Walking to inspiration

Over the weekend, my anxiety became crippling, nothing new, just the usual suspects rearing their ugly heads.

But I found myself with no inspiration to write. I felt like my brain had been paused. I know this is a physiological symptom of anxiety, as the brain sends its energy to our body for the fight or flight response, leaving nothing extra for the brain.

I know all this, yet every time it happens, it takes me by surprise.

So after 2 days of feeling mentally blocked, today I decided to stop trying and go for a walk. Either way, I wasn’t getting anything done. I took my phone to monitor my steps and went for a walk through the woods near home.

Within 5 minutes, I had already opened the notepad on my phone to write some notes of ideas that I had for a blog. During my hour walk, I wrote down 8 different ideas. In 1 hour, I had more ideas than I would have had in a week!

So why is this? As we have discussed, anxiety is a combination of being overwhelmed, being stuck in a vicious circle of fear and stress that causes physiological changes to our bodies and has physical symptoms.

However, this example shows the power of grounding techniques. Getting out in nature, seeing different things, feeling the sun, cold, wind, and using your body for physical exertion, distracting your mind, is the most powerful thing that you can do for your anxiety.

I must mention though that due to panic attacks, it took a lot for me to go this walk, so please do not force yourself if you do not feel comfortable. Start small, and build confidence. Take care of yourself.

Love, @powerofanxiety