Category: you matter

Breaking Up With Anxiety

In November, I felt as though my head was barely above water. I was overwhelmed with all that was going on in my head and found it difficult just to get through each day.

Since then, I have taken steps to try to break up with anxiety. Nothing too drastic at one time, but step by step.

I started by practicing yoga every morning and using relaxation techniques throughout the day when I began to feel overwhelmed.

Because I need sleep, my yoga routine only takes about 15-20 minutes in the morning before I go to work. It has made a tremendous difference in how I feel starting my day. I’m relaxed and focused on how my body feels and aware of changes in my posture or muscles that indicate raised anxiety levels.

During the day, because of the increased awareness in my body, I know when to take deep breaths to calm down. I can also go through different muscle groups and make sure I’m relaxed. Then I can focus on the task at hand rather than trying to do it all at once and failing miserably.

Now that those tools have become second nature, I have spent the past two months slowly cutting out junk food. I started by cutting out fast food, then slowly limiting the amount of processed foods we eat at home. I will never be able to get rid of all processed foods, but I try to get minimally processed food at home.

I didn’t really notice a huge change with the foods until this past week when, for the sake of time, I stopped at a fast food place for chicken strips and fries (one of my favorite choices). I felt horrible after eating it. My stomach hurt, my head hurt, and I felt like I had no energy. I also didn’t sleep so good that night.

I have also started walking or cycling most days. I have to do this outside, no gym for me, I need the fresh air. My son and I have both noticed how much better we feel exercising everyday and how tired we are on the days we skip the walk or ride.

I like this new, healthier lifestyle. My family likes our new healthier lifestyle. We’re going to continue to find ways to be healthier and make healthier choices when we do wind up at a restaurant. It’s not always easy, but it’s so worth it.

I have learned ways to keep anxiety away and not allow it to dragging me down. Even if I slip and fall, I will get up and do what I know I can to break up with anxiety and stress, because I know I can.

I will not quit being healthy.

I will always work towards becoming even healthier, both physically and mentally.

This Is Me

I just saw The Greatest Showman, and I must say it was incredible. It definitely lived up to the hype for me.

One song struck me and I’m going to share it with you here:

 

Enjoy your weekend!

Habits to Take; Habits to Leave

It’s the time of year when people begin to contemplate their New Year’s resolutions.

“I’m going to lose weight.”

“I’m going to get organized.”

“I’m going to work out more.”

“I’m going to eat healthier.”

The possibilities are endless, unfortunately, the resolution aren’t. Most resolutions are abandoned  by the end of January and the gym regulars can get their parking spaces back and have uninterrupted time in their favorite machine, while the rest of is beat ourselves up for once again not following through.

Instead of making a great big New Year’s resolutions, what if we just decide to take some of our good habits into the next year with us and leave some of the bad ones behind?

“My family eats dinner together most nights of the week.” Let’s take that habit into the new year.

“I eat fast food at least 4 nights a week.” Let’s leave that one behind.

“I go for a walk/do yoga/run/ go to the gym a few days a week.” Let’s hang on to that habit.

“I sit on the couch and binge watch TV/play video games/ surf YouTube etc.  in my free time.” Let’s leave that one behind.

Look back and evaluate your life, what are the good things you already do? Start there. Take those habits with you and improve on them.

“I walk 3 days a week.” Why not make it 4 days?

See things in your life that you don’t like? Sometimes it’s hard to leave a habit behind cold turkey, but it’s easy in baby steps.

“I eat fast food 4 days a week.” Can you cut that down to 2 days?

Change is good, but it’s also hard. It seems that resolutions are drastic overhauls of our lives and that’s hard to do.

Before you make a drastic resolution, evaluate what habits you have that you want to take with you into 2018 and which ones you want to leave behind. We all have good habits to take and bad habits to leave behind.

Some keys to successfully taking some habits and leaving others behind are:

1. Make a plan for your resolution and stick to it as best as you can, but don’t beat yourself up if you mess up from time to time; nobody’s perfect. Change the plan when necessary.

2. Make it measurable. “I will eat a real fruit and a real vegetable every day” is much easier to track than “I will eat healthy.”

3. Make it attainable/realistic. You will not be able to safely or healthily run a marathon in 3 weeks time. (Unless you have already been training for it.) Probably not even a half marathon in that time.

4. Know why you are doing what you’ve chosen to do; your why is your  motivation.

5. Have fun. Figure out how to make the habit fun and you’re more likely to stick with it.

These should be easy to do once you know what habits​ to take and which ones to leave.

Have fun, be safe and make good choices this New Year’s weekend!

 

 

I Survived!

I survived the holiday season!!!! The holiday season can be a stress and anxiety inducing time of year for many people. I am one of those.

Most years, at best, I end up in tears one or two times. At worst, I wind up with a full blown bout of anxiety complete with panic attacks, thinking everyone hates me and that I’m not good enough and nothing I do will ever be good enough.

This year though I had a plan. I shared it with you on December 2, in a post titled, “Relieve Holiday Stress.” To remind you what it was there were 5 things we can do to relieve Holiday Stress: don’t do it all, indulge without​ guilt, give useful, practical gifts, plan downtime and remember the reason for the season.

That plan has helped me this season. I’ll have to remember it again next year.

For me the most important reminder is the reason for the season, which is to celebrate Jesus’ birth and spend time with family.

It’s easy for me to remember that it’s all about Jesus. Being a Christian is a huge part of my life.

I realized though that when I stress and experience anxiety, I’m not there for my kids. And what do they really want? Do they want all the gifts that they’ll use for a few weeks at best, before they lie forgotten in the back of a closet or under the bed? Or do they want memories with family over meals shared together, shopping for others together, special holiday outings and good, old-fashioned quality family time?

I have enjoyed the quality time with them.

Christmas is in two days, and I survived!

Teach Kids to NOT Bully

Recently there was a viral video of a young boy who was upset after being bullied. It was heart wrenching to listen to this intelligent young man cry into the camera and wonder why people are bullies. Wonder why people can’t just appreciate others for who they are.

The website, stopbullying.com, states that 49% of students in grades 4-12 report being bullied in the month before the study was done. They go on to report that according to the study 30.8% reported bullying others during that same time period.

That’s half of our students, being bullied by one-third of our students while the other twenty percent watch in silent complicity or ignorance.

This week, I once again, listened to my son, relay a story of bullying that he endured by one of his classmates, a boy that has joined us in celebrating my son’s birthday in the past. A boy my son once considered a friend.

I have taught my kids to be sure of themselves and to exude confidence so that they don’t become the target of bullies.

Yet here we are, having the conversation again about how to get over being bullied. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve had to have this same conversation with them. It gets old.

I taught my kids to not be bullies, why can’t other parents do the same?

Most schools try to teach anti-bullying lessons, but it’s just one more item added to a never ending list of curriculum and life skills that teachers are expected to magically implant into every student’s brain and life.

Then they go home. We have no idea what the home lives of students are. Maybe they see parents, guardians or other caregivers with an imbalance of power in the relationship. Maybe, their caregivers bully them into compliance verbally or physically. Maybe the student feels powerless, worthless and hopeless at home and wants to feel powerful when they can.

When that is what is lived at home it takes a while lot more than a few minutes of lessons to change that behavior. It will take serious effort to change the negative impact that has on their life.

No matter what the effort is though, we as teachers, parents and society need to try to stop the prevalence of bullying. It extends beyond the school to the workplace, politics and society as a whole.

Bullying must be stopped and education in appropriate behavior is the key.

Let’s teach people how to not be bullies.

 

Relieve Holiday Stress

I don’t know about you, but for me the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas can be overwhelming. I love the season and everything it represents, but trying to do it all can be exhausting.

This year I have decided to take a few steps to relieve the holiday stress in my life and maybe they can help you too.

1. Don’t do it all.

There is no way for me to be able to fit in every holiday event and party that is going on around me. Sure they all sound exciting, but I’ll be drained making it to all of them. This year I’m choosing just a few events to participate in for my own mental health.

2. Indulge without guilt.

We all need to eat healthy, it makes our lives better in so many ways, especially in reducing anxiety. But at Christmas the goodies are so good. If you want to indulge, do so. Just remember to keep it in moderation. Eat just one or two treats instead of devouring everything on the platter, which is what I prefer to do. I will eat Christmas goodies without guilt this year.

3. Give useful, practical gifts.

I was thinking about what I want for Christmas and I don’t need or want more stuff. I have enough stuff, too much if I’m honest. Most people I know have too much stuff as well. This year, instead of scouring store aisles for the perfect thing to give somebody, I plan on giving experiences. Maybe gift cards for a date night or a craft store where they like to shop. I’ll be able to get all my shopping done at my kid’s school. One stop shopping while picking up a kid. Nothing like killing two birds with one stone.

4. Plan for down time.

I’m planning to keep a few days just for my little family of four where we can spend time together, watching Christmas movies or hanging out. Are they still too young for National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation?

5. Remember the reason for the season.

Jesus is what it’s all about. Focus on Him​ and the rest is easy.

Barely Above the Surface

This is a picture I drew to try to make sense of what I’m currently feeling. With all the worries on my mind and actual responsibilities, I’m barely keeping my head above water, feeling like I might be pushed under the surface by the next demand on me.

I’m doubting my abilities in teaching, parenting, cooking, writing, speaking, wife-ing, driving, trusting… Pretty much absolutely everything in my life.

My mind is a swirling mess of questions that can’t be answered by my anxious mind. Moving too quickly from one to the next, never even waiting to be answered, just moving in to something else, more terrible until I’m tangled in the mess of questions struggling to keep my head above water.

I’m exhausted both mentally and physically.

My body hurts. I feel the anxiety in my head, neck, shoulders, stomach, hips, heart, and lungs. It takes all my energy to make it through the day without showing the world how my anxiety is affecting me.

Migraines and headaches seem to be my new, unwanted best friend. They are with me everyday in all I do. I try to sleep them off, but I’m even anxious in my dreams and wake up still in pain, still tired.

I want to get better. I don’t want to feel this anymore, but it’s so hard. I take my medicine everyday and it helps. I know I’ve had periods of anxiety without meds and they are far worse than what I’m experiencing now.

I know it will eventually pass, but I want it to end now.

I know I can exercise and eat right and talk to someone, but all of that takes energy that I just don’t have right now.

I do my best to take care of my kids and meet their needs and I know that I need to take care of me too, to meet my needs or soon I won’t be able to take care of them. I will be a lump in my bed, unable to function at all.

Knowing that I can do something to make this better and not having the energy to do it just adds to the anxiety. It’s a vicious circle.

I’m tired. I’m overwhelmed. I want to go to sleep and hide from the world.

At the same time, I don’t want to get pushed beneath the surface by life’s demands.

I want to get to the other side.

 

Ten Things I Want My 10 Year Old Son To Know

This past week my son turned 10 years old. I know the next few years will be hard as he learns to navigate junior high and high school, so I made him a list of ten things I want him to know in life and I’m going to share it with you.

1. Know who you are and what you value: you are an incredible young man with a good heart, who cares about others. You are talented with music and singing. You are smart and understand things more deeply than most people.

2. Be you: it’s not enough to just k ow who you are, you have to always be you. Don’t change who you are to make people happy, or to make them like you. If they don’t like you for who you are, they aren’t worth your time.

3. It’s okay to grow and change: while you shouldn’t change who you are for others, it is okay to change for you. If you find something about yourself that you don’t like, change it. If you learn something new and you want that to be a part of who you are, change; but only for you.

4. You’re anxiety isn’t you: you have anxiety. It’s a pretty of you, but it’s not everything about you. You can learn to live and thrive with anxiety.

5. No means no: no matter what, no matter when, where, who or why. If you say no don’t let anyone change your mind. If somebody tells you no, leave them alone, don’t try to change their mind.

6. Stand up for yourself and others: when bullies are doing their thing to you or somebody else, tell them to stop and walk away, taking the victim with you. Tell an adult, or don’t engage with the bully. There are lots of ways to stand up. Find what works for you and do it. Always.

7. Don’t be a bully: people worry about enough in their lives. Nobody needs or wants you to point out their flaws or shortcomings. Just don’t do it.

8. People are not for your entertainment: your friends and family or anyone, are not here for your enjoyment, entertainment or pleasure. If they are willing to do that for you, enjoy it. If not, entertain yourself.

9. Nobody owes you anything: the idea that you deserve something because you are you is called entitlement, and its a big pile of poop. Nobody owes you anything. You need to work and earn things for yourself. It feels good when you work hard, instead of getting everything given to you.

10. You are responsible for you: when you do something good, take credit for it. When you make a mistake, own it, fix it, learn from it and mo e on. Also, you are responsible for you and nobody else, don’t stress about others behavior. You can talk to them about it, but only worry and stress about you and change what you need to about you. For you.

I hope he remembers these things for the rest of his life and I hope they are a part of your life too.

Cognitive Distortions

It’s exhausting having anxiety. Even when my dark enemy is quiet, I know it’s there, just waiting to whisper something in my ear. Anxiety’s goal is to convince me that I’m not good enough for anything or anyone and that the worst possible thing I can think of is what will happen in any given situation.

I. Hate. Anxiety.

Some people have to work harder at some things than others, I know that. I just wish daily life wasn’t such a challenge for me.

There are plenty of things that come easily to me that others can’t do so easy.

I can keep a group of teenagers paying attention in history class for 50 minutes.

I can write pretty well (I think) and get an idea across to others.

I can plan itineraries for “nerd” vacations, as my children call them where we can mix up fun and education in a new, exciting place.

I can get into a car and drive for hours to see family.

The hard part is getting out of bed and getting started.

When the alarm goes off in the morning, most days, I’m immediately overwhelmed by the enormous amount of tasks to accomplish in one day.

I think that I’ll never get it all done. It’s impossible.

As the day wears on and Anxiety’s negative thoughts creep in, I constantly have to push them away, like holding back the ocean’s waves. It’s exhausting.

Through therapy I have learned strategies for dealing with the intrusive thoughts that Anxiety brings. I’m thankful for the skills I’ve learned to combat the negative thinking Anxiety always has for me.

Today I read an article about Cognitive Distortions. It was extremely enlightening, so I’m going to share it here:

https://psychcentral.com/lib/15-common-cognitive-distortions/

Also in that article is a link to another article that discusses ways to fix the  cognitive distortions in your life.

I know this tools have helped me, maybe they’ll help you too.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, please do.

And please share the article with a friend who might be helped.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The World’s Gone Mad

Things are crazy out there! Hurricane Harvey just left thousands of people devastated, having to clean up and rebuild their lives. Then there’s Hurricanes Irma, Jose and Katia lined up to do more of the same.

Then there have been earthquakes shaking things up all over the place, like Mexico and Idaho.

Don’t forget about the fires devouring the Western United States and Canada.

And all of that are just the natural disasters! I haven’t even brought up the crazy guy in North Korea who wants to blow stuff up, or ISIS who terrorizes people anywhere and anyway they can.

The world’s gone mad, I tell you, mad!!!!

However, there are some amazing people doing heroic things in all of this.

Fire fighters.

People pouring into flooded areas to help rescue people caught in the rising waters.

A makeshift hospital in Mexico, treating those injured in the earthquake.

These people are bringing hope to the lives of people whose lives have been destroyed.

These people are going out of their way to help others.

The world might be have gone mad, but there are plenty of people who haven’t.

Praying for those in the midst of the madness.

Thankful for those able to help, praying for them too.