coping with anxious times

Hey y’all. One way of starting this blog post would be to make a list of all the terrible anxiety-inducing and uncertainty-producing things going on in the world right now. But let’s be real; we all know, and we all have curated our own list of anxious news items that range from the laughably ironic to truly horrible.

So instead, I’ll start by telling you that over the past year, I’ve been in a process of realizing that I struggle with anxiety…and have been for a long time, probably most of my life. Over the years I’ve watched and accompanied family and friends as they coped with mental health situations, some more on the surface than others. Combine my caretaking socialization and nurturing personality with my proclivity to downplay my own feelings and experiences (hellooooooo Enneagram 2!), and you get me, last fall, stunned by a suggestion from a therapist that I should learn more about anxiety and see if any descriptions resonate.

Cut to 2020…and wow….what a year it has been and it’s already October and the election is coming up (actually it’s already happening!) and…there’s just a lot to deal with. Here are some thoughts that I have on ways to take care of yourself (and my own self!) during these uncertain times. I’m sharing these partially out of accountability for myself and also in hopes these might spark some ideas and encouragement for you.

these are all good things to remember! thanks, photographer on Unsplash!

Mental Health

• consult your doctor and a trained counselor

• limit exposure to news and social media

• make a plan with loved ones about where you will get your news and how much you will check news outlets (shut off push notifications)

• take breaks! Even when you’re working at home, you should take breaks and rest! Perhaps even moreso now because the lines between work/home/school/play are so blurred.

• follow cool and helpful folks on Instagram…then in the process of scrolling, you find wisdom that’s uplifting!

  • Nap Ministry

  • The Holistic Psychologist

  • anxiety_wellbeing

• take action to improve the world in some way; contributing to society can help others and help ourselves!

• save things that help you feel calm in a tab on your internet browser! (here are some of mine)

  • Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Live Jellyfish Cam

  • Breathing Animation

  • Stargazing

  • Hubble Space Telescope images

Emotional Health

• process your feelings (journal; artwork; dancing; craft)

  • Illustrated Ministry has some great coloring page meditations

• make a worry map. Just write all of the things on your mind and draw lines showing how they’re connected. This honestly helps me validate my own feelings and worries and whatever else is going on in my brain.

• talk to loved ones about what you need emotionally (or what you don’t need!) We’re all working on making it through this difficult time…it’s ok not to be ok. But please talk to someone you love and trust and let them hold space for you as well!

• make time for yourself to feel your feelings. This is me preaching to myself, but for real. Set aside time to think about the hard stuff, to give those emotions their space. Maybe do this within a limit—like, I’ll watch one movie that’s a tearjerker and have my time to cry…whatever works for you!

Spiritual Health

• talk with your pastor or another trusted spiritual advisor (this is what we’re here for!)

• pray (in whatever way is meaningful to you!)

  • centering prayer

  • Lord’s Prayer

  • Prayer of St. Francis

  • Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice

• read something spiritually meaningful

  • Bible (Psalm 27 and 34 are my go-tos when I’m feeling discouraged and down)

  • Mary Oliver

  • Joy Harjo

  • Marge Piercy

  • Love Poems from God

  • The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry

• visio divina (meditating on an artistic image)

  • He Qi

  • John August Swanson

  • Tim Botts caligraphy

  • Steve Prince

• music

  • Illustrated Ministry’s Compassion Camp VBS playlist

  • Darlingside “The God of Loss”

  • The Highwomen “Crowded Table”

  • Si Kahn’s “Here is My Home”

  • The Head and the Heart “Rivers and Roads”

  • this legit playlist my friend made “choral music for existential exhaustion”

Physical Health

• rest (sleep at night, take naps when needed)

• exercise (walk around your home or around your block; run; dance; lift weights)

• stay hydrated

• eat well (this is different for everyone! Let’s refrain from food shaming as we bust myths around “right” or “wrong” ways to eat.)

• wear clothes that are comfy for you (leggings and a sweatshirt? great! sexy dress? great! jeans and a fave plaid? great! it’s about YOUR comfort)

• clean or organize your living space in a way that’s helpful for you

• light a candle or use perfume or buy flowers (seriously: wearing perfume for myself in my home is THE BEST rn).

Again, the things listed above are just what I am thinking about and are specific only to me. If they help you, that’s great! But please do what you need to do to care for yourself and your loved ones. And if you need some accountability or want to share about how you are making it through this stressful time, please comment or send a message!

How are you caring for yourself? What are you doing to steward your physical, mental, and emotional health?

What are you doing to care for others? How are you showing up for your community? How is your community showing up for you? What can you do to help your community process all that’s going on in the world?

If you or someone you love are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call 911 and seek medical assistance right away. For more information about mental health, check out these resources: National Alliance on Mental Illness, the World Health Organization on mental health during COVID, Mental Health America.