Welcome to Dealing with Anxiety

 My anxiety spiked this week (for reasons that will not be detailed in this blog). Though I’ve been dealing with anxiety for sometime now, it can still be very difficult to get out of the spiral of negativity and worse case scenarios. And it’s not just the mental side that can be difficult to deal with, there can also be a physical side. 

Here are something’s I do when my anxiety meter is off the charts:

This photo I took in Iceland of some street art is a good representation of my anxiety.

• Go hiking and be out in nature - getting outside and physically active helps to slow down my racing thoughts rather than speed them up. Being around nature is grounding. My worries seem further away when I’m in on a forest or mountain path. Note: it might be difficult or impossible for some people to go out for a hike or out into nature. Going to a local park or just around the block of your neighborhood can be beneficial.
• Cleaning - you might be surprised how much better a person can feel after tidying up. I spent much of the weekend finally putting away Christmas decorations, vacuuming, and getting rid of things that no longer "brought me joy" (to quote Marie Kondo - who has admitted to throwing in the towel for some of her advice after kid number three - it's still good advice for decluttering though).
• Take a hot bubble bath - I don't know about the rest of you guys, but anxiety tends to take a physical toll along with the mental. When my muscles are tense, my shoulders extremely tense, and I can't relax the best thing for my body is a soak in the tub. Finding the right products to add to the bath can also be helpful. Some lavender essential oil or a soothing bath bomb can really add to the relaxing atmosphere or just some good old fashion bubbles. Note: once again, not everyone may have access to a bath tub or be physically able to use one. In these cases a hot shower will work too.
• Watch a comfort movie or TV show - make sure it's something you don't have to pay attention to, but have positive feelings for. It doesn't matter if it's a guilty pleasure or something really silly. I personally love watching "Alvin and the Chipmunk Meet the Wolfman" or an older Disney Channel Original Halloween Movie like "Phantom of the Megaplex".
• Use a calming breathing technique - Using a meditative breathing technique or simply counting my breaths are known to help my nerves settle. I'm currently working on a walking meditation tutorial and have found that the method used (breathing from the heart and out with a focus on the forehead) is very relaxing - and lets me go into a deeper meditation.

Though my troubles aren't going away anytime soon, the things listed above can help me reset my nervous system. Once that happens, I can tackle the problem and come up with solutions.

Do you guys ever struggle with anxiety. Do you have techniques you use to settle down. Share your experiences. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to an Unexpected Accomplishment in 2022

Over the past few years - at least since I joined GoodReads - I’ve included a blog post about my reading habits over the course of the previous year. Typically, I included a review of a few of the books and a bunch of recommendations. I would try to read one book or more than the previous year.

2022 started similar. I set a goal to read one more book than 2021 on January 1st, 2022. I was so excited, that I picked up my first book of the year (well downloaded it - it was a digital book) and started reading. The book was on self publishing by a friend in one of my writer’s groups (Hank Quense’s Self Publish a Book in 10 Steps). He had asked a few of us to read the recently released book and provide feedback - which I did.

I quickly finished the first book and dove right into the second, followed closely by a third and forth. Occasionally, I would be reading 2-3 books at a time (I do this to give myself a “break” from books I find emotionally draining or difficult to read).

Now I am not a fast reader. The stack of books in my “to read” pile continues to grow and outpace my reading ability. I envy the TikTok posters and YouTubers who can post a new book review a week. 

I just can’t do that.

What I did end up doing through 2022, was read from one book (print, digital, graph, comic, poetry, and short story collection) every day. Sometimes I was only able to read a page or two. A couple of days I could breeze through an entire poetry collection in one sitting (it helped that I was on a plane and had nothing better to do).

I didn’t even do this on purpose at first. I only noticed at some point in April that I had read every day in 2022. I thought to myself that it was an unusual thing for me to do. Which lead me to wanting to see how long I could keep up reading every single day. By September, I was determined to keep up the pace to December 31st.

New Years Eve came. I didn’t go out, staying home with my cat and finishing my annual reread of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. As I closed the 41st book of 2022, I felt a huge wave of accomplishment. I’d read every single day in 2022.

This was big for me. I was never a big reader as a kid - it was a difficult activity for me to do. I think I actually read more as an adult than I did as a child. Maybe it’s because I’m reading for my own pleasure than for some boring assignment for school. However, 2022 was the first year that I had actively dedicate so much time to reading.

Though I may have occasionally stayed up reading a little too late, I think this unexpected accomplishment was really good for me. I learned a lot, enjoyed some new adventures, and bonded with friends over what we were currently reading. The ritual (usually right before bed) was calming and may have given me some interesting dreams.

Overall, I recommend fitting in 10-15 minutes a day to read a little. It doesn’t matter what kind of book you’re reading (you saw my eclectic list) or if it’s in print or a digital download. What matters is that you enjoy yourself.

I am currently still taking the time to read a little each day, though I don’t know if I’ll do another year of reading each day. I don’t want to commit and put pressure on myself that could add stress. Instead I want this to become a part of my nightly routine to help me get ready for bed. I could always use better quality sleep.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Welcome to New Years Day in Washington DC

Happy 2023! May this new year bring you joy and good memories.

My more recent New Year celebrations have been with family that I typically only see once or twice a year (2020 being an exception). This year I opted to celebrate 2023 by doing something I haven’t done in a long time on New Years Day: venture into my home city of Washington DC and visit the Smithsonian Museums. 

It was a wonderfully nostalgic trip. 

The last time I was in the Capitol city on New Year’s Day was 10 years ago. I remember being severely hungover and sleep deprived, one of my poor friends chose to come with my family, and it was incredibly crowded. 

However, it is still a fond memory - though I may have been fighting hard to not revisit the things I ate and drank the night before. 

I’m not sure when the tradition began, but one day my parents decided it was a good idea to go downtown and see the museums. Now, if you aren’t from the DC area, you’re probably unaware of the fact that the Smithsonian Museums only close Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. They are open (for the most part) on New Years Day. 

For a long time this was a locals only secret (and in someways it still is). The first year my family did this, it was cold and rainy without any hint of snow in the grey sky. We went to National Archives and progressed to Air and Space, ending at the National Conservatory. We stayed all day and admired the People’s Tree in front of Congress and the States and Territories’ Trees by the White House. I’m sure there were other stops on our trip - as we did spend the whole day on The Mall.

After that first year, if we stayed in the DC area for the whole holiday season, New Years Day was spent visiting the Smithsonians and, eventually, wandering into Chinatown for noodle soup and dumplings. The addition of Chinatown started when we were visiting the National Portrait Gallery and got very hungry. Instead of eating at the generic cafe in the museum, we walked a block over to Chinatown and found a wonderful noodle restaurant. 

This year was the first I could come down on New Years Day in a long, long time. In preparation, I decided to see if I could get a ticket to one of the museums I hadn’t yet been to: The African American History Museum. Though all Smithsonian Museums are free to go into, this particular museum has a high demand for entrance. To help with crowd control, the museum offers timed tickets (for free) for entry. I managed to snag an 11:30am ET.

However, I wanted to start my day earlier than that as the Smithsonians open at 10:00am ET (daily). I started at National Archives, then spent about 10 minutes in Natural History, before making my time slot for African American History. 

I could have easily spent days there and will probably have to go back soon. The most popular part of the museum is 1.5 miles long and is beneath the main building. It covers the 500 years of African slavery and the civil rights movement. The most moving area was the funeral of Emmett Till. 

The top three floors of the museum are dedicated to African American achievements in sports, arts, entertainment, music, politics, and culture. A beautiful exhibit of political and activist art was probably my favorite. 

Additionally, there is a waterfall inside the building that is amazing to see.

(Side Note and Quick Tips for Visiting: get an early timed ticket and do the downstairs exhibits first as there can be lines as long as an hour to get in. I was lucky enough to basically walk into the exhibit, but by the time I got out, there was a 25 minute long line and even later one that reached the next floor.)

My final stop today, was in Chinatown for noodle soup and dumplings. Thankfully, Chinatown Express is still in operation and still has some of the best noodles in the area. 

Though Washington DC may not seem like the place to be on New Years, it’s one of my favorite. I didn’t even visit half the cool places I know are open (timing and sore muscles played a part). This year didn’t seem as crowded as other years, but that could be because people are traveling again. If you’re a DC local and haven’t yet done this, I highly recommend it. As for the tourists…maybe wait for tourist season (ours starts in April) and let us locals enjoy our city.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week!