Anxiety Advantages

When anxiety is in full swing it's hard to imagine any positives about the horrible sensations you feel. However, digging deep in your mind you will find that anxiety brings an opportunity to grow. 

When I was struggling terribly with my anxiety between 2010-2012, I would constantly fight with the tensions I had. I still working at it today but I'm making a gradual slope up. At the time, however I thought 'thinking' my fears away would be good use of my time, but in fact it made it all the worse.

Things began to change slightly in 2012. I wanted to get on top of my feelings so I made a motivational board, giving me a woosh of positivity and purpose. I made my motivation board a physical one which I could look at regularly which I still update it to match my current progress to help stay in-tune. I have also linked my Pinterest board for any inspiration:

http://www.pinterest.com/myhopestree/motivation-positivity/

I really took 'Inspire a generation' in my own stride with a relaxing hobby rather than a traditional sport - knitting. I had begun a simply ball of white wool which I knitted top to bottom without a particular pattern in mind. It was uneven and lumpy, representing a Father Christmas shaped beard, but I enjoyed it, calming my breathing down to a rate I hadn't felt in what seemed a lifetime.

2013, enough was enough. I referred myself for some therapy, and was given a self-help style programme with tailored-to-fit modules, which gave me structure to turn my life back around.

I came to learn about mindfulness, using the present to calm the mind and live life more to the full. I am learning to slow down and take breaks for myself and knowing that when I'm over-doing it my body is usually telling me that through my anxiety.

I have been able to develop a more easy-going mindset and be a bit more kind to myself which has decreased anxiety levels and allow me to take my time to relax whenever I do feel on edge.

2014, I have started yoga. It has been something I have wanted to do for a longtime and it's another positive thing to add to my journey of personal growth. It has been a great way to relax and unwind as well as strengthening core muscle groups, resulting in the ultimate feel good factor. 

My goal for the rest of the year is to do more things I want to do, the things that have been left out while my anxiety has got in the way: new hobbies, new styles, new career, making time for the hobbies I already enjoy... 

But today is Valentines Day and I'm happy. And that's not to with any cards or chocolates and romantic gestures because I haven't had any this year but I'm making the most of having the trains cancelled from the flooding, being a little bit ill and having some self-love day, staying in bed and rejuvenating. 

Oddly all this positivity has stemmed from a bit of anxiety. 

Zoë

(Look out for my Anxiety Story on the blog Tiny Buddha where I talk about Practice, Patience and Perseverance: Trust You're Making Progress. Coming soon in April.)

 

Honey Lemon Tea...

Tea with the absence of honey is bitter.


I have a mug with a smile at the bottom. It is quite a satisfactory smile with a little tongue peeping out, but none the less, it is a friendly mug. It's got quite a large capacity so it is fantastic for thirsty tea, coffee or hot chocolate drinkers. I was in good need of some tea with added honey and lemon. I always use the raw ingredients as I believe you get the most goodness out of it and a stronger taste than those mixed packs in supermarkets.  I find this drink very comforting and while I had my big mug, tea at the ready I took a journey.

The honey wasn't mixing well but the lemon was floating and bobbing playfully. Lemon Tea is nice without honey but I think the fact I had honey meant that I knew the sweetness was soon to come. I sipped my tea faster. "What am I doing?" I thought, "I'm supposed to be savouring my tea." But I wanted to get to the sweetness. I had enough of the bitter taste of the black tea and lemon. But that surface was so refreshing, why did I want to leave it? Perhaps it didn't taste good enough?

The cheeky expression at the bottom of my mug smiled at me as I continued to gulp away. Soon enough that bitterness turned sweet, an overlapping delicious transition with a full sensation to earn. I finally reached the full sweetness. But it wasn't as sweet as I had hoped because I hadn't put enough of this sweetness into my mug. I rushed my tea for the faint taste of honey swirling invisibly. I was disappointed and deflated.


No one likes a bitter world. We want sweetness and a smiling face at the end of the day. So why do we rush it? Why are we not content at where we stand right now in this present moment? Why is the future so much better? I think we should try and savour our mugs of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, juice or water. We should savour time and the see world in a mindful way, smell the world in a mindful way, hear the world in a mindful way, feel the world in a mindful way and of course, taste the world in a mindful way.

We can sometimes forget and lose sight and forgot to feel, through the rush of life. It perhaps might give us a sense of calm, purpose, joy and make us remember what life is really about it.