Dear Friend,

On those days when you find yourself overly stressed and/or anxious, for reasons known or unknown, what do you do to bring your stress or anxiety levels down? I know it can be hard to find the right combination of tools that help, so my new Dropping Stress and Anxiety Levels series aims to share some of the tools that continue to work well for me. Depending on the cause, the success of each tool varies, and I’m often trying new things to see what works best.

My current toolkit includes:

• Meditation
  • I will cover why it took me so long to try to build this practice, the methods I tried, and the ones that worked best for me. I’ll include links to my favorite guided meditations and practice methods.
• Journaling & Lists
  • You can expect to see details on why I love lists, bullet journaling, and journaling apps. I’ll also include links to my favorite shops for pretty journals, pens, and washi.
• Games
  • I’ll cover why I find gaming to be a good tool, which games have been beneficial for my mental health journey, and why they worked for me.
• Reading
  • Look forward to a list of self-help books I found useful and why, as well as some of my current favorite “escapism” reads.
• Time with Loved Ones
  • You can expect a look at what I’ve learned in therapy about community and spending time with loved ones, as well as thoughts on navigating new boundaries.
• Baking
  • One of my favorite tools, but as someone who often has low energy, this one doesn’t happen as often as others. I’ll share some of my favorite recipes and why I find baking soothing.
• Change of Scenery
  • We’ll look at why a simple short walk can shift a mood. I’ll also share fun day-trips I’ve taken and trips I want to take.
• Comforting Touch
  • One of the tools I struggle with the most as someone with sensory issues; I’ll cover how I navigate touch sensitivity and finding the comfort of touch in other ways.
• Getting Grounded
  • You can expect a list of my favorite grounding practices to help you recenter when stress or anxiety feels overwhelming.
• Tools I’ve Purchased
  • The meh, the good, and the awesome.

Posts will drop every Tuesday and Thursday for this series around 8:30AM Eastern.

I look forward to hearing what tools you like and find useful, too!

Love,

Katie