A Poem on Suffering

by Gina Rafkind

 
Suffering, I see you
with your steadfast gaze and aim

Suffering, I feel you
with your intense and deep pain

Suffering, I hear you
in the pounding of my heart

Suffering, I taste you
in the freedom that’s just afar

Suffering, I smell you
as I strain to deeply inhale

Suffering, I thank you
for you have never once failed

Suffering, I love you
for the gifts that are yet to come

Suffering, I’ll hold you close
for your work is not yet done

inhale ~ enjoy ~ exhale,

Gina

Today is the finale! We are at the last day of the Anxiety Busting Challenge.

Today I’m thrilled to share with you the creative, off-beat, Petrea Hansen-Adamidis.

Petrea and her family live life, off-beat. She has a wonderful story and Golden Nugget to share with you. This nugget will benefit us all, especially since it’s know as the best medicine……I believe we all could us a little more of it in our lives…..at least a daily dose! Enjoy!

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Anxiety Story

As a parent I find often myself rushed and trying to balance my life between my family, my own needs and my work. At times there are so many things going through my mind that I want to get done that I can become quite tense.  This tension manifests itself in how I interact with others, which can make the situation worse.

When I get sucked into the tension that I have created in my own mind it looks something like this: “Hey guys come on, we need to (insert focus of attention) get ready! tidy up! . . . or we will be (insert worry or perceived “disaster”).   As I focus more on what is not going right my blinders go up to what is actually going well.  The expected outcome becomes worse than it probably will be.  It is at this point that I feel my tolerance levels drop.

Old tapes begin to play in my head, which unfortunately are not the ones that are pleasant to listen too.  They sound more like an old school teacher, strict and inflexible or a frustrated parent. You get the picture?  My anxiety about things not going as planned (mistake number one) starts to rise at this point, as I hear myself sound like a conglomeration of all the adult voices I dreaded listening to as a child.  Then to make matters worse, I notice this and judge myself, further increasing my anxiousness.

Golden Nugget

Do you remember those blooper TV shows that used to be popular?  The ones where a mistake was caught on tape that in retrospect seems quite funny.  Although the incidents were not funny usually at the time they were happening, when played back they often had people in stiches laughing.

When I began to notice that I was spending more time worrying about the state of things than enjoying them, I started to infuse more humor into my interactions.  I’m not talking about sarcasm, because that can be hurtful.  However, poking fun at one’s self by exaggerating responses comically can go a long way for easing tension and shifting perspective.

Sometimes I joke about having a Humor Switch that I can turn on and off.  You too can have one if you want it’s really easy to install (for just $9.99 you’ll get… JUST KIDDING!)   But seriously, you can choose to look at things from a more humorous perspective or you can stick with the tension and watch it grow.

Whenever I realize that I am taking myself too seriously and getting all worked up or dramatic about a situation, I remind myself of this imaginary humor switch.

The minute you see yourself being critical of a situation or yourself, picture a snap shot of the look on your face or other humorous part of the situation.  Feel the tension melt away as you focus on how silly or blown up your response is getting.  After all, though you may not be able to change what has already happened you certainly can influence what happens next, based on your response.  You can choose to get all dramatic and play the drama queen role or you can inject some humor into the situation.

Challenge

What would happen if you treated any mishaps, perceived “mistakes” or frustrating moments as bloopers?  

How would things be different if instead of getting pulled into the drama of what is not going right, and further upsetting yourself, you see the humor in the moment?

I challenge you to accept these life “bloopers” as just another reminder from the universe to not take everything so seriously.  Your challenge is to look for bloopers throughout the day that you can laugh with not at. Instead of being pulled into the frustration of the moment you allow yourself to see the humor in it.

I have included a clip of a homemade “blooper” that my 11-½ yr. old made from old video footage of when he was about three.   Perhaps you’ve caught your own bloopers on tape and can make a video to remind yourself to laugh with life more often.  You could give yourself a mantra at such times “life is funny like that”.

Petrea Hansen-Adamidis is a Registered Art Therapist and founder of Offbeatfamily.com  where she shares creative parenting tips and videos.  She is also the founder of Art Therapist Drawing the Self Out where she shares her ideas about connecting more deeply with your inner muse and inner wisdom.  She offers a free e-course “Free Your Inner Child”. You can follow her on Twitter @drawingselfout or @offbeatfamily or drop by and say “Hi” on Facebook at ArtTherapist.ca or Offbeatfamily.

image by DBduo via flickr

Anxiety Busting Challenge ~ Day 25

Hola everyone! We are at day 25 of the Anxiety Busting Challenge……..we’re pulling in closer to the finish line! I hope you have been enjoying all the posts that these amazing women have been sharing with us throughout this series as much as I have. I’ve been learning a LOT of new techniques to put in my holistic medicine pouch!

Today I am happy to share with you Tanja Gardner. Tanja’s story is one I bet we can all relate too in some way. I love her Golden Nugget as it is very powerful and I’ve created one for myself and I hope you take on her challenge too and do the same…….it really helps. Enjoy!

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Managing “Health Check  Freakouts” with visualization by Tanja Gardner

My anxiety story: the original roots of my “health check freakouts”

I was 14 when my mother was first diagnosed with breast cancer (she was in her early 30s), and I turned 17 the day of her funeral. I remember the thing that terrified me most at the time: how did we explain to my three-year-old brother that his mommy was never coming home again?

Apparently, Mom’s tumor had been steadily growing for at least two years before she’d discovered it. So it’s probably not surprising that I developed what felt like a major case of undiagnosed hypochondria (I called it my “health paranoia”) in my late teens.  That health paranoia then stayed with me through much of my twenties.

My biggest frustration was knowing I was paranoid, but not being able to change it

We sometimes use the phrase “hypochondriac” dismissively, wondering why people who panic about every little health symptom don’t just take a reality check and relax.  Maybe we secretly think they’re simply attention-seeking when they freak out at every headache – every sore throat – every minor infection.

But having been on the other side of the equation, I can tell you it’s like wondering why someone with depression doesn’t just cheer up.  Fear this strong simply doesn’t respond to logic.  It didn’t matter how many times I tried to reason myself out of the nightmare I felt whenever a new minor health symptom cropped up.  The terrified clenching in my gut, the racing heartbeat and the copper tang of fear in the back of my throat persisted.

So because I couldn’t get rid of it, I just accepted the misery of the fear as part of my life – an inescapable side effect of being me. And I tried my damnedest to function in spite of it.

Then in my 20s, one of my health scares was more than a scare

Sometime in my late 20s, all of my hypochondria nightmares seemed to come true at once.  I found a lump in my own breast – and when I went to get it checked, the scans showed three more lurking, unfelt, inside my breast tissue.

The next month or so passed in a blur of biopsies and sorting out the logistics for surgery.  The biopsy results suggested the lumps were probably benign… but with my immediate family history, they had to be treated as potentially malignant. And the entire experience acted like industrial-strength fertilizer to feed my growing health paranoia.

Luckily, the only long-term after-effects of the lumps were psychological

The good news was that post-surgery tests confirmed all four breast lumps were indeed benign. But because of my family (and now personal) history, the specialists recommended ongoing annual mammogram and ultrasound checks.

On the surface, these were the perfect solution for quieting the ramped up health-fears that haunted me. After all – they’d ensure a tumor could never take me by surprise, the way Mom’s had taken her.

The problem was that every year as my annual check approached, I’d start to feel a thick, choking wave of dread closing over me.  What if this time they found something?  What if I had to go through the surgery all over again?  What if I had to do chemo and radiotherapy, the way I’d seen my Mom do?

Cue a new form of health paranoia: the “health check freakouts” – but this time I found a tool to manage them

That panic – that overriding, crippling sense of dread – was what I came to call my “health check freakout”.  The feelings were pretty much the same as the ones my original health symptom paranoia triggered.  Only I got them in advance of every single health check.

And again, because I couldn’t do anything about them, I just accepted that they were going to make my life miserable.  At least I did until I found a visualization that helped me change my relationship to my fear.  That visualization helped me to relax not just around health checks, but also the symptoms that would have provoked my paranoia in the past.

My golden nugget: my “Rock in the middle of the ocean” visualization

Here’s the visualization I use: I’m standing on a flat rock out in the middle of a calm ocean. I imagine my fear as a powerful storm off on the horizon, and I can sense it bearing down on me in the changing scent of the air.  I know it’s going to be far too powerful for me to fight, and it’s coming in too fast for me to run from. But I also know that I can ground myself into the rock so strongly that NOTHING can shift me.  And because of that, I’m not afraid.

Because of that, I simply accept that the storm’s going to hit, and I focus on my grounding.  I grow stone roots that extend from the soles of my feet deep, deep down into the rock. And I know beyond doubting that those roots are so strong, nothing can break or budge them.

Then? Then I calmly wait for the storm to arrive. I know when it gets to me, it’s going to howl out the full force of its fury at me.  I’ll feel it whipping at my hair and slicing at my skin. It will try to tell me that my roots are too weak to survive its anger.  But I’ll know that it lies, so I’ll ignore it. Eventually, I know the storm will get tired and blow itself out (as storms always do).  And when it passes, I’ll still be there, calm and serene, watching it leave.

My challenge: prepare a visualization that you can use for your own oncoming fear-storms

The thing with visualizations like this is that they don’t work without a bit of preparation.  You need to be able to spot your fear coming in the distance, while you’re still calm enough to know you’re stronger than it is. You also need to have a visualization prepared – the middle of a fear attack is not a place to be trying to construct one.

So, my challenge to you is two-fold:

• Learn your triggers: know in advance what will set off your personal fear-storm (or however you choose to visualize your fear).  Stay aware of your own internal reality, and know how it feels when your fear begins to approach.
• Construct a visualization that will work for you:  if my “rock in the ocean” imagery works, then by all means, use it with my blessing.  But if something about it doesn’t quite gel for you… why not create your own?  How do you see your fear?  Find an image that resonates on a gut level.  Then, imagine something that would protect you from it. It might be a shield, a phrase of power, or even a companion.  The important thing is that you know beyond knowing that this thing is stronger than your fear.

By staying in touch with your inner state, and preparing a visualization in advance, you give your mind the tools it needs to manage your fear.

Tanja Gardner is a copywriter, word weaver and story spinner at Crystal Clarity Copywriting Ltd.   She helps difference-makers like you write with concise, creative clarity that your readers intuitively “get”.  That means they understand EXACTLY what you offer – which opens the way for you to make a difference in their lives.  To connect with Tanja, say hello on Twitter, Facebook or Google+, or follow her blog.

image by Wade Rockett via flickr

Hola gorgeous! Can you believe it’s Jan 24th already? Well it is and it’s also the 24th day of the Anxiety Busting Challenge!

Today I am so honored to share with you, Amy Kessel. Amy shares how anxiety makes her feel and her key golden nugget that helps her transform back into her true, vibrant, authentic self. Enjoy!

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Anxiety At Your Doorstep? Do What You Love! by Amy Kessel

Anxiety story

What are some of the adjectives you use to describe anxiety?  For me they are scattered, depleted, withered, aimless, and fragile.  And the feelings in my body that accompany anxiety are queasiness, restlessness, and something I can only name as dis-ease.

When anxiety visits, it makes itself known.  It’s not a shy or withdrawn guest.  And its presence overshadows most other states of being, robbing us of some of the most delicious experiences of being human: peace, tranquility and ease.

Anxiety asks to be handled in a powerful and direct way.  It needs to be shown the door with a forceful hand.

And that hand?  Powered by the most potent energy available to us:  that which we love.

Golden Nugget

Anxiety delivers a message to us.  When it arrives at our doorstep, we find ourselves so uncomfortable that we search for a quick way out of its clutches.   Stuffing, avoiding or rationalizing won’t banish the anxiety that erodes our sense of calm.  We are called to find something else.

Anxiety brings with it an invitation to find another way through the tangled mess of feelings it evokes.  How do we banish the dis-ease, and reconnect to our natural state of peace and ease?

By turning toward what we love.

The quickest way to your heart is to lose yourself in what you love.  To immerse yourself fully in that thing that transports you to another realm, that activity that causes you to lose track of time while doing it.  Your joy.

Take a moment to remember what you love, and connect with it right now.  Feel that?  That’s who you are.  Anxiety stands in the way of you showing up authentically and vibrantly.  It keeps you small and contracted, when your birthright is to be expansive and whole.

Challenge

Get comfortable with accessing your joy so that you have a reliable tool ready and waiting the next time anxiety visits.  Find time every day to experience that place of peace and ease within you.

If its doorway is through dance, be sure you dance in the car while driving, or while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil.  If it’s nature, grab a handful of dirt or spend a few moments watching the sky change color.  If it’s writing poetry or creating code, connecting with friends or doing art, find opportunities in your daily life to remind yourself of what you love.

Your joy is your passport from anxiety back to your natural state of ease.  Use it.

Amy Kessel, MA, ACC, is a certified life coach who is enchanted by the process of unfurling into more authentic expressions of who we are.  She wants to know what is unfurling in you right now.  Sign up for her newsletter and receive Reclaiming Your Brilliance, a free eGuide.

image by s-a-m via flickr

Wow, we are almost at the finish line for the Anxiety Busting Challenge!

It’s day 23 and I’m happy to share with you today, Cindy Hudson. Cindy’s been through some challenges, but as you’ll see, she’s empowered herself to live a Red Hot life, with a unique technique. (hey, I just rhymed!)

Cindy shares her story, Golden Nugget and Challenge with you via video……………..so here she is……Enjoy!

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Feel Your Feelings to Bust Through Anxiety by Cindy Hudson

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Cindy Hudson is a Master Coach supporting women who feel inadequate, disillusioned and confused to come out of hiding, understand and break crippling patterns, and really love themselves for who they are.  Cindy guides you to see yourself, heal your heart, and embrace the truth of how incredibly valuable YOU are in your own unique rhythm.

After years of trying, giving, and being “really good” Cindy’s life crashed in on her which led to a time of intense personal growth and transformation.  On the other side she became passionate about helping others navigate faster than she did because she knows how it feels to be stuck and believes NOW is the time to make your life work, not 5 years from now, or even one year from now.  Cindy helps women wake up, show up, and move bravely into truth, learn how to trust their heart, hear their voice and let it out!

She has a gift to identify where you are hiding or blocking yourself and an amazing ability to tap into that block, bring awareness and provide wisdom to create an immediate shift to put you on a whole new playing field. Cindy believes working with your individuality, your heart and your unique spiritual rhythm is the fastest way to experience change and the strongest way to move you into connecting with your own value in a sacred, energetic and practical way.

Welcome to day 22 of the Anxiety Busting Challenge!

Today I am honored to share with you Mira Jamadi. As I read Mira’s story of her journey through anxiety, in parts it felt like I was reading my own journey. And her belief that anxiety is a gift and that she wouldn’t be who she is without it, is exactly how I feel. I really enjoyed reading Mira’s story and I hope you do too. Enjoy!

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Perseverance Through Panic Prevails by Mira Jamadi

Anxiety Story

Right after my graduation from NYU, I had my first panic attack. I know that the trigger was a traumatic conflict with my mother the day after my graduation that spiraled out of control beyond my comprehension.

For a very long time after that—years—I didn’t stop having panic attacks and I stopped sleeping. I lived in nonstop anxiety, panic, agoraphobia, and eventually depression, as I couldn’t rationalize living if this was going to be my life.

At that time—1995—panic and anxiety disorders were not well known as they are today.  I saw several doctors and had everything checked out. I really panicked when one doctor suggested I might have a growth in my brain, as my symptoms included not being able to see or hear at times. No one could figure out what was wrong with me. Some people believed nothing was wrong with me, that I was making the whole thing up. I thought I was going crazy.

My roommate saw an ad in the newspaper for a drug study at Columbia University. It was the first time that I had ever seen a list of the symptoms that I was experiencing. It’s something that I would never do now, but back then I was desperate for some help and for some answers. I went and was accepted to the study, took a lot of medication and felt better. But then the study was over and the panic came back.

This was a general low period in my life and there were some very, very low spots.  Living in New York City and working in a restaurant couldn’t be worse for someone with panic. I remember having to hold on the backs of customer’s chairs while taking an order as I thought I was going to pass out at any moment.

Subways were a nightmare, obviously. I remember one particularly awful subway ride where I couldn’t see anymore. I was conscious, but everything was black. It was terrifying. I tried to take the bus as often as possible, but even the slow moving bus was too much movement for me—forget about standing at the front of the bus where I could see all the traffic out in front of me.

Life was unbearable. Without knowing it, I was perpetuating my state of anxiety by drinking coffee and smoking like a chimney. My logic was that I felt that I could not wake up. I felt like I was living in a dream/nightmare state. I thought that the stimulation would wake me up. I started to drink a lot. It felt like at least I had some sort of control over myself when I had some alcohol in me. I also dabbled in other drugs to see if they would help me. I think that I also wanted to destroy myself.

At one point, my dad took me to Indonesia on a delivery flight—he worked for Mc Donnell Douglas Aircraft and we were delivering a brand new plane to Garuda Indonesia—the national airline. I was really excited to get out of the city, but I wasn’t sure how my anxiety would be affected. Oh, it was affected. First, I couldn’t even walk across the tarmac to get to the plane without totally freaking out. I literally had to hold on to my dad’s arm. Arriving at the airport was worse. My dad had to push me on a baggage cart—I was around 23/24 years old. By the end of the trip, I had to close myself into a dark room and hide under the blankets. We didn’t know what to do. My dad brought me to a healer and then to the hospital where they did a brain scan and gave me some drugs.  The drugs helped and then ran out.

I didn’t have any medical insurance and couldn’t pay for all of the tests I needed and I couldn’t keep seeing specialists who didn’t know what was wrong with me. I was feeling totally stranded, totally isolated, and totally abandoned. There was only one person who showed me any concern whatsoever and that was my roommate. I don’t know why, I can not explain this and it’s taken me years to come to peace with it, but not one person in my family, not my parents, not my sisters (one sister was very young, so I didn’t expect anything from her), not my boyfriend (eventually my husband, then ex-husband), supported me in any way—except when my dad brought me to the hospital in Indonesia, but then the support was done. When my dad described to other people what happened in Indonesia, he chuckled about it. I had no one. I was in this black hole with only myself to figure things out. Later on my boyfriend supported me to a certain extent, but I don’t think that he ever believed that my panic was real.

Somehow I managed to hold jobs, and get by, although it meant really strange behavior like running home from the grocery store because I would have a panic attack in the street otherwise. The grocery store itself was a nightmare. I could barely stand in line to pay without having to hold on to something.

Somehow I managed to have a relationship. My boyfriend from high school and I both left California to go to school in New York. Then he got a job back in California, in Hollywood and I eventually followed, relieved to be out of New York and hoping to find peace in California. I didn’t really. We lived in Hollywood. My condition became so bad that I couldn’t drive, I could barely stand to take the bus, I couldn’t cross the street, and eventually, I couldn’t leave the house.

Finally, I got health insurance and went to see a doctor. By this time there were commercials for panic and anxiety on TV and I was sure that that’s what I had. The doctor gave me anti-depressants and some kind of Valium type drug. It was heavy stuff.  I was so willing to take the drugs, as all I could hope for was some relief. And how I was relieved. When the drugs started to take effect, I just slept and slept and oh how I welcomed that sleep. I hadn’t had peaceful sleep in years. I remember being so happy that I was able to be a bit loopy, to forget things, to not worry all the time.

So, I was on medication, I started seeing a psychologist and things were much better.  But—there’s always a but—I knew deep inside of me that the drugs were not the solution. I knew that there was deep, deep suffering going on inside of me. I knew that there was a natural way to heal even if I didn’t know what that way was.

For a long time I cursed my panic and anxiety disorder. I cursed the people who didn’t help me. I felt that I had wasted years of my life paralyzed in fear, unable to get my life going. I now know that my soul signed up for this illness. It took this illness for me to reach down into the deepest, darkest, depths of my being to find a way out. To come out of panic and depression even with the use of medication, requires an enormous amount of willpower, focus, and courage.

When I finally began to function normally, as in I could drive again, as in I could go out of the house again, I was so relieved. But over time, I realized that I had just made it to “functioning.” I had just made it to “getting by,” to handling a life with panic. I felt, however, that “functioning” was not where I was supposed to be. If I was able to muster up enough willpower, focus, and courage to get me out of the hole to a functioning, I could use that same intensity to push me to radiance. I knew that I wanted a radiant life.

Since I had been a dancer, I liked to keep myself pretty flexible. Somehow I made the connection between being flexible and yoga. I had never been exposed to yoga, so I don’t know where this notion came from. All I wanted to do was to stay flexible.

I began to practice yoga from a Kundalini Yoga video. It was pretty out there and I wasn’t ready for it. I dabbled here and there in the yoga world, but it took me a few years to start a regular practice. I remember saying to a friend that I was interested in yoga for the physical part, but I wasn’t at all interested in the spiritual part!

By the time that I did have a regular practice at a local studio where I lived, I also began to see an Ayurvedic doctor to have additional support. It was in Ayurveda where I discovered the notion of living according to natural rhythms. I learned to adjust everything from my food to my activities according to the time of year to the time of day.  I have the greatest affection for Ayurveda as it gave me the tools not only to heal, but also to create peace within and the hope that I can live a radiant life.

After some time, I outgrew the yoga that was available to me in my city. I started to get really bored and frustrated in these yoga classes. I felt that there must be something more.  I saw the potential in yoga to go to fantastic levels, but I couldn’t find it. I nearly quit yoga altogether.

Then, my husband found a yoga studio in Venice Beach and showed me the teacher list.  There was a name that I’d seen before—Shiva Rea.  All I knew about her was that she’d made some yoga DVDs. I decided to check her out.

My first class with Shiva Rea was a turning point. Although I didn’t quite make the turn until some time later, I knew that something was going to shift. Frankly, I was frightened.  I saw in Shiva the strong, creative, beautiful, loving woman that I knew that I was deep inside, but had never seen the light of day. I was so freaked out that I didn’t go back to Shiva’s class for quite some time.

Eventually, my (second) husband bought me a teacher-training module with Shiva for my birthday. I was insanely nervous, but I knew that I had to do it. It was absolutely terrifying. By the end of the training, four days later, I was in utter bliss—not the kind of peaceful, Buddha smiling bliss, but a bliss that was vibrating wildly throughout my whole being. I had found it. I had found the spiritual practice that I was searching for all along.  I had found the path that was going to lead me to ME.

The Golden Nugget

When I distill all of the work, teachings, and practices that I have experienced, I come to one simple, yet profound conclusion:  If the dancing Universe—the macrocosm–is awesome, incredible, powerful, and miraculous, and I—the microcosm–am made of the same stuff as the Universe, then I too am awesome, incredible, powerful, and miraculous.  This is a huge statement for me, as it seems to contradict a lot of things that I grew up believing about myself as most of the messages that I received about me, were messages about everything that was wrong with me.

And to push things a bit further, I find deep comfort knowing that in the end there is no me, actually. There is no separation between me and anything else in existence. There is only ONE.

The Challenge

My challenge for you was my biggest, scariest challenge. That challenge is to look deep within yourself with eyes wide open, in full honesty and take a look at what is truly going on in your life. Find the courage to look into the void in order to bring to surface what you already know-what things need to be changed, and what about you is already perfect.  When I challenged myself to be truly honest with myself, I found that my absolute biggest fear was the knowing that I am actually a Great Being. Sounds crazy to be afraid of that. But what that meant was that I was going to have to release certain relationships in my life. I was most likely going to have to have some intense emotional conversations/arguments. I was going to have to defend my right to not only exist on this planet, but to live as the brilliant being that I truly am.

It’s been sixteen years now since I had my first panic attack. I still have little episodes from time to time, but I know now that they usually come when I haven’t had enough sleep or I’m hungry. The episodes are quite mild, compared to their level of intensity in the past. I know that before I incarnated into this life, I signed up to live through this experience. My soul needed an intense situation as a springboard for me to launch myself into greatness. I truly believe that every person with anxiety has been given an amazing gift. It’s like a doorbell that keeps ringing, keeps reminding you that all you need to do is open the door and you can allow your own greatness to walk right into your experience.

I am most grateful for having gone through and emerging from panic. I am most grateful for my disorder. Without it, I might have ended up having a very normal, but banal life.

About Mira: Practically dancing out of the womb, I have been drawn to movement ever since I can remember.  Originally from Southern California, I was fortunate to be surrounded by dance from cultures all around the world.  After dance injuries left me unable to continue to dance, I was naturally drawn to yoga, as my body still needed to find its expression.  I quickly discovered that yoga not only allowed me to continue physical expression, it also healed my soul.

After a couple of years practicing various forms of yoga, I started to become unsatisfied and feeling unfulfilled with yoga.  I knew that yoga could be so much more than the practices I was finding around me.  When I took Shiva Rea’s class for the first time, I knew that I had found the yoga practice that my cells were searching for.

A Prana Flow certified teacher, mentor in Shiva’s teacher training program, and assistant to Shiva for workshops and teacher trainings, I am also the creator of Mining the Mandala and the Into the Gold program, a step by step process to reveal and realize your year of intentions. You can learn more here: http://www.IntoTheGold.com.

image provided by Mira

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Anxiety Busting Challenge ~ Day 21

Hello anxiety busters! Welcome back! And welcome to the 21st day of the Anxiety Busting Challenge.

So glad you are here, reading anxiety stories shared, golden nuggets and some challenges to start implementing the valuable, life transforming golden nuggets.

Today, I am so thrilled to share with you, Dominee. Dominee is such a sweet soul who has a fabulous Golden Nugget to share with you………it’s The Book of Happy……read on to learn how to create yours. Enjoy!

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The Book of Happy by Dominee

Anxiety Story

I’ve had anxiety for as far back as I can remember. Over a year ago I decided to change my life. I wanted to find ways to treat my anxiety, to deal with my depression, and to find something that made my life feel not so empty. This led me to make a lot of changes in my personal life. The changes that I made led me to lose my best friend at the time. We stopped having things in common, we grew apart, and then we parted ways. This put my anxiety back in full swing when it was the very thing I was trying so hard to deal with. I’d wake up on the verge of a panic attack, I’d spend the day feeling like I wasn’t actually breathing.

Not only was I changing almost every aspect of my life, I felt completely alone as I undertook the journey.

The Golden Nugget

As I went through all of this, I realized that there were things and people that made me feel better and that’s how “The Book of Happy” began. I was having a pretty awful day where I was feeling like no one loved me and I realized that wasn’t true. So I asked my friends to write me a little note. It didn’t have to be anything special, something as simple as “I love you.” would work. I put those notes in a three-ring binder.

I’d find uplifting things from my favorite blogs, messages of love and hope and I’d print them out and put them in there too. When I was having a period of anxiety I’d write myself comforting letters, telling myself that it would be okay, and this too would pass. That all went into the Binder. There were reminders to look up funny clips from my favorite movies. One page that said “Stop and breathe” in big bold letters. Reminders to do the things that made me feel better. If that thing didn’t work at that time. I’d flip the page and find another tip on how to deal that worked for me.

This became my “Book of Happy” because it contained the things that made me happy.

Challenge

The next time you are feeling anxious write yourself a little note. Include in it the things you’d tell your best friend if they came to you feeling the way that you are feeling. Be comforting, hopeful, and positive.

 
Let this be the first page of your own Book of Happy.

Dominee loves to share her passion for creativity, magic, spirituality, and self-love with the world. Her goal in life is to help people realize that they don’t have to be perfect to be amazing. You can find her on her website  on Facebook  and Twitter.

 
image by Mike Haufe via flickr.

Anxiety Busting Challenge ~ Day 20

Hey all! It’s day 20 of the Anxiety Busting Challenge and I’m excited to share with you, Marla Golde.

Read on to learn why Marla’s anxiety just happened to surface on Mondays……plus she has an awesome Golden Nugget that’s dear to my heart………and a worthwhile challenge. And check it out….add an (n) to Marla’s last name and she’s Golden!  Enjoy!

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Your Five Senses: The Key to Managing Your Anxiety by Marla Golde

My Anxiety Story

About a year ago, I started experiencing morning anxiety.  What began as a regular old case of the Mondays rapidly escalated to crippling dread the moment that the alarm went off, followed by tears in the shower, then intense stomach pains on the subway during my commute.  Awful!

This was especially heartbreaking to me because I’ve been a morning person my whole life.  I’d spent nearly 30 years feeling like queen of the world upon waking up, and suddenly I was losing my happiest and most productive time of day to runaway thoughts and chest palpitations.

Being a self-help oriented gal, I set out to tame this anxiety beast.  All the deep breaths in the world were not enough.  Telling myself that everything was okay did nothing to calm me down.  Even my go-to spirituality podcasts and meditations didn’t do much – honestly, they just made me feel kind of rotten that I was seemingly incapable of applying their principles.

Golden Nugget

I’m a Taurus, so I am as sensual as can be.  I’ve been obsessed with perfume and food and soft yoga pants as long as I can remember.  On a trip to New Orleans this fall I realized that my Taurean sensibilities were they key to calming myself down when I freak out.   

If you’ve never been to New Orleans, oh my goodness!  You have to go.  New Orleans is one big amusement park for your senses.  Fragrant delicious food is everywhere, from the beignets to the gumbo to the seafood.  There is live jazz playing all over the place. Everywhere you look you see people selling art, or voodoo priestesses selling soul salvation.

In New Orleans, I discovered that if I focused on good the air smells or how delicious the Hurricane tastes as I drink it (actually, those Hurricanes are gross!  Like a giant vat of Kool Aid mixed with paint thinner! But you get my point), my heart rate would slow, my breathing would deepen, and I’d feel like my peaceful happy self again.  It didn’t matter how crazy my mind was going, when I focused on the enjoyment of my senses it would zap me right back to the present moment.

I’ve never been one of those people who can fight a thought with another thought.  I love affirmations as much as the next person, but once my brain has started running rampant with fearful thoughts about the general suckiness of life and how it’s all my fault, a thought of “I am perfect and at peace” is like a drop in the bucket.  My senses seem to be the only thing that are a powerful match for my very strong overthinking head.

Since time is scarce during mornings, my hardest time, I’ve found a way to slip a workout for all of my senses into my usual morning routine.  During my morning shower, I focus on how the warm water feels; and I use bath products that smell delicious. The coconut oil I use to moisturize, my fleecey robe, and my fuzzy slippers – they all used to be just background noise to my anxiety, but if I put my attention on them they become powerful remedies for it.

Challenge

I challenge you to come up with several ways you can give your senses a big old massage during your most anxiety-filled time of day!  I understand that waking up an hour early to sniff candles isn’t practical for everyone, so brainstorm ways to make all of the things you’d be doing anyway extra sense-stimulating.

For example:

• eating extra flavorful foods, and focusing on their taste as you chew and swallow
• keeping beautiful plants and pieces of art around your home, so you can easily turn your attention to their beauty whenever necessary
• making a habit of playing calming music/sounds, so perking up your ears to how they sound is a snap

Rather than increasing your anxiety further by giving yourself one more thing to worry about, all you’ll have to do when times get tough is readjust your attention to the good stuff surrounding you!

Marla Golde is crazy passionate about showing busy women that the path to health and joy can be easy, gentle, and fun.  She blogs at Your Full Plate, where she lovingly shares self-care tips, simple nourishing recipes, stick figure cartoons, and the F-word.  Follow Marla on Twitter.

image by Marla Golde (isn’t is so darn cute!)

A yearly tradition that has become a part of every New Year for me, for the past 3 years, is playing through Goddess Leonie’s 2012 Creating My Goddess Year Workbook & Planner.

I’ve come to realize in the past two years, (especially in this last year), how important it is to write down what it is you desire to create in your life. Not only does this allow you to KNOW and REMEMBER what those desires are, but this process also helps to relieve anxiety. How? I’m glad you asked.

Many times when we feel like something is missing or stuck in our life, it’s because we aren’t fulfilling the values that are important to us. And when we aren’t fulfilling our values, those components of life that are truly important and meaningful to us, we can feel lost, frustrated and defeated, which can lead to anxiety. So that’s why it’s so important…..truly important. Because in order for our life to feel meaningful, we must know and fulfill our values. (examples of values are Connection, Freedom, Play, Expression, Contribution to the world, & lots more)

So for less than 10 bucks, you can use this amazing tool to manifest your dreams and intentions and desires (and values) for the new year. And it’s so colorful and fun and inspiring….I highly recommend it……….you can learn more and grab it here.

inhale ~ enjoy ~ exhale,

Gina

The links in this post are affiliate links…..that’s how much I love Leonie’s stuff!!!