Tag: new counselor

Anxiety Relief, Personal Development

Travel Anxiety Relief

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Summer is in full swing, and for many of us, it is time to take a break from our busy lives and travel!

Unfortunately, while traveling is exciting for many of us, it can ignite anxiety symptoms for others.

I know this to be true from personal experience. My anxiety used to ramp up during travel to the point that I couldn’t eat before or during the trip. My brain just stirred in circles over the fear of forgetting to pack something or not having my itinerary booked correctly.

Over several years I have developed five tips that help me avoid spikes in my anxiety while traveling. Whether in the airport, on the flight, or at my hotel, these are the tips I swear by!

  1. Visualization: When I am on my flight, I try to sit back and visualize how I will feel fifteen minutes after I have arrived at my destination and am ready to enjoy the trip. While doing this visualization, I ask myself, “what would each of my five senses be experiencing during this moment?” For example, I recently took a trip to Hawaii, and while on the plane, I imagined what it would feel like when I first got to the sandy beaches of Waikiki. I visualized the feeling of the sand between my toes as I took a deep breath of the salty ocean air and put my beach towel down. I envisioned myself sitting down and soaking in that beautiful, deep blue ocean color as the waves quietly crashed to the shore while drinking my favorite iced coffee. By activating my five senses during the visualization, I can stay present and avoid the stress associated with travel.
  2. Make a DIY calming jar: This is one of my mainstays for anxiety. With just the two ingredients of baby oil and glitter, you can create a versatile calming jar that can be taken anywhere! I like to use the jar by watching the glitter slowly fall while I focus on my breath. Try it out; you might find it soothing. Unsure of how to make one, watch my how-to video here!
  3. Read a book: In my experience, reading books are more effective than watching a movie to calm your anxiety while passing the time. This is because you are forced to use your imagination and thus activate your prefrontal cortex while reading a book. When your prefrontal cortex is activated, it has a diminished capacity to focus on thoughts of anxiousness. Contrarily, when you watch a movie, your brain can drift off; thus, your prefrontal cortex is shut off, and your anxiety amplifies. If you are not someone who enjoys reading, consider doing something active like journaling or drawing. Maybe even jot down a list of all the things you are hoping to do while you are on vacation.
  4. Magnesium: Taking magnesium can help lower muscle tension and thus lower those panicked feelings of anxiety. It’s a safe and easy over-the-counter solution that I cannot go without!
  5. Breathing exercises: If you follow any of my social media platforms, you have probably heard me talking about triangle breathing. It’s an easy three-step process that you can imagine in the shape of a triangle to help naturally reduce anxiety symptoms. First, inhale for four seconds, then hold your breath for four seconds, and finally, exhale for four seconds. By changing your breathing pattern, you can naturally regulate your heart rate and thus reduce the feelings of anxiety.

Hopefully, these tips can help you feel empowered on your next trip from home.

Struggling with anxiety more often than just flying?

Stay tuned to this blog for more mental health tips!

Mental health, Personal Development

How To Set Boundaries

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When we are goal setting or embarking on our mental health journey, one of the most important steps we can take to ensure our success is implementing boundaries.

Setting and maintaining boundaries seems simple on its surface, but they often get neglected! This is because of our natural trauma response of wanting to be a people-pleaser at all times. As a result, our needs get shoved to the side, and our personal growth plateaus.

Boundaries are particularly important for entrepreneurs, as they help create an environment that cultivates productivity, focus and well-being.  Entrepreneurs who do not set boundaries often struggle to create an optimal work-life balance and eventually burn themselves out.

Unsure of where to start to set healthy boundaries? Here are my three favorite tips for setting boundaries!

1. Establish why you are creating the boundary in the first place.

I love to remind my clients that if you can get behind the “why,” it will be easier for them to maintain the boundary.

For example, let’s say you consistently have been working overtime at your job and come home and are too tired to cook yourself a meal or exercise. As a result, your health has been negatively impacted because you spend more time than ever watching television and have resorted to eating out for most of your meals.

Suppose you decide to set a boundary not to work overtime anymore as it will allow you to live a healthier lifestyle. In that case, your brain will understand the importance of the boundary and find the motivation to adhere to it.

Once the “why” is established, the rest is smooth sailing!

2. Figure out how the boundary will benefit you.

Boundaries can be rewarding, whether you have improved energy, less anxiety, or more time to do things you love. And if there is one thing that we know about our brain, it’s that it loves to be rewarded. Therefore, if the brain knows it’s benefiting from a boundary, it will continue to attempt to maintain the boundary.

One boundary I have been more adamant about nurturing is not to stay late at events when I have a myriad of tasks I still need to complete. I often set a timer on my phone and force myself to stick to it. As a result, I accomplish more tasks and feel less anxiety than ever before.

3. Let others around you know about the boundaries that you have set. 

This might be the most crucial tip for setting a successful boundary. By letting others know your expectations of a boundary, they will be more understanding of your need for space and less likely to pressure you.

For example, maybe you just started school or enrolled in my course Inner Compass Accelerator, and know that you will need the weekends to yourself to be as focused as possible. By having a conversation with your support system about this need, they will understand your expectations of their friendship while you try to get the most out of your class. They will also feel less blindsided by you canceling or having to continually raincheck on plans.

But be aware that they may not always be agreeable with the boundary you are attempting to set. It is your job to be firm about the importance of the boundary!

Still unsure on how to go about setting healthy boundaries? My course Inner Compass Accelerator dives deep into the topic!