As women with anxiety it is so easy to hold onto everything that comes into our lives.
Sometimes it can be physical, like keeping that battered folder with ‘that Dawson’s creek guy’ on it because it reminds you of the ‘good ole days’ before anxiety hit you in the guts and made you run for the toilet.
Perhaps it’s just the question that keep peppering you after that event you went to on the weekend:
‘Oh my gosh I hurt her feelings. She was scowling at me after I offended her.’
‘I said something stupid.’
‘Ugh I rambled on and on again when she said nice dress. Why did I go into the price of the dress, where it was made, and how stoked you were that it was ethically sourced?’
And sometimes your anxiety might be overthinking a situation or judging something as bad or even potentially good. Perhaps you don’t even want to ‘psyche yourself up about it.’ You know, just in case it ends up being too good to be true.
Bring in the prayer box.
Yeah. I know, seems a little too simple right.
This beautiful prayer box (seen in the picture above), was given to me by one of my best friends Beck. (That’s her, the bride, in the pic. How beautiful is she?)
Anyways, she bought me this little box ages ago with paper in it and a little pencil. When I first got it I would put a little request or two in it and then just forget about it.
This week I found that the physical act of writing my anxious thoughts and requests out onto the paper and putting it into the prayer box, allowed me to actually let the anxious request go. Not only was it symbolic of surrendering my anxieties to God but that physical putting it out onto paper for some reason made it feel real. The moment I closed the lid on that little box I felt free of the situation.
Now, I know some of you are probably scoffing at this blog post right now. Perhaps you even spat out your almond mylk chai at the screen. But here’s the thing:
Sometimes you just have to fake it until you become it.
Yes, I’m all about feeling your feelings in their entirety. I wrote a whole article over on The Huffington Post on that HERE.
But there’s power in symbolically releasing something to God (or whomever you resonate with the most).
Social Psychologist Amy Cuddy talks about ‘power poses’ in her TED talk. That standing in a position of confidence affects your testosterone and cortisol levels in your brain and this can have an impact on your success and lessen anxiety levels. (You can watch the talk HERE).
How can you let go of your anxiety this week?
Get a prayer box.
Write down all the things that make you feel anxious. You can even close your eyes as you fold the paper up and imagine it being held by God or simply being released.
Journal
Answer this question: What do I need to let go of today? What steps do I need to do to allow that to happen?
Be still
Women with anxiety find it difficult to be still. I have a resource in the Freebie Vault to help with that. If you sign up in the box either above or below this post you will get instant access to the ‘Ease Your Anxiety’ meditation. It has beautiful and soothing wave music in the background. Take time to still your anxiety by listening to this meditation. Meditation has proven to be an invaluable resource and has been proven to help women with anxiety tap into their own inner wisdom and hear God more clearly. Who doesn’t want that in their life?
Practice a power pose
Watch the TED talk and have a go at what Amy Cuddy calls ‘A power pose.’
Comment below and let me know which tip you are going to have a go at this week. I’d love to know. Email me at: thebutterflyhouse@dianabraybrooke.com if you’re struggling with your anxiety and want to learn ways to soothe it so you can think more clearly. Please share the post using the buttons below if you loved the post.
P.S I’ll be on holidays from the blog this week as I’ll be doing my Mind Detox Training to help you heal the hidden causes of physical, emotional and life’s problems. I’ll be back in this space on the 30th August.