I’ve written before about my anxiety battle and I’m very honest about the fact that I still fight it most days. The vast majority of days are completely anxiety free with nary a heart-pounding moment. But it’s taken me years to get to this point so I thought I would share
my favorite way to curb anxiety
Here are my other posts about anxiety:
Struggling with anxiety? Do this first.
The best lesson anxiety taught me
What people struggling with anxiety want you to know
How I curb anxiety
I’m working on a book I originally called “31 Secrets of a Charmed Life” because it’s true, my life looks very charmed from the outside. And it is. It’s not perfect. I still have laundry baskets full of “miscellaneous stuff” that prevent me from having a truly tidy house. I have to clear the front seat of my car before anyone can get in. My sink is never void of dirty dishes. I stay in my pajamas all day on a regular basis. It’s not all sunshine and roses but it’s pretty darn close.
But I call myself a beauty chaser and a grace collector and that looks like…
- roses blooming outside my front window
- an entire room in my house just to play with clothes, jewelry and makeup
- living a few blocks away from my parents
- a tight-knit group of ladies who have my back and encourage my spiritual growth
- adorable and kind sons + my long-awaited daughter due September 2017
- an adoring and supportive husband
- a phenomenal church home
…and the list goes on.
My life is charmed because I have designed it to be that way.
Also by design?
- We don’t have cable and I never watch the news (believe me, I hear plenty from well-meaning friends and family as well as social media).
- I’m deeply committed to a few causes I love and turn down opportunities to get involved in many others.
- I’m very particular about who I let get close to me.
- I work from home and try to stay as close to home as possible.
I have created a peaceful, beautiful, abundant life because the best way I’ve found to curb anxiety is to prevent it.
Of course you can’t avoid every anxiety trigger.
Of course you have to get out of your comfort zone to go after what you want.
Of course you can’t keep your head buried in the sand forever (although I try).
But when you are fighting for your life, you have permission to arrange it so you don’t fall into the same patterns that got you into an anxiety battle in the first place.
I’m practical to a fault so here’s what that looks like for me.
- making my home a haven
- declaring myself a drama free zone
- keeping short accounts = when interpersonal issue come up, I handle them immediately
- staying out of controversial conversations
- keeping lots of white space on my calendar
- practicing “me moments” and self care every day
- being careful when eating out because of my sensitive stomach
- getting 7-8 hours of sleep/night
- sticking to my gluten/dairy/wheat-free diet to feel well and keep my immune system strong
- practicing a Sabbath rest as best I can
You know what sets off your anxiety. To curb anxiety, eliminate as many triggers as possible.
I hope these ideas for how to curb anxiety inspire you. I’d love to know what you think!
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