Anxiety, ruminating thoughts and worry affects all of us. Just remember: it’s really ok, to not be ok. Most people have it, some more than others. However, there are a few tools to use to give yourself a breather. Here’s three tips to help you get from anxious to mindful.
From Anxious To Mindful: Here’s How
Watch Out For Toxic Positivity
Accept your emotions. Don’t try and make them into something they are not.
Our social channels are bombarded with toxic positivity which is, in case you’re not familiar with the term, the belief that no matter how difficult a situation is, people should maintain a positive mindset. There’s only room for ‘good vibes,’ and this basically diminishes the emotions and responses you have in relation to your experience.
It comes from a place of feeling uncomfortable with negative emotions. But you can only ‘pretend’ for so long. The key lies in the acceptance of those emotions. Allowing them to be there and acknowledging that they’re part of your journey. You can tell yourself you’re amazing all day long, but if you’re experience states otherwise this could actually have the opposite effect.
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Try to be present
It's about the journey, not the result.
We wrote ‘try’ on purpose because ‘being’ present is not as easy as it sounds. It can be such a difficult task, especially if you are an overthinker. It takes a lot of practice to actually be here in the now. And the solutions lie in the journey, you learn more about yourself by practising. Finding out you’re trigger points.
Now, as for the practice, there are some tricks to get yourself back into your body again when you notice yourself ruminating thoughts. Ask yourself these questions during regular tasks:
- What can I feel in my body right now (sensations, tightened spots)
- What is my breathing like right now? Is it fast, deep?
- Is my mind where my body is right now or is it somewhere else?
- What is one thing I will do for myself today, that I actually love to do? (do it!)
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Routine
Create a routine that works in your day-to-day life.
A healthy routine can be as simple as waking up, drinking a glass of water and giving yourself ten minutes just for yourself. In those ten minutes there are tons of things you can do: meditate, journaling, reading, yoga, etc. If you don’t have the time in the morning try and create a healthy you-ritual after work or just before bed.
If you're an overthinker, journaling could be a really helpful way to give your thoughts some space. Sometimes we’re so in our heads with repeating thoughts, that we tend to not see our own patterns as much. Writing them down can be really calming, as you are accepting and acknowledging that they’re there. The trick is creating a routine for yourself that is manageable and something you can do to give yourself a breather. If writing is not your thing, find out what is. For some even painting can be a mindful experience, a place to turn your thoughts off, for others it is working out, meditating or cooking even. Find out what things you enjoy. Create a list of fifty of those and try to do at least one thing everyday.
After a while you’ll feel more into your body and less into your head.
We’d love it if you shared with us. Below you’ll find a comment section where you can drop your personal thoughts.
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