anxious little mondays part two.
ever since i wrote this post, my stress and anxiety levels have been so much better. i don't know exactly what did it*, it's possible that maybe i've just plateaued and gotten used to being in this place. but i thought i'd share a little update on what i think has been helping/not helping.
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helpingtalking. (shocker. erin likes to talk about things to people.) it's been really helpful talking to Mister Man about everything going on. i realized that either he was traveling or i was traveling almost the entire month of june, which made it really hard to talk about anything substantial. turns out i need to air my thoughts and get his feedback and support on the crazy things going on in my brain, or i get a little wacky.talking to friends and helping them through their stress was also strangely therapeutic. as my friend larissa said in the comments last time, sometimes getting out of your head and improving others' lives is the best stress reliever. she was talking about volunteering (which i definitely need to start doing more of, especially considering this latest resolution), but i found that getting out of my head and putting my stress in perspective was just what i needed.talking virtually with my blogging friends has been a surprising help. i reached out to some of the people i have become virtually close with, let them know what was going on, and even asked for help with the blog duties, which they were so sweet and quick to help with. another blogging friend happened to write a post about this exact topic at the same time i did, and it was so wonderful to see her perspective on things and connect.also helpingworking out. i have made a point to do something active almost every day since that last meltdown. whether it's taking a walk (even if that walk is just home from the bus stop), doing a jillian michaels' video (i hate/love her), or going to the gym to hit the elliptical (hate/hate), just getting moving most days has calmed my mind so much. i have this habit where i get on kicks of working out for a few weeks, then when things get busy, i let that piece fall off to the side. and i mean, i've been reading magazines for a long time now...i know that i'm supposed to do this to manage stress. we all know this. it's just become really apparent that this is one of my truths. i need to move.helping toolists, lists, and lists. i put a to-do list app on the front page of my iphone. and wow. let me tell you, no app has changed my life like this since instagram. the ability to always have my to-do list with me, and always be able to add things or check things off has been a game-changer. don't get me wrong, i love putting pen to paper and writing me some lists, but when you feel like your head is going to explode, having your tasks with you at all times (if that's helpful to you, and to me, it is) is just the best.not so much helpinganxious-eating. oh, you didn't know that about me? well hi, hello there, yes, i do that. my metabolism goes all wonky when i'm anxious and stressed, but unlike many of my "luckier" friends, i get hungry instead of losing my appetite. and normally i get hungry for chips and crackers and bread and ice cream. and all my self-control goes out the window when i am anxious (weird), so i eat at weird times and i eat the bad stuff, and then i get more anxious at the fact that i am not eating my normal healthy way. so i'm working on that. and Mister Man is helping me in his wonderful way.overthinking. everything. all day. everyday. the end.
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so there you have it. i guess the first/best/most important step for me was just realizing that i needed to figure out a way to manage everything going on inside my head. and then from there i could take steps to do that. and so far so good. i will definitely need to be careful to manage this, especially the rest of this summer, because frankly, i don't have time for a meltdown. but it feels less...large and hanging over my head than it did. so that's good. great, actually.
*i haven't said this yet, but i want to say thank you so much to all you lovely people for all your amazing advice and support and just general awesomeness in response to my first post on this topic. i obviously know that other people go through anxiety, but it always just felt like it was a thing that happened to "others", until lately. so thank you for all your help.
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