Haha, 9 months later and I’m writing part three!! Having a baby will do that to you :/

So I’ll just jump right in where I left off…

Having anxiety is the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I honestly deep down believe that now. I used to think of it as a curse, and felt like a “victim” for “suffering” from it. But it’s so true what they say…

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”.

I’ll explain why.

It has lead me to REALLY take care of myself. I know that when I eat processed, high sugary, trans fatty foods (which I still do at times, because “balance”), I will feel like crap and my mood will be low. I also know that if I don’t exercise, do my yoga or meditate daily (these days more like weekly), then my mind can start to jump down that rabbit hole of negativity. If I don’t make an effort to get outside every day and feel the sunshine on my face, and the grass and sand between my toes, I will start to get edgey. And if I don’t put myself out there and connect with others every.single.day, I will start to feel depressed, lonely and feel sorry for myself.

And then my anxiety will slowly start to kick in again…

I can tell when my anxiety is coming back, as I start to get this weird, almost tingly sensation down my left arm (no its not a heart attack, Erin haha!). I also have a lot of trouble sleeping, and start to feel a bit panicky and a little “out of body” (its so hard to explain). I basically start to question my mind and question my thoughts, and sometimes even question my sanity. It’s a really scary place to be.

So when I do start to feel that anxiety creeping back in, I take a good hard look at the choices I have been making lately. What have I chosen to feed my body in the last few days? Have I had caffeine? (this can bring it on). Have I exercised? Meditated? What have I been reading or watching and exposing my mind to? Who have I been spending my time with? What have I been focusing my mind on? Has anything been stressing me out lately (like a marriage separation, for example!!! Thats for another blog!!!!)

(Notice I didn’t mention sleep?!! Sleep is a big one ordinarily, but when you have a baby, unfortunately it’s a little out of your control sometimes, so I don’t focus on it too much right now.

I don’t concern myself with things that I cannot control).

Basically… WHAT IS THE UNDERLYING “THING” THAT IS CAUSING MY ANXIETY?

You need to get to the root cause, and then find a way to fix/help/manage it. Masking it with drugs/alcohol/overeating/isolation/etc will only provide a temporary fix, and will make it worse long term… and short term too.

In saying that, if you need help with finding out what the cause of your anxiety is, (because sometimes it’s not so black and white… it could be something that you don’t even know you’re holding on to), PLEASE SEEK HELP. I have seen quite a few Counsellors, Life Coaches and Naturopaths over the years, all of whom have changed my life in one way or another, and have helped me to learn myself, learn my triggers and learn the best ways of managing it.

I could not have done it on my own. (If you’re not sure where to start getting help, have a chat to your GP).

So back to why I think anxiety is the best thing that has ever happened to me…

Anxiety has lead me on a life path of self improvement, self discovery, spirituality and most importantly, a life of deeply caring about and helping others. You will probably notice that those of us who experience anxiety are generally the types of people who are sensitive, have a lot of empathy for others and generally choose careers where we are of service to others (but are also there because it helps us to understand ourselves, too).

I am very in-tune with myself, therefore I REALLY listen to what I need. I have no qualms in spending a day on the couch, because I need to rest. I have no guilt if I smash a block of choccie, because I need to treat myself. I also have the motivation to be the very best version of myself – I exercise regularly, I read inspiring and educational books, I never stop learning, I give a lot of time to my friends, and I take REALLY good care of myself. Because if I don’t, I know what will happen…

Anxiety has also brought me here, to “Balance with Nature”. To being a Life Coach, a Meditation Teacher (in training), a Reiki practitioner, a Naturopath (in training), a bloody good friend (if I do say so myself), a caring and loving human, and someone who will do anything to help out someone else as I hate seeing people in pain. And there ain’t nothing wrong with that!

So, I am grateful for my anxiety, and for the person it has lead me to become.

Thank you for reading,

Erin xo