Creative Anxiety: Kick off CHALLENGE...

Friday, October 12, 2012

Kick off CHALLENGE...

That's right! A challenge!

Each Friday we will post a challenge, nothing too crazy, but little exercises you can try to help alleviate some of your anxiety symptoms. All the challenges are things that we will be doing with you or have done and have found tremendous anxiety relief from. Come and join along with us communicate how it might be working for you....or how it isn't!

So here it is...

THE KICK OFF CHALLENGE: Let's JOURNAL! It is proven that journaling slows down the mind so that you can really understand how you are thinking! When we start to slow down our mind our mind can rest and things become much clearer. So challenge yourself to start journaling! Get it out, write it down, release it...

...NOW, if you have tried this before and it hasn't worked...simply...try it again with US (M and C) and we will keep you accountable. Check in with us and we will check in with you. It is as simple as putting pen to paper...our mind is what makes it out to be much more!

STEPS:

1. Get a pen.

2. Get some paper.

3. Place the pen onto the paper and begin to let it flow. (tip: you could simply draw something for your first journal entry, listing what you did that day or how you felt, making up an imaginative story or character who is playing YOU, or even write the date down each day)

Our mind is what makes journaling look like a task so don't think about it just do it! :)

We have both set a goal to journal once a day so we will be there right alongside you. Ask us questions and share with us how it is working for you.

Let it FLOW....

C

2 comments:

jujushoeOctober 22, 2012 at 3:22 AM
Love it! Great challenge. I have had a journal since I was about 12 years old. For the past 21 years I have documented my internal struggles with anxiety and depression. What an amazing coping tool. Sometimes it is hard to look back at such a roller coaster ride that my soul has taken, but I am also amazed how much I have learned about myself and life. In the earliest years my journal is very sad. While I was struggling with grief and losing a friend to suicide I needed the space to reflect and release my thoughts safely. As years passed my sadness turned into overwhelming anxiety. About everything. My journal changed too. Now I am in a much better space. My entries reflect a more positive and grateful being. I know that my roller coaster ride is far from over, but having my journal is sure to reconnect me to me when I start to lose touch and my anxiety wants to get the best of me.
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UnknownOctober 22, 2012 at 7:56 PM
AMAZING! Love that you have had a journal for so long, I only wish I knew the comfort and release it brought so many years ago! The fact that you look at it as a 'space' to release your thoughts safely is great! The pages of your journal are for you...to let all of it out, good, bad, happy, sad! Thank you for sharing a bit of your back story as well, very sorry for the life situations and struggles you have been given. But it is truly awesome to see how journaling has helped with everything. :)
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The girls who started it all...and their stories.

Well hello there! My name is Megan and here’s my little tale:

It’s safe to say that the person I am today is a far different one than I was many years ago. As many of you know, dealing with anxiety seems like an uphill battle some days, and I’ve felt like for most of my life I have been struggling to get to the top of that hill to safety. My anxiety started very young and mainly revolved around the constant fear of something medical going wrong with me. I was definitely a hypochondriac, and gave myself unnecessary amounts of anxiety over little to nothing at times. After passing out a few times due to seeing my own blood, both fainting and blood became huge triggers for me. This led me to avoid many situations, namely doctors’ offices, etc. My anxious symptoms were like that of fainting or having a heart attack and at any given time, I felt like my world was crashing and I was about to die.

…which brings me to my next chapter with the “beast”. By the way, I call anxiety the “beast” because it truly takes on its own entity at times. Anyhow, my next chapter is one of quite the lengthy time frame. It was all exacerbated when one day a tragedy hit close to home. My dad had got into a motorcycle accident and died instantly. This, as for anyone, sent my world spinning at the speed of light. It was then that my fear of death and dying amplified. I was constantly feeling sick, or like an 80 pound elephant was sitting on my chest. I didn’t know what I was feeling, nor did I really talk to anybody about it, which made it worse. Junior high, high school, and even my first few years at the junior college were plagued by constant worry; self esteem issues, horrible panic attacks, and so on. I somehow managed to make it through as normal as possible but I was hurting on the inside and most definitely not living a full life.

Once I went away to college my anxiety had stabilized. It was by no means gone, but for some reason it had subsided to a point of decent comfort. Those few years were as relaxed as they could be, and life seemed to be pretty good. It wasn’t until about a year ago that the “beast” began to really rear its ugly head again. This time it was back tenfold, however, and I was determined to find a happy place…one of comfort and happiness. And that my friends is where I’m at today, trying to find a true life of bliss. This last year has been a hard one, but through a lot of self discovery and branching out into new avenues, I am slowly piecing together what works best for me. So far I have found inner strength through trying new things such as yoga, supplements, and creative outlets such as photography, dance, and art. My hopes in build a community through Creative Anxiety is that I can reach out to others who strive to better themselves and others who deal with this unfortunate beast.

Hi there, I’m Chrissy!

My journey with anxiety has been a long one (or so it feels), dating back to when I was in high school. I had been struggling for a while in social settings and changes, but had chopped it up to being an average teenager. It was my first anxiety attack that painted a clearer picture as to what I had been dealing with. And so began the journey…

My first attack was something I will never forget and has created a foundation for where I stand today. My first attack also explains a lot of my history and was a breakthrough for me in getting the necessary help I needed at the time. It was triggered by a past traumatic experience. When I was fourteen I had been raped. The setting in which it took place was visually recreated which induced my first and most horrific panic/anxiety attack. This was a breakthrough in a lot of ways for me. I had not told anyone, spoken about it or personally revisited the memory for four years until that day. When my family was informed I gained the support I needed to start my battle against ANXIETY!

After learning what anxiety was, how it works and being fed drug after drug by doctor after doctor I was really getting nowhere. I was feeling zombie-esque on the medicine, having bad withdrawals and feeling sedated for the majority of the time. This is when I decided to take a different path.

See…my brain automatically links my anxiety now to being raped and the feelings that were felt in that situation. It is such a feeling of disgust and helplessness that motivate me to free myself. I have problems in social situations and trusting others with anything and everything. I have a fear of being attacked, which feeds my anxiety daily in everyday situations and the constant negative self-talk is something I have to keep battling.

I have really two choices (the way I see it)…I can either lay down and feel sorry for what was and what now is or I can fight like hell to live the BEST life I can possibly live. I’ve chosen to fight! I believe there is a fix for this thing we all call ANXIETY and I am determined to find it. Through trial and error, trial and success and a lot of support I believe it is something that is attainable. Holistic, drug free, all natural healthy ways to heal is what I’m all about. So let this new journey begin in sharing what I’ve learned with other who might have walked in my shoes or who choose to walk right alongside me. Let’s fight on!