Anxiety
Create a Morning Pages Habit
This one is kind of related to journaling [https://www.cjchilvers.com/journal-for-whats-now/] , in that it clears your head of recurring thoughts (open loops) that often lead to increased anxiety. Every morning, set aside some time to start your day by writing in a stream-of-conscience way. No editing. No censoring.
Journal for What’s Now
I started journaling in 2010 for all the wrong reasons. I did it mostly for legacy — so there'd be some record of my life after I'm gone. That wasn't a good reason. 1. No one will want to read it. 2. No one reads
My Hero on Halloween
I’ve always had a hard time at parties. My social anxiety disorder would have me worrying for days before the party. When I got there, I’d put on a happy face and try to say all the right things. Then, I’d go home and collapse, exhausted from
You Need to Sleep More
I don’t think there’s a single anxiety fix that will work if you don’t sleep enough. It’s foundational. It’s so important to your health, you should schedule it. I’m not kidding. My calendar has 8 hours earmarked for sleep. I get an annoying notification
Be Alone Without Being Lonely
I believe solitude is critical for the mind. I try to work and think alone as often as I can (which isn’t often). Last year, my doctor told me that I needed some real solitude to reset myself – no family, no computer. He said, “Don’t let anyone talk
Test Your DNA
Did you know your doctor could test your DNA to find out which psychiatric drugs might work best on your anxiety? Now you do. Next time you see your doctor ask about DNA testing for medications [https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/10/17/766473930/dna-tests-for-psychiatric-drugs-are-controversial-but-some-insurers-are-covering] . It’s still
Meditate
Meditation has helped me more as an approach to reality than just an anxiety treatment. Oh, it can also work wonders on anxiety, but the scope of meditation is so much grander. But where to begin? It’s such a huge topic and to relay a practical tactic you could
Breathe
For about a year, I was able to stave off anxiety and IBS attacks (especially while driving) by pulling the hair out of my legs. Sounds weird, right? But it worked. Why? It was a pattern interrupt. We may get more into pattern interruption later this month, but what’s
Radical Acceptance
The first thing my Cognitive Behavioral Therapist taught me was the concept of “radical acceptance.” I simply had to accept whatever might happen and repeat over and over to myself, “Who the fuck cares?” It turns out that very few people give a fuck about anything outside of their own
Try Neurofeedback
This is where I am currently on my journey to decrease my anxiety [https://www.cjchilvers.com/blog/30-practical-tactics-to-decrease-your-anxiety-intro] — trying neurofeedback therapy. What’s neurofeedback therapy? It relies on the notion that positive feedback can train your brain to correct itself using audio-visual rewards. Practically speaking, it means you sit
