Anxiety and stress

These past few weeks I have been talking to a lot of people - many I have not chatted with in a while. Things are tough right now...

In my mid to late 30’s I had severe anxiety and it caused a tremendous amount of stress. Many people don’t know that about me. At some point it got so bad that it was affecting every part of life. I would wake up in the middle of the night with a ball of energy in my stomach. My brain was grinding and grinding - really just thinking non-sense and repeating all worst case scenarios in life over and over. My job, my health, family - anything my brain could latch onto it would. I thought I was losing my mind. Literally...

I can only imagine all the anxiety that is present in people right now during this time of crisis. Let me just say this: you are not crazy and it is totally normal to worry, but don’t get stuck in your head. You have to understand that you are NOT your brain. Your brain is a tool. And your most powerful one! For me the only way to get out of this state of anxiety was to get THROUGH it. Anxiety is exhausting. There is no pill (although some might argue), no one trick to fix this. But to ease your way of suffering through anxiety and perhaps accelerate the process, what worked for me was to learn “to be OK with not being OK”. When thoughts arise to acknowledge them for what they are and send them on their way. Learning to be with your thoughts and direct that energy in your stomach to areas that need the energy and not drain yourself from energy.

The worst thing you can do is consuming (more) alcohol. That makes it worse. Sure, it helps a little to relax, but always makes it worse the next day. Trust me on that one. Physical activity (for me it was/is CrossFit) was the external help I needed. That combined with clean food. Greens! Lots of dark leafy greens and small meals spread throughout the day. Organic food and no processed food. Fruit in morning. Carbs are fine! Fatty meats too! Overall eating organic, healthy and balanced will put less burden on your body and therefore help your mind. Food is healthcare, medicine is sick care.

Another one is limit screen time. I am still too much on my phone (my wife will confirm), but I have a strict rule. No screen time after 8pm and in the mornings (although I’m an early riser). I don’t grab my phone until I am fully awake and had two glasses of water and my cup of coffee.

And meditation. This is NOT an overnight fix, this takes time, but such a powerful tool on your belt! Try guided meditations on YouTube and over time you will get better. I still meditate every day just for a few minutes in the morning. I don’t even need to sit down anymore and can now meditate with my eyes open. You can also read - books by Eckhardt Tolle have been very helpful for me. A New Earth and The Power of Now. Great reads and help you understand meditation and being present.

And non vocal music still to this day is a helpful remedy to easy my brain. I listen to all kinds of music that don’t have singing/words in it. EDM, lounge and even classical. I just let the music guide me and take me on a ride so to speak. Music helps you be in the “now”. Often we rush through things and just want to get things done. Music helps us be in the moment. We never really want to get a good song “over with” right? - That’s why music and rhythm are such a good tool to help you see that in fact we are NOT our brain or our thoughts.

The good news is that you can and will get through this. Maybe it doesn’t feel like this right now, but if you can relate with what I am writing - you’re on the right track. But it’s important to realize that only YOU can do it yourself. It’s OK to not be OK. So you need to accept things for what they are. So things are a bit of a mess right now? Yes they are! And so what? Nothing you can do about that, can you? Do something about the things you CAN control by taking care of your body, mind and soul. And every time your brain starts to take you on the repetitive thinking trip, acknowledge the fact that it is happening and send that thought on its way. Bye bye! And you will get little glimpses of being present in the now and anxiety can’t exist there. So empowering!

Stay healthy, happy and we will have an amazing year!

#anxiety #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #selfcare #love #stress #therapy #selflove #health #anxietyrelief #recovery #mindfulness #motivation #life #cbd