How I Have Been Managing My Stress & Anxiety

Dress: La Maison Talulah | Shoes: Sarah Flint | Bag: Senreve |

Let’s just say 2020 kicked me on my butt right out of the gate. With a mixture of unfortunate family circumstances, stress built up from balancing too much, and the pressure I put on myself; I ended up being in a rough place pretty early on this year. 

I decided to open up about what has been going on and share some of my personal journey of anxiety and how it has affected my mental, but more surprisingly, physical health. I am not going to be a broken record, but I had a situation at the end of last month that made me reevaluate my circumstances and confront my anxiety head on. And that meant going straight to the source.

As I began to share this topic with you, I was flooded with responses of people who were either going through something similarly or who were just grateful to see more raw and vulnerable content come from such a picture perfect platform. And since then, I promised myself and you, that I would be more authentic and open up more about difficult conversations, so that we can help each other out as we go through our day to day. 

Today, I wanted to dive into some mindset shifts, practices, and tools that have helped me manage my anxiety a lot better. Of course I still have moments when I am still stressed, or I feel anxiety creep into my chest. But I am in such a better physical and mental space than I was a month ago. 

1. Prayer

Look, I understand that not everyone is religious, and I accept you wherever you are on your journey. But it would be a complete falsehood for me to sit here and share with you that I did this all on my own. It just wouldn’t be true for me to deny how much having a more open communication with Jesus has put things back into perspective for me. I read a little devotional everyday (literally only 1 page) called Jesus Calling. This book has a way of speaking to my heart. The Lord always says exactly what I need to hear whenever I crack this book open as a form of prayer. 

2. Taking a Time Out

I NEEDED to take a step back from social media in order to get myself to a better place. I wasn’t completely absent, but my content load went down DRAMATICALLY. I realized that I can’t help others be a better version of themselves if I am neglecting my own needs. So take time to just BE. It is so easy to feel this intense pressure to drive yourself into the ground to be successful. And I think a lot of us forget to just enjoy and be. Maybe that means putting your phone away from a weekend, deleting social media apps off your phone, or just committing to spending more time with your family. But you need to take a time out once and a while. 

3. Get More Sleep

This might seem a little random, but our physical health plays a major role in our mental health. If you are depriving your body of the sleep or even nutrients that it needs, it will burn out faster. I have even noticed that I am more prone to anxiety when I am super hungry. This just goes to show that our physical body sends signals to our brain and won’t function the way we need it do if we are not taking care of it. I know we think that we just “can’t get it all done,” if we don’t loose out on sleep. But honey, the time you will waste by having to take a major time out to get yourself out of a mental hole far outweighs getting some extra shut eye each night. Trust me, been there, done that and #notworthit. 

4. Stop Pressuring Yourself 

I think that the antidote to anxiety is trust. Anxiety may be something that sneaks up unexpectedly or occurs in moments of stress. But usually it arises because we are trying to control something or feel at a loss because we feel out of control. The wise Saint Padre Pio once said , “Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer. ” We will all fall into the inevitable trap of worry. But a lot (not all) of this anxiety is self inflicted. We put so much on OURSELVES #stophustling so much. Work is good. Working hard is even better. But if your work is causing you mental or physical pain, you need to take a step back and reevaluate what is really important. 

5. Take Supplements or Vitamins

Sometimes our body reacts in intense ways when we are deficient in something. If you are not getting all the nutrients you need from your diet, maybe look into getting some vitamins that can give you a more balanced intake of what you need. There are many supplements that advertise for “reducing stress.” And I have tried a few of them. But the one I found to work the best is Ashwagandha, which is an ancient medicinal herb that it can help your body manage anxiety and stress. I only take it when I am feel particularly anxious. But I have friends at work that started taking it daily and they said it has dramatically reduced their stress levels and overall happiness. 

If you are someone who struggles with anxiety or stress, know that you are NOT alone. There have been so many women who have reached out to be to express what it is they are going through and I am just so grateful that we can be women who are supporting each other and lifting one another up when we are down. 

I am so grateful that you chose to read today’s post. It feels good to be back. 

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