Hi friends. My heart is heavy following this week’s events, and behind the scenes, I am taking action in between praying for those sweet babies and their families.

Today’s podcast episode was a common request in my 100 podcast episodes post, so I thought I’d cover this topic today. It’s also something that I feel has been magnified in some way or another for the past few years, so think it’s a relevant topic for this week.

Today, I’m chatting about my experience with anxiety and some of the things that have helped me over time. PLEASE keep in mind that I’m not a therapist or a doctor. This is not medical advice and I’m just sharing my experience. If you struggle with anxiety or any mental health issues (or if you just want to chat to a trusted third party who can give you advice!) seek out the help of a local certified therapist. I always lurk the reviews online when we first move to a new place. You deserve to feel great; please seek out the help you need to feel better!

104: Things that have helped my anxiety

As a first-born Type A perfectionist, I’ve had anxiety for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I had a TV in my room and would fall asleep watching the news sometimes, which is the perfect way to brew some worry and anxiety. There was also some transition in our family, since my parents got divorced when I was in kindergarten, and I’ve just always been a worrier. My anxieties and worries have ranged from very mild, like deadlines, wanting specific details to be perfect, or wondering if someone is mad at me, to much bigger things, like a husband who was abroad fighting in a war (four times!), a baby with severe reflux who had stopped breathing on a couple of occasions, health concerns, and family stuff.

Something that has always helped me, no matter what I was going through: therapy.

I’ve been blessed to see some incredible therapists in my lifetime and think it can be SO helpful to have one in your back pocket, even if you don’t see them super regularly. It can feel a little weird and awkward at first, but I always leave each session feeling lighter, relieved, and like I have a plan.

I wanted to note first that while NOTHING can replace traditional therapy, there are also some strategies that have also helped:

– Exercise! The key is to do this in a way where you can recover easily and you aren’t perpetuating a constant flight or fight response in the body. Think about your personal “stress bucket,” and make sure that exercise isn’t the thing tipping it over. If you’re an anxious person, I would shift focus from intense and high-impact workouts (like bootcamp workouts and CrossFit), to more low-impact options like yoga, barre, walking, Pilates, moderate strength training, or dance.

– Bringing myself to the present moment. What are 3 things I can see? What