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!

The post Anxiety – A Personal Story – Podcast Ep. 2 appeared first on Danielle D'Onofrio.

Setting boundaries lets people know what we will and will not tolerate in our sphere of influence.

Boundaries protect us from people, ideas, opinions, and behaviors that make us feel unsafe or distract from our mission of healing and growth. Therefore, they’re a critical part of the healing journey and a happy, productive life.

In this episode of the podcast, I share the story of my experience starting a local club this past fall. 

I failed to clearly state my vision and rules of membership with the launch of this club. The lack of clarity invited in ideas, opinions and behaviors that distracted from my mission. The distraction made me feel defensive and anxious. But, when I finally did clarify my vision and rules, the experience was far more enjoyable, because I felt safer and empowered in my ability to protect myself and what I was creating.

Needless to say, this was a powerful lesson in personal boundaries. Listen to the full podcast episode to learn more about why boundaries are important, what happens when we set them, and how to handle people’s reactions.

Starting a club reminded me of the importance of exclusivity in all areas of life.

You can’t make everyone happy. If we try to be everything for everyone, we end up a watered-down version of our amazingly unique selves. For anything to be valuable and productive, there needs to be healthy boundaries that essentially define what (or who) it is, and what (or who) it’s for.

So, set boundaries. Be clear on what you will and will not tolerate.

I appreciate you being here. Thanks for listening!

The post Boundaries – A Personal Story – Podcast Ep. 1 appeared first on Danielle D'Onofrio.