⛅ 3 things I've been doing to help with my anxiety
Awareness for World Mental Health Day
Happy Sunday! Today is World Mental Health Day, which means it’s the perfect day to stop and take stock of what’s going on in that pretty head of yours.
As you probably know, I’ve lived with anxiety most of my adult life. Though it’s no longer a daily struggle like it used to be, I still have days — sometimes weeks — that are more difficult than others. That’s not to say life gets me down. I’m a pretty positive dude. Sometimes it just hits extra hard, and it’s those times I like to have a few extra tools in my kit (in addition to the usual eat healthy, workout, yadda yadda) to keep moving forward with a smile on my face.
So for today’s edition of On Cloud Nine, I’d like to share those tools with you. We all deal with mental struggles from time to time. If you need these now…great. If not, hold onto them for later. Or, send them to a friend in need. These are the tools I like to use when my brain needs just a little extra TLC, because sometimes, it just does.
1. Headspace
There was a time in my early twenties when I meditated damn near every day. Looking back, it was a lot of work, but it never really felt that way. I looked forward to doing it as a means to just check-in with my body, mind, and the world around me. Even though I’ve stopped meditating every day, it has permanently shaped my brain and thoughts for the better.
I know that when shit hits the fan, I can fall back on my past practice to gain just a bit of extra calm to help power through the day and onto the next. My girlfriend and I have been using Headspace some nights in bed before falling asleep, and it’s always a super relaxing way to end the day. Maybe it could help you too. Link here. (Not an affiliate, just a big fan.)
2. Going for a walk
When I was a kid, I thought walks were dumb.
“Why walk when you can run or play?”
But since I’ve grown older, walks have kind of become my favorite. Having two sweet doggos helps get me outside to actually do it, and when I do, I’m never disappointed. I legit cannot think of one time I stepped outside for a walk and thought, “Well, that didn’t help.”
It always does. I know when I get outside in nature for a walk that I’m going to have a good day (or I’ve already had one). I don’t know how to explain it. It just works.
Get outside. Set no expectations. And just take it all in. You won’t regret it.
3. Homework for Life
Homework for Life is a storytelling exercise, created by author Matthew Dicks, that I began doing about a month ago to help generate more stories from everyday life. It’s all about finding the hidden gems that often get lost, right up there with what I ate for breakfast on any given morning (some days I legit can’t remember).
Anyways, I was using it as a tool to help my writing but was pleasantly surprised at how much it’s positively impacted my life. Instead of just finding stories, it’s been a mini-journaling exercise that transcribes my thoughts and feelings into words while simultaneously slowing down life.
For real. On September 19th this year, while having a conversation with a friend, I remembered the time I walked out of my apartment building to see my car caked in bird shit. It was an all-black Honda Civic coupe but that day it was white. I looked up and saw hundreds of birds in the trees gawking at me. Probably laughing in my face because no other car was covered. Only mine. I’m not normally grossed out by bird shit, but that day I swear I almost vomited at least 5 times on my way to work. And oh God, I didn’t have enough time to wash it, so the entire day I was wildly self-conscious about my bird shit-covered car in the parking lot.
That was almost 10 years ago and I had completely forgotten about it until my buddy mentioned that old apartment. Now, thanks to Homework for Life, it’s memorialized forever.
The exercise has certainly helped dig up a few gems, but it’s also helped my mental health in a way I never expected. You can’t understand until you try it.
Hope you have a great week.
Best,
Jason