Anxiety- it can creep up on you anytime, anywhere. 4 am.. Sure why not? In the middle of the day when you hear that bell ring and you know that you are about to have to jump through hurdles (almost literally) for 60 minutes as you try to engage teenagers to show at least a little bit of interest in democracy, first nation’s hardships and the explorers of past who founded this country. Anxiety- it’s potency is brutal if you let it take over.
It starts with the dreaded thoughts- the ‘what if’’s’ that just consume every little second of those whole two minutes you have left before you need to be ON. It’s the ‘can I do this?’ kind of questions that sneak up and fire up the negative self talk that you know you shouldn’t do but that you can’t help because that is just who you are… It’s the middle of the night’s, heart palpitating, clenching of the jaw that makes you not want to get up to pee because if you do, that short walk to the toilet is going to turn into lesson plans, to do lists and ‘don’t forgets’… Anxiety- let’s face it. – It’s enough to drive you to the nut house.
So what can one do about it? When you’re watching the clock knowing that your night is almost through or your free time is almost done and you’ll need to go step up to the bat and do a homerun because, well, you know, perfection is the catalyst here, here are my quick tips to getting a grip- or at least pretending like you have it anyway!
- Smile. The power of actually working those cheekbones actually sends a message to your brain telling the whole body that you are ok and that you are happy.
- Breathe– In four breaths, out 4 breaths. I actually have an app that tells my smart watch to tell me to stop and just breathe. This has magical powers as it slows your heart rate and calms your nerves in a relatively short amount of time.
- Move. Yes, even in the middle of the night when the floor is cold and you feel a little woozy from waking from la-la land, walking it off helps immensely. Get out of the room where the anxiety started, and go back when you are cold and that warm bed becomes comforting once again. For mid daytime anxiety, this applies. Get out and walk. It does wonders for the brain and body.
- Write. Take out a pen and notepad. Write down everything, and I mean EVERYTHING that is making you anxious. My list from the other night included everything from my kids future to world peace! Yikes!
- Get out of your head. No self help books. No self improvement books. Just plain old dragon fighting, murder mystery mayhem or whatever fiction you can find to distract the mind. For middle of the day anxiety when you have no time to read, give yourself permission to be anxious, suck it up and plow through. You WILL survive, I promise.
Anxiety can be crippling if you let it win. Learn to recognize what is looks like for you. Say to yourself, HI ANXIETY. Acknowledge its presence and then tell it to go – you know where! Sometimes just saying the work CANCEL is enough or wearing an elastic band around your wrist and snapping it when you have anxious thoughts, can be enough to snap you out of it. Find what works for you and nip it in the bud. But most all, just accept it and keep going. It’s all about showing it who is in control. YOU!