Handling Empathic Anxiety
It has been a while since I have taken time to just WRITE you guys. It is something I absolutely enjoy but don’t make enough time for. Spring break has started and I’ve decided to take the week off. It couldn’t be more timely. My anxiety has been at a fever pitch the past week. I know I am not the only one that feels it. Even if you aren’t a spiritual worker or empathic, EVERYONE is feeling the mounting anxiety.
It is so easy to get caught up in a cycle of fear. On social media I posted that we have to make a daily choice to choose love over fear. Sometimes this practice is easy. Other times this practice seems nearly impossible. While I work with the Spirit World and implement spiritual practices on the daily, it doesn’t mean that I am immune from fear. My occupation requires that I see clients (most of them face to face), that I speak and teach groups of people. I see clients in my home. I travel between states for presentations. I assure you, I have felt varying levels of fear driven anxiety DAILY.
So how do we function in these interesting times as Sensitives? As Empaths? The answer is, with intent. Below are a few things I am doing to help manage the anxiety and to choose love over the heightened sense of fear.
I am moving my body. The past week working out hasn’t been for any other reason but to manage anxiety. When we can get our heart rate up for 20-30 minutes a day it helps manage and even lower symptoms of anxiety. It doesn’t have to be anything major friends, it can be a walk around the block. This has helped me tremendously.
2. I make a gratitude list. Being able to become mindful of the good, creates more awareness of the good. Every morning I wake up and list 5 things that I am grateful for. It’s usually about things/feeling that have taken place over the last 24 hours. For example, sometimes its as simple as my cup of coffee. While I’ve done this everyday for nearly a year and half, it has become even more important as of late.
3. I took social media OFF my phone. This one is big. I function in a business that survives off social media interaction. That same social media is over-run with fear based posts right now. Having it at the tip of my finger, I have found myself lost in numerous posts about the current threat and climate. Most of these posts are not helpful. They aren’t fact based and they are full of energy that I am super sensitive to. In order to keep myself from being triggered and feeling all the things, I’ve deleted the apps off my phone (except Instagram-but I don’t scroll) until things have died down.
4. I meditate. Yep, you’ve heard me say it one million times. “When in doubt, meditate it out.” You don’t need a lot of time or a super special space. Just take 5-10 minutes to focus on your breath. It lowers your heart rate, your blood pressure and those racing thoughts.
5. I drink water. Seems simple and obvious but drinking enough water matters. It keeps your vitals regulated. As someone who can be highly anxious, having the physiology taken care of helps me know when I am TRULY experiencing anxiety, or if I just need to be hydrated.
6. I talk it out. If you are like me, you don’t like to burden others with your fears, anxiety or hurt. This can lead to you internalizing. The internalization can lead to irrational projections of a false reality. Talking it out with someone I love or just voicing “I am anxious right now” invites an opportunity to realign with love and to ground.
Sweet Soul, the most important thing to know, is that you aren’t alone. If you are finding yourself in a state of fear and uncertainty know that SO many of us are. It’s empowering to know that in a time of feeling out of control of the outcome, we can be in control of how we care for bodies and mental health. We can choose again.