3 Ways to Manage Your Stress and Anxiety, Especially Right Now

We are all currently faced with a world full of fear and uncertainty, with the outbreak of COVID-19.

One of my mottos in life, that has helped me to bounce back numerous times after traumatic situations, is "To let go of what you can't control."

If only it were that easy!!

But, as I was on my way to the super market this morning, I became VERY aware of the fact that my heart rate was starting to increase and I was starting to get pretty anxious.

One of the things I've learned to do, when it comes to managing my anxiety, and this is an awesome thing to start practicing if you too, suffer with anxiety, is to ask myself...

"Karin, when else did you feel like this?"

In that moment, with blinding clarity, I realized that the last time I felt so out of control, was when I received my Breast Cancer diagnosis. I'm wondering if this is happening to any other cancer survivors at this time?

You see, what actually happened to me...was a phone call that started with "Hi Karin...it's Dr. X, are you driving right now?"

At which time I was then told that I had Breast Cancer. But, that was it...you're not told anything else at that time, so you're left with a million and one unanswered questions and the advice to stay off the internet.

It was the uncertainty...

It was the fear of the unknown...

The fear of not knowing what happens next...

It was the fear of life possibly being much shorter than I'd expected.

Not dissimilar to what's happening in the world right now, and how you might be feeling, with COVID-19.

So, you can see how these feelings can trigger the same kind of response and that out of control feeling can also be from other situations too like a toxic relationship, abuse, the loss of a loved one or even divorce for example.

Any time in your life, where you felt like you were spinning and felt out of control.

You see, it's human nature to want to control the things that can affect our lives, but to be honest, the reality is that we can control very little. I find it helpful to look at this list of what you CAN control...

• How you spend your time and energy
• Expectations for yourself and your life
• If you practice daily self-care
• How you manage your stress levels
• Who your friends are
• How kind you are to others
• Who you are, as a human being
• How you eat and choose to fuel your body
• If you exercise
• How you present yourself to the world
• Your home environment

It's by no means all encompassing, but it does give you food for thought.

This is how I find this helpful during challenging times...like today, at the supermarket.

I actually started to go through the list in my head and just by asking myself, it helps to ground me.

✔️Took the precautions in the store that I could, cleaning the cart before I touched it (I'd brought my own wipes, thankfully, because they were out).

✔️Only touched what I needed to.

✔️Didn't touch any money, just my own credit cards.

✔️Sanitized my hands as soon as I got to the car (hate using it, because it's so toxic).

✔️Washed my hands as soon as I got home (with safer hand wash!).

✔️As soon as the groceries were put away I left my fave non-toxic cleaner on the surfaces for 10 minutes before wiping clean.

✔️Washed my hands again.

NOW it was time to manage the anxiety I was still feeling, so this is what I did:

💖Drops of my favorite CBD Oil have me feeling calmer within minutes.

💖Meditation using one of my fave apps - Unplug Meditation, just 4 minutes did the trick today.

💖Diffusing Lavender essential oil, as I'm writing this.

💖Taking an Epsom Salts bath with lavender again in a few hours.

My loving advice to you...focus on what you can during this trying time. Keep your body and mind healthy, by eating nourishing immune boosting foods, managing your anxiety and stress that can compromise your immune system, if left unchecked, take precautions by washing your hands frequently, staying home if you feel sick and in general take care of yourself.

Please feel free to reach out if you need support, I am here to help: [email protected]