In this next episode of the What Healing Looks Like Series, I share a personal story about my recent struggle with anxiety. In this period of time – mostly leading up to the holidays – I lived day after day with an impending sense of doom, mostly centered around personal health fears.
While a steady hum of mild anxiety is sort of the baseline for me, this months-long episode was new and scary.
It took a lot of exploration and experimenting to figure out how to pull myself out.
Well, I was able to pull myself out. But it took a bit more trial and error than I’m used to.
Anxiety affects the physical body and, for me, is always initiated and exacerbated by stress.
And in this recent experience, my physical body took over to the point that my usual go-to – the power of thought – couldn’t quite pull me out. So, I realized I had to work on my physical body first.
There were 2 specific things I did to calm my physical body down enough that I could then reason with myself.
Then, I could use some amateur (I am not a doctor or therapist) cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on myself. CBT-style practices helped me realize that my excessive worry was not based in reality, or factual evidence.
Truth is, I sort of feel like anxiety stole the holidays from me this year.
But I gained such valuable, lifelong tools that it feels worth the temporary suffering. And, that’s what suffering can do for us, if we keep an open heart and mind. It can teach us.
I will have these new self-care lessons with me forever. Each time anxiety tries to creep in, I have new, personally proven steps to take. They’ll no doubt help me. And I really hope they help you, too.
I appreciate you being here. Thanks for listening!
