Dear Anxiety
Written by Jesse
Oh, anxiety. You and I have always had a difficult relationship. A love and hate. You keep me going yet you hold me back.
You visited me often during these quarantine times and you were not always the best guest. Anxiety was something I suffered through a lot during this quarantine period. Fear of getting the virus, fear of dropping dead from the virus, anxious because I couldn't leave my house, anxious because, well, the world just stopped. An empty Times Square is never a good sign. There were so many uncertainties. We had no idea how long it would last, how many family members and friends would get the virus, when Sonora Prime would open back up. No amount of Keeping Up With The Kardashians episodes could calm and numb the anxiety of such uncertainty. And God forbid you turned the news on. The media definitely did not help. It seemed like it was nothing but tragedy after tragedy, watching the news only made it all just seem so much worse. I cannot tell you how many batches of cookies I made, how many Netflix series I watched, and how many of my daughters’ sing-along books I memorized.
Though they didn’t always work, I pulled out my coping mechanisms whenever I felt the cloud of anxiety passing over. They ranged from washing dishes to long hot showers to organizing my computer. Some nights, my anxiety got so bad that not even my usual mechanisms worked. So I had to call for back-up. I downloaded the best relaxation apps, listened to youtube mixes of meditation music, and eventually asked friends for therapist referrals. I know I am not the only one who suffers through anxiety, pandemic or not. So, below I’ve listed my go-to anxiety mobile apps, resources here in Vallarta, and strategies.
Strategies:
1. Take a walk and focus on your breathing. Just stimulated by the outside air and get out of the energy of your house, even if its just for a few minutes. And don’t go back home until you feel ready.
2. WRITE! Write to your anxiety, try and get to the root of it, try to understand it, try and give it the love and attention it’s telling you it needs.
3. Distract yourself by washing dishes, folding laundry, organizing your closet. These chores get your body moving and distract the nervous system.
4. TALK! Call up mom or dad, a loved one you can trust and let it all out! Similar to writing, releasing what you have trapped deep down can help to lower the intensity of the anxiety.
Mobile Apps:
1. Happify - a free app with in-app purchases, Happify can help reduce anxiety and stress, by offering games and activities custom designed to fit your needs. When you sign-up, you’ll be asked to answer a series of questions that will determine the games and activities to best help.
2. Calm -offers sleep, meditation, and relaxation help. Guided meditations, soothing sounds and sleep stories are at your fingertips.
3. Rootd -this app is designed with the anxious and panicky in mind. It offers exercises and lessons for strategies such as deep breathing as well as features an emergency contact button, making it easy to call a loved one or hotline when in distress. It is easy to keep track of your anxious moods.
Resources in Vallarta:
Check out this website to see a list of the best psychologists Vallarta has to offer.
