Important PSA: Anxiety is a natural response to stress that all of us will feel or experience at one point or another. In other words, even if you don't have anxiety disorder, you are likely to be experiencing a lot of it this year. Hold the drama and check in. Here are my favorite ways to drop the future-tripping and center.
1. Meditate.
Practice meditation in the morning and evening for at least five minutes each time. Mark it on your calendar. The idea is not to be a professional meditator - the idea is to be a baller at life. You’ll start to notice that you're taking the lessons and concepts off the meditation cushion (or bed if you’re like me) and into your everyday life.Get ready to catch yourself breathing deeper, feeling calmer, tasting your food better, seeing the world around you with more appreciative eyes, and walking into things less (okay, this one I still do a lot).
2. Journal.
We have so much clutter in our minds - wouldn't it help to have an outlet? Journaling is one of the most powerful tools for emotional and mental health. Journaling is the act of physically transferring thoughts and emotions to paper. You don’t have to be a good writer to journal. It’s not about talent - it’s about freedom.With so much locked up in our heads and bodies, we can feel pretty bogged down. This is one of the reasons why therapists, coaches and doctors will recommend you keep a journal to sort it all out. Keeping a nice journal is an added benefit to keep you coming back, but really, a legal pad and a pen will do.
3. Move your body.
Any kind of physical activity will help get your blood flowing, your perspective flipped, and your endorphins going for a more positive outlook and energy. Forget fads and what other people like. Do what feels good in your body for however long it feels good. Ignore the rest of the advice out there. Just move in a way that feels good everyday. Your body will thank you and you will thank your body.
4. Do what you love.
One of the first homework assignments I usually assign my clients is to make a list of at least ten things that "fill their cup." These are the positive things that make you feel good. It could be beading, writing, running, calling a friend, getting out in nature, reading a good book, cooking or hey, even playing a video game every once in a while. Refer back to this list whenever you need a pick-me-up and honestly, whenever you need to just have a good time.
5. Get out in nature.
If I were to advocate for just one single practice for healing, mirroring, and self-care, it would have to be nature. Nature is our habitat, our ecosystem and our source. The natural world is what nourishes us, teaches us and connects us back to our truth. It may be one of the most heavily studied areas for mental health and wellbeing, as the results from spending time in nature are undeniably profound. Nature has been proven to be a necessity for physical health and cognitive function.
The sad truth is we have become incessantly more disconnected from Mother Earth in our modernized, industrialized society and technology has seemingly replaced cartwheels in the grass. I think it’s safe to say, we all know how beneficial nature is for the mind-body-spirit, but we could all use a bit more. According to Yale’s ecopsychology studies, we need a minimum of two hours per week immersed in nature. That can be split up or done all at once - making incorporating nature extremely reasonable.
Nature is the place to be present, slow down, breathe deeper and ground. Really pay attention to what you feel wherever you are in the beautiful outdoors. You might find what I find… nature is spiritual. Nature is coming home.
Take care of yourself. You're doing just fine and it will all be okay.
Believe it.
