Routines keep my anxiety calm.
I am a naturally anxious person. So if you tell me something, I can guarantee you that I will somehow find a way to overthink it and then, of course, go into an unnecessary spiral and finally tire myself out.
2020 made it worse. I will not go into the various reasons why (I mean apart from the obvious one) as that will take up an entire day, so that will be for another day.
I couldn’t understand how to keep my brain calm! Even when there was nothing to worry about, I would find something. My sweet mother witnessed most of my panic attacks, and, bless her soul, she tried to help me.
Therapy helped a lot. A LOT! I highly recommend it. She taught me multiple ways to anticipate bouts of anxiety and tackle them. I practice them regularly.
But my anxiety is quite powerful. Moving to a new country, looking for jobs, high cost of living, feeling lonely, etc., etc., etc...just added to the feeling of hopelessness.
I spent weeks overthinking and anxious. No amount of meditation and pep talks seemed to help me. Then, lo and behold, I observed a pattern.
Since moving to Toronto, I decided to walk around and explore the city more. I love long walks, which I feel is a great way to get to know a city.
So, some days I would walk for 10-12kms roaming around the different neighbourhoods.
Initially, I would feel drained because I barely ever walked in Kolkata. I would feel exhausted, but I always felt happy. On the days I didn’t walk, my happiness was less. So, I started walking more, 10,000 steps a day. I set a specific goal and decided that I needed to hit those steps every day, no matter how slowly I walked or at whatever time.
I have been doing this for two months now, and yes, I have missed many days in between, but I feel less anxious now. I have also created small routines around my walk. And I love them. Some days can be very hard, but I know that once I start walking, I feel happier, and my mind calms down. I also listen to audiobooks or podcasts (true crime all the way!) and sometimes practice my French.
My aim is to make this a daily habit, no matter what! This is definitely not a new discovery by any means, but to my anxious mind, this is the relief it craves.
What helps with your anxiety?