Anxiety and What You Can Do About It

According to Louise Hay, in Heal your Body A-Z, anxiety occurs when you do not trust the flow and process of life and when you do not feel safe. A pandemic can certainly exasperate those feelings. There is a lot of uncertainty and many are afraid. BUT there is so much you can do to manage your anxiety.

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When we fear and have anxiety, it means we have a lopsided perception (an imbalance of thoughts). We have more negatives, drawbacks, disadvantages and imagined fears of the future stacked up in our mind over benefits, positives, blessings, advantages and gratitude for the present.

The Universal Law of Balance teaches us that we never have one side without the other. We never have a negative without a positive or a positive without a negative. There is a synchronicity of opposites occurring simultaneously and if you want to master your life, instead of being a victim of it, you look for the hidden order and Divine balance that is infinitely occurring in the universe. This is wisdom and the master asks quality questions to see this magnificence. How is this serving me?  What I am learning? How is this helping me to fulfill my highest values?


Balance your Perceptions
Look for the hidden order and the blessings amidst the chaos. Take out a piece of paper and for every fear, stress, worry, negative thought you have about this situation, look for the benefit, positive, blessing and teaching you are experiencing until you have and feel a deep moment of gratitude. Here are some examples:

• More time at home with my family
• Engaging with my spouse and kids more than I ever have
• Creating time for connection and communication which we haven’t had in a long time
• Spending more time in nature
• Developing a workout routine which I never had time to do before
• I am enjoying being off of work because I didn’t enjoy my job and deep down knew I wanted a change
• Investing in the stock market because I have the wisdom to know when stocks are low I buy
• I am taking care of my home, spring cleaning and organizing which I neglected because I was too busy with work
• Re-evaluating my life, what is important to me and what I really want to do next
• I’m inspired to create a new on-line business
• I’m helping others
• When I couldn’t sleep I wrote down my inspired thoughts and ideas
• Reconnecting with friends and family on the phone or video chats because I have more time
• I’m learning and having more time to read which I love
• I’m taking up a new hobby or picking up the guitar that always stares at me
• I’m saving money as a result of staying home more
• Resting and using this as an opportunity to take a break because I was getting tired, run down and fatigued
• My pets have my attention and aren’t left at home alone all day

Balancing your perception is essential to overcome anxiety. If you are struggling and can’t do this exercise on your own, I am offering Zoom consults and as a Certified Facilitator of the Demartini Method™ I can guide you through this process.

Be Productive
Be productive and focus on the most meaningful and important task(s) to you in a day. Maybe that’s spending time with your kids, cleaning your home, re-evaluating your money, reading a book or doing something creative, playing music, dancing, being in nature, exercising, socially connecting on the phone or writing letters, working on your business, writing, connecting with your clients, etc. Whatever is most meaningful and inspiring to you that is in alignment with what you value the most, is what you want to focus on.

As an example, my highest values are my family, my health and my business. Every day my focus and actions are dedicated to those three areas of my life. I walk my dog in nature and do on-line Barre classes to stay fit, I am doing a Spring cleanse and eating healthy (most of the time!), I am using essential oils in my home to keep our family healthy> I am engaging with my kids, spending time in nature together, teaching them important life lessons and creating opportunities for them to keep their light shining bright.  I am focused on you, my clients, educating, guiding and inspiring through Zoom consults, writing these articles for you and coaching a group of women daily through my 30 Day Spring Eliminate & Illuminate Program. I am also going to create some time to listen to an online essential oil class I haven’t had time to get to and read some books that have been sitting idle and working on some areas of my business.

Everything I do in a day is in alignment with my highest values and that keeps me inspired and focused amidst a pandemic. I encourage you to do the same.

Use Essential Oils

Using essential oils aromatically can reduce cortisol, promote wellbeing, and change the neurological pathways of the brain. When we inhale an essential oil we stimulate the olfactory bulb in the nasal passageways which is connected to the limbic center of the brain – the part of the brain that controls the nervous system, emotions, hormones and the stress response. Simply diffusing essential oils in your home, wearing them on your pulse points or inhaling them from your hands or the bottle can change your emotional state in minutes!

Lavender, Wild orange, Bergamot, Vetiver, Clary Sage, Petitgrain, Roman Chamomile, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, are some examples of essential oils that can help reduce anxiety.

I am offering Zoom consults to discuss your symptoms, emotions, and decide what doTerra certified pure, therapeutic grade essential oil or blend would be best for you. It’s simple and in 2-3 days that oil would be shipped to your doorstep and you can start managing your emotions simply, quickly, effectively and safely.

Anxiety and Emotional Eating

Anxiety can certainly trigger emotional eating, binge eating, compulsive eating, and for some restricted eating. Unwanted eating behaviors only happen in the stress response and the more heightened your stress and anxiety, the more likely you are to eat unconsciously and stand in front of the pantry or fridge gnawing on your worries.

One of the most important things you can do when catching yourself eating emotionally, is to put yourself in the parasympathetic state – the rest and relax response of the body and get yourself present with the eating experience. I call this “Ritualizing the Binge.”

• Choose what you are going to eat
• Place however much you want to eat into a nice bowl or on a plate
• Sit down at the table (not in front of the tv) and don’t stand in front of the pantry or fridge eating
• Begin to eat slowly and mindfully.
• Be present with the eating experience. See, taste, smell and hear each bite of food you take in. Experience the experience of eating
• Get very present with yourself and see how this food you are eating is altering your mood state. What feelings did that food offer you and how did it make you feel different about the situation?
• Get a piece of paper and write down what you are feeling and get very clear on the emotion that triggered the “binge.” Explore it.
• When this ritual is complete, go out for a walk and just simply walk it out. Let your body move, let your mind process
• Avoid shame and guilt – just lean into what the message and learning was of this moment

As an Eating Psychology Coach, I don’t see your eating challenges merely as a sign that “something is wrong with you” – but as a place where we can more fully explore some of the personal dimensions in life that impact why, what and how you are eating. Oftentimes, our eating challenges are connected to work, money, relationship, family, intimacy, life stress (like a pandemic!) and so much more. By working on the places that are most relevant for you, success is more easily achieved. As an Eating Psychology Coach, I look to support you with coaching strategies and nutrition principles that are nourishing, doable, sustainable, and that yield results.

A Zoom consult is highly recommended to help you get your emotional, stress, bored and/or comfort eating under control. By the end of this pandemic, the last thing you want to do is look back and see how much weight you gained and how many poor eating patterns you created. Be proactive about this!
 
There is indeed A LOT going on in the world that is heightening stress and anxiety, but there is so much more that you can do to empower your life and your health. Turn off the news. Sure, go down the rabbit hole, take a quick peak and listen but then come right back up!! Don’t get lost down there! It’s dark! Stop wasting time listening to fear, sensationalism, and ruminating in negative thoughts. Get going, carry on with your life and be the light for you, for those around you and for the world.

I am here to support you with that. Please contact me and tell me how I can help. amy@amybondar.com – (587)436-2692

Yours in health & vitality,
Amy

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