Since noticing my racing mind I have been reminded of all the skills that I personally use to manage anxiety in stressful times. I was also reminded that there is no way to get your life “perfect” and avoid stress. As much as I would like to believe that I can manufacture my life to avoid anxiety, I know I cannot. And once again, I am reminded that I can only control me and I can’t control the weather, a virus or other people, just me. What I can do is notice my emotions (avoiding denial), honor them (Hello anxiety, thanks for reminding me to be careful.), and let them pass (they always do.) I can also spend time enjoying the breaks between and recovering and restoring my emotional energy.
Wasting Time on Worry!
OMG…I spent the last month worrying about something that I now know was based on a false belief! Not only did I waste time worrying, I was angry at times and my back hurt and I was avoiding things. Turns out it was a problem that took an hour to solve.
Mindfulness and Parenting - Using Wise Mind
As a parent, I often feel anything but wise. You might think, because of my work, I would be great at parenting. Ha Ha….I’m great at giving parenting advice, taking it is a whole different ballgame! To give myself some credit my children were almost grown before I officially became a social worker, but I still am pretty good at screwing it up now and then. They will happy to tell you about it.