I’m weary to say any of these things are “remedies” because…well…they aren’t. I’m not entirely sure if my anxiety can be remedied. At this point in the game, I’ve gotten to a place of accepting that my anxiety is just that…mine. It’s been there for as long as I can remember. I didn’t always have a name for it. At some points I forgot about it, thought it went away, didn’t pay attention to it.
But now I’m taking ownership of it. And instead of trying to control it or combat it or run from it, I’m sinking into it. I’m trying to tackle it from the inside out. Get to know it. Where it comes from, where it settles, where it starts and where it ends. I’m accepting it’s presence in my life and using it to learn more about myself. I’m using it to make myself stronger.
Below is a list of simple self-care tools I’ve been using to keep my anxiety at bay. I still feel my anxiety, lurking under my chest, weaving its way around my rib cage, tightening my breath. I still feel its presence and its effects. But these tools help me react differently to it. I’m a little more patient with my anxiety, now. I’m more gentle. I’m able to breathe through the tightness a bit easier. I’m able to sit patiently and wait it out, weather the storm. I haven’t gotten rid of my anxiety, but I am finding ways to live with it.
Self-Care Tools For Anxiety: Natural, Simple and Fun
Stretching/Movement
I move every morning. Even if its just a few minutes of stretching while baby crawls all over me. Just moving my body, twisting into different positions, making space where I feel tight. I’ll do yoga, or take a walk, or dance. Anything to get my body moving. Anything to shake up that stagnant energy sitting in my chest. It’s a release.
Journaling
An oldie, but a a goodie. Writing has always been my medicine. Sometimes, it feels impossible and I dread putting that pen to paper. But I always feel better as soon as I do. Getting the thoughts out of my head and onto the paper is the best relief. I feel instantly lighter. I have stacks of journals in my closet that I’ve had since I was a kid. And I don’t ever really look through them. I don’t need to. I don’t write to keep track, I write to sort through. And it helps.
Tarot Cards
I got into reading tarot cards a few years ago. I’m not psychic and they don’t tell me my future. But I use them as a tool to help me see things differently. I ask them for perspective, to show me something I need to see. And they do. Every time. Lately I’ve been writing down what they tell me in my journal and using that as a prompt of sorts to get me digging deeper and really sorting out what’s going on inside my head, inside my heart.
These are the cards I use. I love them so much.
Music
When you’re happy, you enjoy the music. When you’re sad, you understand the lyrics. -Frank Ocean
Music has a healing power. Lately I’ve taken to choosing my morning music as a ritual. I take a moment to check in with myself and gauge what I need. Sometimes I need something fun and nostalgic, sometimes I need something beautiful and instrumental, sometimes I need something moody and soulful. One morning I’ll listen to John Mayer, the next I’ll listen to shamanic chants. Some mornings call for classical music, others call for dirty rap. It’s all about balance.
Coffee/Tea
I recently got back into the habit of drinking coffee. I’m not sure if I’m happy about that or not. I thought coffee made me feel bad so I quit it. I didn’t drink coffee my entire pregnancy up through the first few months of having my daughter. Can you imagine? Slowly I have reacquainted myself with that dependency. But I’ve sort of turned it into a self-care ritual. It makes me happy.
Talk Therapy
My therapist literally just left. I have been seeing her for a few years now. She is the fifth therapist I’ve had. I started going to therapy in college after my boyfriend broke up with me. I talk more about it in my book. I’ve done therapy on my own and with my husband. I always hate going and always feel better after its done. Kind of like going to the gym. I know its good for me. I’ve developed a great relationship with my current therapist and now I look forward to seeing her. It’s just really helpful to have an unbiased, third party to unload all my crap onto. And I don’t feel guilty unloading on her, because I pay her.
Essential Oils
The most recent addition to my arsenal are my oils. I’m still learning about them, but I will say they are undoubetly helping me feel better. Especially the ritual of picking a blend to diffuse every morning. It really helps me start each day with intention and mindfulness. Do I want a citrusy blend that’ll wake me up or a flowery blend to balance my mood or a spicy blend to boost my immunity. I am having so much fun playing with my oils and I’m excited about learning more. RMO just launched their fall blends and I’m so excited to try them! Fall is my favorite season. I just feel different in the fall. I’ll write about that love affair in another post, for now I’ll just say YAY PUMPKIN SPICE!
So these are the self-care tools I have my implementing lately to help me cope better with my anxiety. Have you tried any of these? What tools do you like to keep in your tool kit? Let me know in the comments!