Give yourself a day off from anxiety 😊

[Dahl]

I've been living with the various symptoms of anxiety for 40 years. I could easily write a list of sensations and triggers for panic that most of you will recognise and share. So what I want to share is the importance of giving yourself a day off. I'm constantly nudging myself to perform one task after another. Many of these are simple things like brushing my teeth and eating breakfast. Some are big things like hospital appointments and public events. Some days everything feels like a big thing to me. All of this overthinking everything and functioning at mentally high speeds is exhausting and I'm often completely burnt out. So my way of recharging my batteries is to give myself some time off from anxiety when I can. I'll give myself a day when I live in my dressing gown. Switch off from the world and watch a DVD box set from start to finish. Have one or two decaffeinated Irish Coffees. Do nothing and think nothing. My relief from functioning too much all the time is to have a time when I don't function at all. I believe it's the healthiest self care system that I have. It helps me to continue with all the days of anxiety to come. It's not a universal indulgence, not everyone can have a whole day to themselves. Carers for other people and parents of young children would find it difficult but I still believe we all need to make some space in our lifes for some just me time with absolutely no reason to do anything except something we really want to do.

[Stilltrying_]

Well said! I can relate to this, and am planning to give myself some "time off" just now ! Gemma X

[Agora1]

I totally agree with you Dahl, sometimes we just need that reminder.

Thanks for sharing Enjoy your day off

[BenjaminC]

Thanks Dahl. I try to do this for myself as much as possible. Sometimes my anxiety judging mind berates me, saying "you're being lazy". But that's another entirely separate issue I guess?

[Dahl in reply to BenjaminC]

I believe it's all part of the same symptoms. Believe me I could easily spend a whole week maybe a month doing nothing and thinking about nothing. I could probably switch off from the whole world. In some ways I do. I don't watch any broadcast television at all, only DVD films and box sets I like. Mainstream media news is all bad news and most TV shows have nothing in common with my experience of life, I may as well be watching TV on an alien moon. Television shows me what my life should be and advertising shows me what I should buy and what I need to buy. But it's just an illusion of life. If I'm at a social gathering or in the work place.Nobody is going to be talking about their anxiety and depression symptoms and feelings. It's not openly done in our society. So I always feel that it's only me with the problem. Truth is that everyone in the room is fighting a battle I know nothing about. Social media makes it possible to express our feelings and fears but we need the offline world to listen as well. Hope your feeling your version of normal today 😊

[Jeff1943]

I like your thinking, Dahl. A day doing nothing, waking up and looking at my diary and there's nothing that has to be done, not even clearing some leaves from the garden because it's starting to rain a little. Excellent way to spend the day. In fact I could watch my DVD box set of 'The Tudors' for the 9th time but then there are 39 one hour episodes so I might have to make it a 2 day break from routine. Why not? First class therapy, more therapuetic than a day spent at the Priory Clinic doing cognitive bahavioural therapy and I should know as I've been there.

[Dahl in reply to Jeff1943]

Well the best way to avoid becoming an old dog is to keep learning new tricks 😊

[ciley]

like your style, some are born nervous/anxious then they find the parent who also is, then eventually see the coping mechanisms all use, unless god motivated herMit in cave, i am a loner ,that is me,i cannot avoid the consequences , bad things have happened when i needed good over and over and over aGAIN