For my anxious friends :)

I was feeling anxious last week, these are my notes as I have been reflecting on those days.

I like to fix things.

I like to rearrange things in my room to make it more efficient or more comfortable.

I like to organise my cupboards and clear them of clutter.

When I feel my lower back tightening, I like to move and stretch.

When I’m not feeling well, I like to eat veggies and rest to heal myself.

When I’m feeling anxious - it’s not always an ‘easy fix’.

It’s often a combination of things that work together to help me and it takes time - which is okay, but it can be really overwhelming. Especially when you do try really hard to look after yourself and do the right things. It can be super disheartening when the anxious thoughts and panicky feelings start creeping back.

“What more can I do?”

There are so many changes I have made in my life in the pursuit of repairing my anxious mind; I practice yoga, I meditate, I talk to people when i am feeling anxious (professionals and loved ones), I eat my fruits and veggies, I go outside and walk through nature, I spend time being creative and making things, I take medication to help level chemicals in my brain, I get plenty of sleep…

All of this good stuff, and yet I still can fall in a heap, totally overcome by my anxiety - this really was my situation just a few days ago, feeling helpless, hopeless and very sorry for myself.

It really rattles me when I have a good few months, start the get my confidence back and all it takes is one panic attack to undo. It scares me that I don’t have the answers on how to fix this, there’s no ‘how-to’ on youtube and doctors can only tell me what I already know.

It’s so overwhelming,

and I am tired.

It may feel like anxiety wins this round. It might win for the rest of that day and maybe the next day too.

It’s really important to show yourself that you can do those scary things for me that is driving (most of my panic attacks happen when i am driving). You can start off small you don’t need to rush straight back into it. I take back my power by proving to myself that i can drive to the supermarket and nothing bad will happen to me. Some days it is okay to avoid it all together if it feels too overwhelming. But for me, it's really important to face up to it rather than reinforcing my fears and making them stronger.

It’s a humbling panic attack.

They do have a way of bringing me back down to earth and realise maybe I have slipped into some unhealthy habits.

You will notice that all of those good things you have been working on are way more significant than one panic attack, so why pay all your attention to that one bad thing that happened - don’t give it that much power.

It was a little bump in the road it doesn’t mean everything else was for nothing.

All of that good stuff is what is making you stronger, calmer, healthier, happier everyday.

I wanted to share this with anyone who has struggles with anxiety and just as a reminder that healing is not always a linear process (just like my fancy graphs).

It’s a squiggly line process… and that’s okay.

Sending love to all of my anxious friends out there, I hope that this can bring some comfort to you.