Do you ever find yourself biting your nails before a social event, or running back and forth to the bathroom? Me too- Well, I did once upon a time.
Anxiety affects all of us, and it can seem like going on medication is the only thing you can do. But, it's not. There are plenty of things that you can implement in your daily routine that will help you change the way you approach anxiety. After you read this post, check out this one about how I healed my anxiety without medication.
Give yourself more time to get ready
Have you ever had the panic of waking up and realizing that you were late? Most likely you did not calmly go about your morning routine. Instead, you probably spend the whole morning rushing around, and by the time you get to your event, you are worn out. I have found that when I don't give myself enough time in the mornings, it ends up making me a lot more anxious.
So how did I fix this?
I employed something called the one-hour method. What I do is take the time that I need to be at the place where I go and then I count back one hour. Then, I count back again from the time that I calculated to add in time for making lunch or for eating breakfast. Then, I add in the time for driving. Once I get this time, I subtract an hour and this is usually my wake-up time
so for example
I have to be at work at 7:30 am
It takes me 30 minutes to drive to work
Which means I have to leave the house by 7:00
I like to eat breakfast and it takes 15 minutes. So I needs to be downstairs by 6:45
Finally, I want to have one hour before I need to be downstairs. So that has me waking up at 5:45
Having this does a few things
@1- It gives me something to look forward to. One thing I used to struggle with was getting out of bed. But by doing the one-hour method, I was able to take my time in the morning and read my bible or take a little extra time in the shower or on my makeup. Knowing that my morning routine was a place for peace made getting up easier and most days, I find myself hopping out of bed before my alarm. I used to know a coworker who would wake up at 4:30 a.m. and we didn't have to be at work until 7:00 a.m. She was always the most vibrant and happy person in our office.
@2- It allows me to drive safer. One of the biggest anxiety triggers is driving. So, when I leave the house and have to rush to beat the clock, it usually ends with me freaking out a little bit. Also, when you are rushing, you might be less likely to double check your mirrors and blind spots so you are more likely to have an accident. The only accident I did have was when I was rushing to work and I didn't fully check my blind spot.
@3- I get to work feeling refreshed. I don't know about you, but after a long morning of rushing and getting ready, the last thing I want to do is work. My brain has already exerted so much energy just to get to work so on those days, if I don't consciously reset my mind I end up going into the day feeling very cranky. However, when I use the one-hour method I start my day feeling relaxed and end up having better days.
@4- It gives me time for traffic- One unfortunate part about living in Atlanta is that the traffic can vary from location to location. The same drive that would take you 15 minutes at 9am would take you double the amount of time at 7:00am. So you are wise to account for traffic in your driving time. Doing the one hour method makes it simple to just subtract an extra 10 or 15 minutes towards driving so that if there happens to be an accident or any slowdowns, you can still arrive at work on time.
#2- Carry wipes
When I get nervous, I tend to get the runs. I have tried all types of medications for it but it still does not help. That being said, one of the most unfortunate things is when I have the runs in public. I dislike public restrooms and it makes me so anxious, so in these cases, having wipes has been a lifesaver. Knowing how to beat anxious is all about being prepared so the things that freak you out are no longer as scary. Even if you don't get the runs, I believe that everyone should carry wipes with them. You never know if you will get super sweaty or have a spill on your clothes.
#3- use a white noise machine
When I don't get enough sleep, I end up grumpy and more anxious the next morning. So this little machine is the best investment I made. It only cost like $20 on Amazon and I sleep like a baby. You can also use an app.
#4- start your day with Jesus
This is non-negotiable for me. Even on days when I am super busy, I will put aside five minutes somewhere in my routine to pray and do my bible, and it revolutionizes my day. I truly believe that God loves it when we spend time with him. If you don't know how to spend time with Jesus the best things you can do include: starting a devotional, using an app like the First 5 app, and looking up common chapters and reading them and taking notes.
#5- Set your things out the night before.
When you go to work, anything that you can do to make things easier for you is a great idea. One of the best things I like to do is to find my clothes and make my lunch. Just waking up and knowing that I have most of my things already done is one of the best feelings in the world.
Bonus tip: Not telling people everything
I remember there was a time on YouTube when there was a variety of videos talking about how you should move in silence. To me, that was such a cringe time. But, whenever I stopped telling people my choices I started to feel a lot better. Granted, it was always a little bit awkward because people who were close to me would have to find out things later on. But it is always a lot easier to explain things after the process than it is to explain before. The reason that this helped my anxiety is because sometimes when you tell people things before the fact, you can be impacted by the shock and decide not to make the decision. This is especially true if the thing doesn't make sense to you yet (anytime God tells you to make a radical move). However I have found that whenever I do this, I feel confident in my decision.
I hope you enjoyed these five things that helped my anxiety. If you liked this please check out this post: https://www.positivelygabriellewrites.com/post/how-i-healed-my-anxiety-without-drugs-10-ways-to-how-to-heal-anxiety-spiritually
*PS: The people on the email list knew about this post first! Click the newsletter button for more info😉
Sincerely,
G Denise