Hello everyone! It feels good to be able to publish another post after a 4-month hiatus of sorts. I’ve been really going through it lately. With many doctor appointments and ever-changing symptoms, it’s made it quite difficult to focus on what I want to say and even more difficult to actually type it out. Because of ALL of my symptoms it takes me long time to complete each blog post so I am thankful for your patience and understanding as it is my goal to bring you along my journey as much as possible.
I have noticed over the past 6-8 weeks or so that my anxiety and stress levels have increased. I’m not sure why but it has. Along with the stress comes anxiety attacks. Attacks that often wake me up from a nap or in the middle of a deep sleep. When this happens, I feel shaky, nervous and worried which makes it hard for me to get restful sleep. I’m always super exhausted and fatigued. My husband asks what I am worried or anxious about and you what? I don’t really have an answer for him. I mean aside from my illness I really don’t have anything I should be worried about. My family is great and we are truly blessed beyond my comprehension. It really makes no sense at all. A part of me feels like anxiety is just par for the course while the other part of me wonders if underneath the surface I really am worried about something. Maybe the state of the world we live in and all that comes along with that. If I’m honest, I must admit that I do worry about my family and close friends as it relates to today’s society. I mean this world is tough!
I belong to several social media groups whose members are also living with chronic illness and I have noticed that stress and anxiety seem to be a common theme that impacts a good number of people, based on the comments I read. People are seeking advice from others on what they can do, what’s worked etc. I try to stay away from normal stressors and I really try to stay positive as I know it’s easy for me to focus on the negative at times, and let’s face it, that’s never good for me. If I get too stressed or anxious that can throw me into a full blow Fibromyalgia flare up that can last anywhere from a a few days to a few months. I get massages as often as I can to help me stay relaxed but that only goes so far. In the moment it feels really good but after about 24-48 hours the relaxation seems to wane a bit. Other things I have tried to help manage my anxiety and stress levels are:
- Pray
- Read my Bible
- Listen to worship music
- Talk to my husband about what’s on my mind
- Take a nap
- Try to identify what’s bothering me and remove it | cut it out
If you are someone who deals with anxiety or stress, what are some things that help you manage it? I’d love to hear from you as maybe something you’re doing could work for me. I don’t want to take another pill to help manage this, I take enough medication already, I don’t need to add more to what I already have going on. It’s important to me to try and tackle this the natural way. In the meantime I will do my best to stay away from uncomfortable situations and remove all stressors from my space and continue to do the things have seem to help me navigate anxious thoughts and feelings.
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XO- Windy
Daniel 3:18 “And if not, He is still good! “
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