IN WHICH WE TALK ABOUT LIST MAKING FOR ANXIETY

 

List making and listing things soothe my anxious mind. 

I started list making awhile back in a variety of ways to help me deal with my anxiety and bipolar. I was finding that my bipolar was causing me to have severe issues with focus. I started making lists of "must dos" so that I could focus more easily and stay on target. That's one way I use lists. To accomplish tasks and stay productive. 

Another method of list making is the 5 things method, where during high anxiety you list five things you can see, touch, smell, taste, hear. This brings you back to the present and helps stop your mind from spiraling. This one helps me quite a bit when I can calm down enough to use it. 

If my anxiety is just particularly bad to the point where my thoughts are becoming obsessive then I will do trivia lists. I will try to name things that I don't really know super well in order to distract and make my brain concentrate in other areas. I usually will enlist the help of someone else in these. The other night during commercial breaks (thanks Amazon) I listed NFL football teams for each state for my boyfriend. 

I like to use lists to keep my mind away from obsessive thoughts and use as a way to put more positive things into it. Here are some examples of lists you could write to help you!

• favorite movies
• favorite books
• places you want to visit
• people you've helped
• adventures you've had
• favorite songs
• favorite desserts
• favorite smells
• books you want to read
• countries you want to visit
• list your big goals
• list your little goals
• favorite meals
• meals you want to try
• list your personal weaknesses
• list your personal strengths
• favorite works of art
• the things you've worried about that never happened
• all the flowers you can think of
• all the colors you can think of

You can really make a list of anything. It's a great journaling prompt or a great recitation when you need to break that obsessive thought pattern. 

Make sure to follow me on social media by clicking HERE!

INTRODUCING: MOSTLY UNTRUE TRUE CRIME

 

Because I don't have enough projects going, I started a new one. I'm planning to have the first episode out this month, and then do them bi-weekly after that. Follow along on the MUTC podcast's instagram for all the up to date new. Click here to follow.

I am very excited about this. 

It's a true crime style podcast with a twist. I'm exploring fictional crimes. I'm starting with murder ballads; there are sooooo many. But I'm doing it with a serious true crime reporting style. I'll be going over the suspects, the forensics associated with the crime as well as all other pertinent aspects of this fictional crime. 

The first episode should air on 10/24 with another Halloween special on 10/31. The first episode is called Corpus Delicti. 

I hope that y'all tune in! 

Make sure to follow me on social media for all the latest up to date things that I'm doing! Click HERE!

IN WHICH I SHARE MY EVENING ROUTINE

 

I shared my morning routine as well as some changes I'm making to it in order for it to be a better start to the day. My evening routine is just as relaxing and a way for me to wind down and end the day. I struggle deeply with insomnia, and given that sleep and mental health are intricately intertwined I try to give myself the best chance for a stable sleep schedule that I can. For me, one of the biggest indicators of an impending mental health crisis is changes in my sleep patterns. 

Dinner is around 1700 every night, then we do farm chores. My partner always helps with farm chores and on the days we have my stepchild they also help. Once we finish this we will head inside for some family time. 

I take my medications in the evening, so by 1900 I have taken my lamictal, prazosin, and if I am taking a sleep/anxiety med then I will take it then. I don't take them every night as some nights I don't feel anxious or have any indication that my obsessive thoughts are going to be an issue. My anxiety is typically what keeps me awake, along with the obsessive thought patterns and maladaptive guilt. 

Then we shower and my partner gets ready for work while I moisturize and blow dry my hair. After he leaves I stretch and either read or watch a relaxing low key show on tv. I turn off the tv or put down the book by 2130 and go to bed. 

Follow me on social media HERE!