Feb 8
- Daily Affirmation Ok this is an easy free thing I do each day to start the day. I have an app called Spirit Junkie, that is free and sends you a daily affirmation. For example today’s affirmation for Saturday February 8th is ” By spreading loving energy, I attract more love” For me this is a simple thought for the day, that I repeat to myself as needed throughout the day. You can set remiders or alerts on your phone, and I have mine set up to alert me at about 8am. You can also use your favorite affirmation, do a google search, and write a sticky note to yourself with the affirmation on it. Ladies I know will do this and put up sticky notes on their bathroom mirrors, to read as they are getting ready. The more you use your affirmation the more you will recall it during stressful or anxious moments throughout the day
- Alcohol Free I’m pretty passionate about this one. I stopped drinking alcohol altogether about 10 months ago. I have been cutting back on alcohol for years but I have completely removed it from my life now. Alcohol is a depressant, which means while it may temporarily mellow you out, when it wears off you will experience anxiety. The reason for this is your body is always trying to maintain homeostasis. So by putting a depressant in your system, your body goes into overdrive to stimulate you to try and maintain homeostasis, there by creating an antsy, anxious feeling. Trust me, my anxiety has decresed so much that I hardly notice it anymore. My sleep is also 100x better without alcohol, and this is coming from someone who used to use alcohol to sleep. Not to mention alcohol is a known cancer causing substance. https://www.who.int/europe/news-room/04-01-2023-no-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-safe-for-our-healthhttps://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/moderate-drinking-does-not-boost-longevity-new-evidence-warns
- Get out in nature I love getting out in nature. My favorite nature activites are hiking, and camping. I love that when camping, you are usually out of cell service so you have to disconnect and enjoy your surroundings. Nature is healing, the sound of water burbling in a stream, the gentle sway of tree branches, the vibrant colors of plants and flowers give you a joy that can’t be replicated. This could be as simple as taking your dog for a walk in a local park. I live in Utah, so we have mountains really close to the city, and there are a multitude of hiking trails, from beginner friendly to very strenuous. You can even hike in the winter with the correct gear (spikes for your shoes, warm gear, or even snowshoes,etc)
- Declutter I just did a closet decluttering. I got rid of 2 large garbage sacks full of clothes I don’t wear anymore. These clothes I donated to a local charity. This feels so good and so freeing. Not to mention I have so much more room in my closet and dresser. If you have never heard of swedish death cleaning, look it up. The idea is to go through your things and get rid of all the stuff you don’t use anymore. This is typically as you age you get rid of things to make it easier on your familly when you die. Now I know this sounds morbid but hear me out. You can do this at any age. For example for every new item you buy, you give away, or get rid of, two items. This is a good rule of thumb to follow, and it forces you to constantly re-evaluate your things. So for 2025, I’m going to start following this principal of giving away 2 items for every new item I purchase.
- One Day At A Time This is my favorite way to live life. I have been practicing this for the last couple of years and find it really helps my anxiety. I focus on the day at hand and what I can do in 24 hours. It helps reduce anxiety caused by worrying about the future. For example say you have a big interview coming up. Focus on what you can do today to prepare, practice interview questions, put together your interview outfit, etc. I find that 24 hours is much easier to manage mentally than worrying about upcoming days that I can’t control. I can control what I do today.
- Stay informed, but don’t overwatch the news In todays political climate, I find that people on all sides are overwatching the news, then stressing out. I do think it is important to stay informed, however watching news stories on repeat just increases anxiety and a sense of overwhem. Limit yourself to high quality new sources. Reuters, BBC, NPR are all highly respectable new sources to check out to get informed. Just don’t overdo it.
- Limit social media use Social media algorithms are getting sofisticated at drawing you in and sending you down the rabbit hole. So for this reason, I try to limit my daily social media use. I personally find that 10-15 minutes a day of scrolling is enough to keep me up to date with my friends but not so much that I doom scroll for hours. If you are a social media addict, try cutting back your scrolling a little bit at a time. Set a timer for yourself if you find yourself drawn in, and suddenly look up and it’s hours later.
- Animal therapy For those animal lovers out there, I love this one. I have a large (90lb) Weimaraner who thinks he’s a lap dog. He loves to lay next to me on the couch and rest his head on my leg. I find that just the warmth and weight of his body is comforting and grounding. If you don’t have pets, or can’t have pets, you could try volunteering with an animal rescue. I have volunteered at Best Friends animal society in the past and found that by helping out rescue animals was deeply fulfilling, and not to mention cute cuddles.
- Move your body As a nurse the exercise that I recommend the most to my patients is plain old walking. It moves your whole body, is gentle on your joints, and gets you moving. After surgery we get patients up and walking as soon as possible to increase healing. It really works I promise. Walking also usually gets you outside (unless you are on a treadmill inside) and getting fresh air and sun on your face is good for the soul. This year I am going to focus on moving my body more each week, and I’m going to utilize walking my dog more often- intermixed with a couple of trips to the gym each week for a bit more intense exercise. Exercise, even walking releases endorphins which elevates your mood and lowers anxiety.
- Meditation This one takes some practice. But hear me out, it’s totally worth the effort. I have a good friend who swears by her nightly meditation practice. There are some good apps out there for guided meditation, a free app I use is Insight Timer, it has a pretty large collection of guided mediations for all occasions. They have some short morning mediations that I find help get me in a good head space for the day. They help me start my day with intention. Evening or bedtime meditations are so helpful for the nights I find it hard to fall asleep because my mind won’t be quiet. Another easy way to start meditation is to just try to quiet your mind, everytime a thought comes in to your head, recognise the thought and gently let it go. Repeat gently to yourself everytime you find your mind wandering. It will get easier overtime. You are creating new neural pathways in your brain and practice and repetition are key to creating new habits.
- Reading Reading transports you to another world, one where you can forget your current stress for a time. I started a book club last year with some friends of mine, so we read at least one book per month, and then meet to discuss and eat together. I have found this to be so fun, everyone has a different take and opinion on the book so you can hear different perspectives all while enjoying some tasty treats. If you aren’t a big reader, you can still enjoy by listening to books on tape. Local libraries may have audio books for free or you can purchase audiobooks on several platforms, I especially enjoy listening to books on my morning commute to work. My favorite audiobooks are usually read by the author, however I still enjoy books read by professional readers as well.
I hope these ideas bring more joy to your life, and I hope you can find at least one way to add more joy to your life from my above ideas. Let me know how you find joy each day.
Lots of love,
Becky
Leave a Reply