Whether or not you have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or anything of the like, doesn’t mean that you are not struggling right now. It doesn’t take away from the realness or the validity of anything you are experiencing. We are all struggling. Every day feels the same. We are in a cycle of rinse and repeat, a routine where the rooms in our houses don’t feel the same spunk they once had. If your living room is becoming quite familiar to you and no longer holds the same charm it once did when you came home from a long day at the actual office (remember those?), you are not alone. We are all right there with you.
You don’t need an official diagnosis of anything to be struggling. All of your feelings are valid, real, and yours. You are allowed to feel exactly what you feel as long as you acknowledge it. Please, do not ignore it. It is real. It is also telling you something. It is telling you to pay attention. Anxiety is a calling to something greater. Something is out of balance, threatening our sense of safety and security, bringing up a fear or insecurity, but so often we focus on the feeling and not what’s beneath it. Heart racing, sweating, and feeling like you are in a fog…I get it. All other emotions frozen, yup I’ve been there. Feels like you are out of control….mhmm. But STOP. BREATHE. That is all is takes. Breathe. Let it be there but listen to what it is saying. Please, do yourself that favor. Write it down. Go outside for fresh air. Put on music. Lay on your floor. Whatever you need to do, but acknowledge it. Don’t push it away because I promise you it will come back.
Find things you need to do for yourself especially during this difficult time. Create a morning routine, take a break to stretch or walk outside or make a phone call to a friend during the day. My mornings are my “me” time starting with coffee and journaling and moving into a workout and a meditation or yoga practice. I need it for the rest of my day. I need a break to stand and stretch and walk around (even in my apartment again and again-sometimes I even change directions of my cirles-crazy, I know!), but these things I need to function at my best. I know what I need for me and it’s taken me time to get there. I am not afraid to put boundaries up at work or speak up when I need something.
Biggest thing here is you deserve it. You deserve to take the time for you. You deserve to listen to your anxieties rather than shoving them down. These feelings can be so insightful! They are exposing things we have pushed off for far too long, so would you rather feel anxious or feel challenged while lowering your anxiety? You choose 🙂 I am here to help but please start to pay attention. There is guidance and insight into struggles we have. They are meant to point the way out not make us feel more stuck, you just gotta accept the guidance!
SEROTONING 