Sometimes we face really stressful times. (For instance, I am writing this post during the pandemic.). In times like this, we often need help managing our thoughts and worries.
Below I have included four pictures, a little anxiety care package, that might help you today if you are struggling.
The first picture is a peaceful thought or affirmation to help you set anxiety boundaries and remind you that you don’t have to handle every problem today.
The second picture is an anxiety management tip that helps me. I thought it might help you, too.
The third picture is a loving-kindness meditation.
The last picture is an ecumenical prayer (feel free to ignore if you are not religious) to remind you of the the love that surrounds you and that is inside of you.
Boundaries: One of the best ways to work with our stress and anxiety is to set boundaries on what we worry about. It’s easy to start worrying about future events or potential future events.
But this is rarely wise because the future can change so dramatically. And we can change dramatically, too. While the potential for great change may sound scary, it can help us realize that what we need to focus on the most is today.
When we focus on today, we can find the tools we need to solve the problems we face in the moment.
And we can know that we will find the tools to face future problems in the future.
Making Appointments to Worry: Sometimes I find myself getting anxious about something. And I feel so anxious, I feel like I can’t handle my stressful feelings anymore. Continuing to worry in situations like this helps no one, especially me.
So sometimes in these situations, I will make an appointment to worry in the future. I tell myself something like this: “I’m going to take a break from worrying right now and pick up this worry again at 3 pm next Friday.”
This strategy helps me in several ways. First, it gives me a break from worrying, which really stress me out. Second, it simultaneously allows me to feel like I’m being responsible. If my worry is a real problem, I can take it up again, and I’ve set an appointment to do so.
So, next time you feel overwhelmed by worry, consider making an appointment with yourself to worry in the future. If you are anything like me, by the time you get to your scheduled worry appointment, you will find the problem has resolved itself.
Showing Compassion to Ourselves: Compassion invites us to wish for everyone that we be peaceful, happy, safe, and awakened to the beautiful light within us. It’s wise to wish this for everyone, including ourselves.
When we take time to say a prayer or intention like this, we show compassion to ourselves, and this decreases our anxiety and suffering.
Surrounded by Love: In our spirit, we have the seeds of goodness, the sum of which is love. Our vocation as human beings is to develop these seeds of love within us and to create loving world. The more we connect with this love in us, the more we find it in the world around us as well.
We find it when we connect with the seeds of goodness in others, in moments of beauty and awe in nature, and in connection with the Divine, however we conceive of that.
We are surrounded by love.
*****
If you enjoyed this post, you might like this one:
Care Package #2 for Stressful Times
As fabulous as ever Shelly!
Thank you so much, Nick!
Helpful for a lot of people right now, I think!
I am so glad you think so, Ann!
As much as I want to believe that there is a loving force somewhere in the universe to hold me in case anything goes wrong, it sounds terribly optimistic if we consider all the awful ways that people do suffer and die everyday in the world.
I totally get this, Friend. To be honest, I feel the same way sometimes, so I don’t begrudge you your feelings at all. It’s the age old philosophy issue of the problem of evil, and it is a tough one to contemplate.
Like!! Great article post.Really thank you! Really Cool.