.
- Less coffee, more water. I LOVE my morning coffee. But caffeine and my anxious thoughts do not mix well. The more water I drink, the less jittery I feel, and the more I will relax.
- Do a hands-on project. I love to knit. I’m terrible at it…and can only make scarves, toques, and dishcloths. But that’s not the point. Just relaxing and doing something with my hands seems to calm the nerves.
- Put down the phone and have a conversation. Talking with Brodi always makes me feel great. The constant scrolling, does not. I have such a terrible habit of being on my phone, mindlessly scrolling on various social media sites. But it isn’t healthy, and it doesn’t help that “I’m not good enough” feeling.
- Listen to music. I love listening to all genres of music, and there’s always one for any mood that I’m in. Throwing on a good record while I’m doing ordinary tasks somehow makes it just a little better. Extra feel-good status happens when Arden and I have a little dance party and he sticks his tongue out and pretends to sing!
- Putting on a great outfit. It might sound trivial, but you know what, when I look good, I feel good. It gives me the little confidence boost that I need to take on the day.
We all get anxious sometimes, and I hope you find what works for you! Goodness knows that we all have a lot going on right now, and I hope you allow yourself the space to take care of your mental and emotional health.
XO, Rayel