Breathe In, Breathe Out, Repeat...

I've been receiving a lot of texts and emails from clients and friends this week looking for some help to ground amongst the craziness. I too have been grasping for tools to help my head quiet down. We are all looking for ways to calm our anxiety, so I have a few tips on how to quiet the mind when it starts spinning: First and foremost, know you are loved and you have love ones surrounding you. Let's remember what's important, and that should be at the top of the list. TIP #1: Stop being so self-obsessed, get out of you and into other's lives: Here is an old trick used in Alcoholics Anonymous to get people out of their heads: If you ever want to feel better, pick up the phone and call a friend and ask them how THEY are doing. Get OUT of YOURSELF, into someone else's world. And really be there in their world with them. Don't talk about you at all, let them know this is a call to focus on them. Once that call is done, pick up the phone and call another friend, and do that over and over until you feel better. Two things are bound to happen: you'll forget what was wrong with you, even just temporarily and you'll realize other people have a lot of shit going on too, which tends to mean A: you're actually not doing that badly in comparison, and B: everyone is fighting their own battle, so you're not alone. TIP #2: Release the stress energy currently stored in your body: Check into how you're feeling right now. Don't think about tomorrow, or next week, but here, right now. Close your eyes, focus on your third eye, take a deep breath and exhale the stress. Shake your head back and forth gently, release the tension in your shoulders, straighten your posture and let that energy flow out of you. Do it now. Feel better? TIP #3: Be in the here and now. Most of our stress is due to stories we're making up in our heads about things that might happen, but have not yet happened, so...we're living in a false reality. Get back to the real world!  Take a minute and check in with your surroundings: name three things you can feel right now, two things you can see, one thing you can touch. There you go, voila, you’re present. Do that whenever you start to feel anxious or panicked or however you may feel throughout the day at any given moment. In conclusion: I’ve decided on this Sunday that I’m going to give my head/heart and mind a break and actively distance myself from social media and any news, instead I will take a walk and get some air, remove myself from the hysteria around me, the constant intake of outside information, and instead listen to my inner wisdom and be still, journal, meditate, drink some tea, be kind. I’ll get caught up tomorrow, and I’m sure if something big happens I’ll hear about it anyway, but I’m making the choice not to seek it out today. Take a breath with me. We can’t control tomorrow, but we can chose how to be today. If you are looking for more tips or just need to talk, vent, or get a virtual hug, feel free to email me at: cory@coryodonnell.com, I'm always here for you. Sending so much light and love. Xoxoxox- Cory