I. Meditating Before Work
One of the biggest sources of my anxiety stems from work. Right before the workday would start, I'd become fidgety. I would think of the amount of opportunity there was to mess up each day. Fearing mistakes, and failure, were most common. However, what I feared most was getting yelled at or letting one of my teammates down.
I've worked at my company for 4 months now and have never once been yelled at. I am lucky to work in a team that is quite supportive and understanding. I have made many mistakes and have come out on the other side just fine.
I ask myself, why do I spend so much of my time worrying, when I know I won't get scrutinized for a small mistake?
I realized that I needed to rid myself of this recurring thinking, and change the way I viewed work overall. To combat my intrusive work anxiety, I began meditating for 10 minutes every day. I would begin my session at 8:45 am and end around 8:55, leaving me at the near start of the day.
After doing this for 2 weeks, I've noticed a tremendous difference in my stress levels. I don't get as worked up or self-critical for making a mistake. Rather than getting emotional or angry at myself for messing up, I immediately take accountability, fix the problem, and move to the next task. I have definitely noticed that I don't let my mishaps define my entire workday.
For any of you suffering from work/school-related anxiety. I could not recommend this more. My head space feels clearer, I have gotten better with making decisions, and I feel more grounded within myself.
II. Reading
I was one of those children that despised reading. I found it boring and it felt like a waste of time. I'd avoid reading assigned books in college and high school and would favor SparkNotes or chapter summaries instead. I never liked reading.
After I graduated, I made it a personal goal of mine to read more. However, I didn't know where to start. I was unsure of what genre would connect with me, or what titles would spark my interest. After taking some time to reflect on my interests and what I was passionate about, I began to explore the Psychology/ Self-Help books. I had now found my genre.
I now believe that reading can be for everyone. If you don't believe it, you simply haven't found your genre yet. It may take some time and a lot of trial and error. However, once you find a book you love, stick with the genre. (Online reviews work wonders FYI). Who knows, after a while, you may want to expand and try something different!
As cliche as it may sound, reading makes you worldly and open-minded. You begin to understand the perspectives of others. You learn new concepts and develop a deeper vocabulary. You find a way of escaping from the woes of your own life to become wrapped in the world of another's. It is one of the simplest gifts to give yourself in this life. I promise that once you find a genre or series that speaks to you, you'll begin to view reading differently.
III. Enjoyable Exercise
In college, I engaged in a lot of restrictive eating habits and developed a terrible love-hate relationship with the gym. The gym wasn't a place to alleviate mental health. It became a haven to get skinny and burn more calories. If I didn't burn at least 550 calories a day at school, I'd punish myself by refusing to eat certain foods.
In my mind, exercise was a means to lose weight. Losing weight was the solution to increasing my confidence and being more "appealing". Though the gym helped me release some of my anxiety, I had developed a very toxic relationship with my exercise regiment.
This summer, I took time to reflect. I loved how exercise diminished my anxiety and helped me feel less foggy. However, I wanted to stop viewing exercise as a means of just losing weight and becoming skinny. Aside from that, I wanted to stop punishing myself on days where I didn't work out.
I decided to write down a list of exercises that I enjoy doing and researching exercise practices that would help alleviate my anxiety. After time and research, I finally came up with the perfect mix.
Yoga, long-distance walking, cycling, pilates, and stretching began my go-to exercise regimens. Cyclebar classes left me feeling stronger, empowered, confident, and more connected to the present. With yoga, I could focus on pressure points and breathing to naturally relax. With long-distance walking, I could observe the nature around me, while listening to my favorite podcasts.
Finding enjoyable methods of exercise has helped me rebuild a positive relationship with my body. I now believe in being strong over skinny. I realized that I don't need to do a 60-minute weight-lifting session to feel less anxious. I can do something low impact, and be more at peace with my 2-mile walk than my 300 calories burned gym session.
Here's your reminder: numbers don't mean shit.
IV. Meal Prep Sundays
On Sunday afternoons, I have started meal prepping to save some time during the workweek for lunches. I wanted to prioritize eating filling and whole meals that would provide me with the energy to get through the day.
A simple Google search on "how to meal prep" left me with thousands of recipes and tutorial videos to try out. I now have done prepping so frequently, that it is embedded in my Sunday reset routine.
Who knew that you could make nutritious meals in less than an hour that could last for an entire work week? Not me!
Whether you are living at home like I am, or living on your own, meal prep can be for anyone. Obviously, it can be tough to set aside a couple hours of a day to cook (especially if it's not your favorite thing to do). However, if you listen to a podcast, read while your food is baking, or talk to a friend while waiting for the water to boil, you can make the most of your cooking time in ways that are enjoyable.
I try to remind myself that the couple of hours I sacrifice to meal prep on Sunday saves boatloads of time during the week. I never have to sit and stare into my refrigerator and ask "what will it be for lunch today?". Rather than going for the cereal that will keep me full for a half-hour, I now have a meal that can keep me fueled and full for an afternoon!
If you try any of these practices into your routine, I want to hear about it! Subscribe and shoot me a message down below, or tag me on Instagram @path2pce. Implementing new habits is no easy feat. However, I encourage you to stick with your new positive practices. If you do it for 20 days, you have yourself a habit! The most constant person in your life is yourself, and it's important to gift yourself with soothing practices to make you feel more at peace!
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