Reasons to be cheerful

For the uninitiated, that tight feeling you might be feeling across your chest right now, that awful sense of foreboding and tension? That is called anxiety and it sucks. It really does.

It is however, a necessary evil - as outlined far better by Professor Steve Peters in The Chimp Paradox - but broadly speaking, it’s our ‘fight or flight’ response kicking in. It’s our minds telling us “something’s up”, what are you going to do?

Unfortunately, in the situation in which we find ourselves, we can neither fight or run away. It is far harder and we have to accept loss of control.

For some, in their bid to assert some perception of control over a situation which won’t allow them any, their first response has been to hit the supermarket and stock up. It’s totally unnecessary and in the grand scheme of things, completely counter-productive, but that individual perceives themselves at least doing something and taking action to quell the hunger of anxiety.

It is an awful, twisted feeling and for those experiencing it for the first time, I do sympathise as it is not a pleasant ride.

Whilst there are no immediate, overnight solutions to this feeling, the good news is that there are steps you can take to mitigate the effects. You may not be able to control the situation, but you can control how you manage it.

Step 1 - buy The Chimp Paradox - you’re going to have some time on your hands, get it read! No, I’m not on commission.    

Step 2 - you can start doing this straight away. When you have a moment during the day, write down 3 good things (more if you have them) that have happened. These don’t have to be huge things, just details ie. someone made you a perfect cup of tea, the shower was the perfect temperature, your day started with sunshine etc.

I know it may sound trite or silly, but try it, let it become a habit and you’ll soon find that you’re on your journey to encourage positive thinking.
 
I’ve a new one to add to my list today, as I’ve discovered that my back yard is something of a sun trap (I’ve only lived in the house in late Autumn/Winter and haven’t experienced the impact of a warm sun on my rear yet), so on a little break from the children at lunchtime, I took the opportunity to stop and, well, bask. It was quite the tonic.

Other things going on my list today are:   

I baked some white chocolate chip cookies, which we’ve been munching today, and also, cheesy and something of a cliche, but no less the for it: I smelt freshly cut grass for the first time this year. :-)

Small steps. Hope you’ve had a great day, you mothers.

Stay healthy.