My Remarkable Repertoire of Life Changing Anxiety Reducing Choices

As I am fast approaching another birthday, I want to stand and acknowledge how this year of being 57 and honoring myself has changed me. This year had me taking back my power with a sense of entitlement and ferociousness my younger self may recognize but has forgotten. I was busily building back the self-love my younger self missed out on.

For me, the cumulative draining effect of my hot flashes, lack of libido, continually being triggered and traumatized by the money decisions I mismade, and living in reaction mode within my sympathetic nervous system. All of this had me plum worn out.

How do you recover yourself from this?

In any way you can.

If you pay attention, you can learn stuff in life. And that nervous system thing kept coming up. The para-sympathetic nervous system is the happy relaxed soothed pleased place. The sympathetic nervous system is the anxious cortisol producing unsafe unhappy place. Both systems live within us, but it is our choice as to which one we’d like to spend more time hanging out in. This we may not recognize or know.

There were so many years I spent living in rage and anguish and depression and unworthiness. My creative loving joyous spirit hoping one day not to feel this pain. Because mental anguish is painful, sometimes in a visceral way. My anxiety manifested in near stomach ulcers, crippling self-doubt, and a punishing first marriage. My young sweet-souled-self deserved so much more than she got and what I gave her.

I Had Made the Decision that I was going to love myself so hard in so many ways and I made choices to support all these ways. Do it all! And start now! That was my plan prior to the beginning of the year, and I made the choice to put plans in motion. All things are possible.

Starting anti-anxiety medication a few years back was the first lesson in how it feels to be rid of the constant jabbering voices in my head. That was the first game changer for me. I knew the potential to not feel anxious and I liked it a lot. Now I’m on Duloxetine after the Lexapro left me larger than I liked.

Specially created by Francine Shapiro for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and OCD sufferers, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy is miraculously helpful. This helped me to move on from some bad trauma around the blood pressure cuff at doctor’s appointments.

For hormonal education purposes, consider that the ancient Chinese culture dried the urine of 17-year-old girls, sprinkled it on their tofu, and never worried about hot flashes or lack of lust in their later lives. Look up Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy. I’m feeling 17 years old again.

I am what I feel, not what you see.

For mind-altering experiences, the Native Americans knew that some medicinal compounds found in plants helped them reach new life enlightenments. Maryland has made CBD and THC legal. And we biologically have cannaboid receptors built right into our bodies awaiting their effectors.

To get out from under my shameful relationship with money, I began a money management and wealth course just for women. The Dow Janes program is turning my money world right side up. I feel powerful and clever with my money now.

Creating with great intention for a duration and you discover showing up for yourself is a magical pathway to building self-esteem. For many years, I have participated in the 100 Day Project including this year. Creative flow and anxiety cannot be active in your brain at the same time.

Clear out your crap. Letting go of objects and concepts that no longer serve you can lead you to absolutely new places. Although my 100 Days of Letting Go of Past Shite project has stalled at day 61, I look forward to completing it.

Paradigm shifts await behind all of these options if you choose to allow them to happen. Block out and off all trauma inducing triggering and upsetting communication in your world. Block, unfriend, say no, be honest, bow out, and take back your brain space as it relates to all the things, people, and the world you meet every day. I never watch the news.

Even if you just stopped, were grateful, noticed the birdsong, created something, or smiled widely into a baby’s face, you’d be changed. If you bought yourself some new Underoutfit bras, made some food with a friend, kept soft jazz in your ears, went for a walk, and laughed your ass off while watching a favorite funny movie, you’d feel differently.

Bonus: Once my system calmed down, I thankfully discovered much of the education I’d gleaned and paid for in therapy suddenly made true sense!

I am doing any, all, and much more of these more often, intentionally, and with witnesses and I am feeling very differently about myself. I like me. In fact, I love me.