I am a HUGE fan of self-care! When you're in a therapy session with me I am always encouraging the act of self-care.

Why? Because I know the benefits are great and well, why not?! Why should you not take care of yourself. Give me a reason....I'll wait...

Imagine you have a cup. You fill up your cup with water and your cup is full. You go to have a sip of your water and you can and feel satisfied.

Now imagine you're thirsty and you try to drink from an empty cup. You remain thirsty.

Self-Care is filling up your cup with water so you're not empty. It is taking care of yourself and ensuring that you meet your own needs.

Now how does anxiety come into play here? Self-Care and reducing anxiety go hand in hand. If you are not taking care of yourself you could feel anxious about exactly that! Think of it this way: the more you take care of yourself the less your anxiety becomes.

Anxiety causes us to feel fear, worry, and uneasiness. Some symptoms of anxiety are the following: excessive worrying, panic attack, and even physical symptoms like chest pain. People experience anxiety and depression in different ways. Typically, our overall quality of life is affected.

We anticipate the future and that causes us to worry more because we have zero control over it. So what do we have control over? Our reactions to the anxiety and how we treat ourselves. Treating our anxiety is also important and prioritizing our mental health in our daily life.

You may wonder: "does anxiety go away?" When you feel your anxiety is out of control remember that self-care can help.

 Here are some ideas for self-care that can help reduce our anxiety symptoms:

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1. Exercise.

When was the last time you worked out? The last time you saw the sun and took a walk for 5-10 minutes? These activities make a difference in our brain function and happiness. Start simple: stretching, walk your dog for 10 minutes longer, do an at home free workout on youtube, try beginners yoga!

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2. Have a healthy diet.

"Diet" here does not mean to restrict calories. "Diet" here means what you are consuming.

Do your best to look at what you are putting into your body. Studies show that what we eat affects our mood. So why not make it something healthy and gives us more energy.

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‍3. Talk, Talk, Talk

Talking means calling a friend, talking to a therapist, and even (my favorite) talking to yourself. I love talking to myself when I am trying to solve a problem. This helps gets all those ideas and frustrations out.

Even if you feel too anxious to get help for you anxiety - remember that talking helps. In times when you feel your anxiety is getting out of control is the time to seek professional help (therapy).

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4. Change Your Environment

If you are in your room all day you'll be miserable and feel like you did nothing for yourself. Change your environment by going to a different room or stepping outside once an hour or at least once a day. Why does this work? Changing your environment helps you gain a fresh perspective - great to get a break too!

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‍5. Have Something Fun on the Calendar

This could be a vacation, a dinner reservation, or a facetime with an old friend. Have something to look forward too!

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6. Let Go of Control

There is only so much we can control. Identify what you are trying to control and see if it is actually in your control. If it's not in your control stop trying to control it! Let it go and let it be.

Trying to control will add more unwanted stress in your life.

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Those are 6 ways you can decrease your anxiety through self-care! Today I am going to put something fun in my calendar! I love looking forward to new things. What are you going to try?

xo

Samira

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