HOW TO CALM ANXIETY FOR A FEW PRECIOUS MOMENTS
Anxiety creates a loop of thoughts that can be so complete you don’t even notice you’re in it. I’ve gone entire days where I literally don’t look around because I’m living so completely in my head. It’s exhausting and (the science is clear on this) unhealthy.
There are a million solutions for this out there, but I’ve been experimenting with one that I came across in the Integerity book. I like it because it’s simple and involves writing, which I already do!
Whenever you feel you’re in a loop, which is often hard to notice, stop and spend a few minutes writing about your immediate surroundings. Describe the room your in, what you’re doing, what you can see/smell/hear. What is outside the window? How is the weather? Is anyone pooping in the old toilet that’s been sitting next to your building’s dumpster for a month?
Writing a few paragraphs about what you’re seeing forces you out of your thoughts and into the present moment. You can’t be worrying about things if you’re describing the weather — it’s simple but it works.
I used this exercise right before I wrote this. In fact, it was why I decided to choose this topic to publish. I’ve been worrying about a few things that I don’t seem to have any control over and it’s starting to really get to me… I know that writing about my room isn’t going to change the world, but for a few minutes it brings a sense of peace, which can be a life-saver.