Some Basics

When the future seems especially uncertain and your mind is racing with worry, it can be helpful to return to some of the basic practices for mental calm and wellness. Here are some things you might be feeling and some ways you can help yourself process that energy:

Overthinking

Get out a piece of paper and pen and start writing all of the things going through your mind. You don’t have to organize it or have a system, just do a brain dump onto the page. Messy is best. Wander all over. Let the page carry all of your thoughts instead of your brain. You don’t have to solve problems, just interrupt the loops in your brain by writing, and you will notice your head feels a little clearer. 

Worry

Breathing is the best resource for anxious thoughts. It doesn’t have to be a fancy breathing technique, a few deep breaths is all you need. Inhale slowly, exhale slowly. That’s it. Repeat this deep breath three or four times and your nervous system will feel calmer. Shallow breathing and worry are like the chicken and egg. One begets the other and sometimes we don’t know which came first. A deep breath signals safety to the brain and helps you lessen the heaviness of worry. 

Doomscrolling

Doomscrolling is used to describe that feeling of despair that leads us to scrolling on our phones. It might feel like we are taking a break and decompressing, but often in our scrolling we are numbing. Put your phone in your pocket and go for a walk. Just one trip around the block can make a big difference in your mindset. If you can’t go for a walk, leave your phone inside and go sit outside for a few minutes. The key is to stop scrolling. The movement on the screen feels like a threat to your brain, the same way when you see something move out of the corner of your eye. Our phones definitely (scientific evidence), for many reasons, increase our anxious thinking. So, unless you are watching videos of baby kittens or puppies, put your phone down. 

Feeling Stuck 

Put on music and get moving. March in place, dance, do a few jumping jacks, vacuum, shake all over, or do a few pushups. All of these will get your blood flowing and inspire your brain to move forward. It doesn’t take much, just some intentional movement to get you going again. 

Anger

Sing. Loud. Singing has been studied to show that it releases endorphins and minimizes frustration. An oldie, something on your playlist, or a song that lifts your spirits. Also, a new trend in many cities is to have places where you can go throw things - think axe throwing, but with plates and other objects. Anger is an emotion that needs to be expressed or moved out of your body. If it gets buried, it turns into a volcano that eventually explodes. 

Stressed

If you are spinning in stress, find a hill and run up it or lift some heavy weights. Sweating is a wonderful way to remove stress from your body. And, lifting something heavy sends a subliminal message to your brain that you can handle hard things. If you don’t have a gym, go outside and find some heavy rocks to move or something heavy in your home. Remind yourself that you are strong. 

Unmotivated

Take a shower. This can be a great reset to help you tackle something you don’t want to do. Instead of calling yourself lazy and berating yourself for not being motivated, help yourself get started by taking a shower. If you really want to get a dopamine hit, blast your body with cold water. If you are at work, go into the bathroom and splash cold water on your face. If you can’t do that, run cold water over your wrists and upper arms. Water can symbolize a new beginning.

Impatient

Remember your progress to date. We forget how far we have come. Look back and appreciate your efforts to get where you are today. If you are impatient with someone else, look back at their progress. Notice with gratitude the steps that have been taken and the growth you have seen. 

It is important for all of us to return to some of these basic practices in the months ahead to help us feel rooted in the storms of life.

It is extra confusing, hard, and complicated to be a human right now. Hold on to hope and help yourself through the tough stuff. 

Grateful that we are connected,