(#27) 10 Wellness Tools for Reducing Anxiety

In today's episode your host Rae shares more about wellness practices to be mindful of if you're feeling anxious. All of these tools/practices are transferrable to every day life!

Tune in to today's episode to receive:

• 10 practices to be mindful of if you're feeling anxious
• Why getting outside during the winter is so important to self-regulating
• The importance of a tracking your cycle, sleep, and movement when it comes to feelings of anxiety 
• How you can dive-deeper to receive more healing experiences that include somatics, breathwork, inner child work and more - with Rae this year

Resources Mentioned:

• The Flo App for tracking your cycle 
• Insight Timer for free meditations I've been using "Mindfulness for Releasing Anxiety" by Glenn Harrold for falling asleep.

Since this episode originally aired, some links may be outdated or events may have passed. Want current updates and access to the free 15+ breathwork practice resource library? → Sign up for the Somatic Healing Newsletter here!

CONNECT
Work With Me
The Somatic Healing Newsletter
Instagram
Website
Subscribe & Review Apple Podcasts
Follow & Rate Spotify

Disclaimer: Please remember that the information shared on this podcast is intended to inspire, educate, and support you on your personal journey. It does not substitute for professional mental health advice. I am not a psychologist or medical professional. If you are experiencing distress, mental health challenges, or medical conditions, please seek help from a qualified professional.

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

Tips for Managing Anxiety & Wellness

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to the Radiant Life podcast . I'm your host , ray the Stematic Coach , and I'm here to support you in healing your past , living in the present and creating your future so that you can become the most centered , embodied and happiest version of yourself . Each week , I'll be bringing you episodes to help you navigate life's challenges , ease stress and tension and learn more about holistic healing , spirituality and wellness . If you're interested in becoming the best version of yourself so that you can live the life of your dreams , then you're in the right place . Subscribe to the podcast and the monthly newsletter and follow me on Instagram and TikTok to know when new episodes are released each week . I am so happy that you've landed here . Let's dive in . Hello , my friends , welcome back to the podcast . Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode . If you are new here , I'm Ray . I'm a Stematic Coach and Breathwork Facilitator , and if you aren't new here , welcome back . I'm so glad that you're tuning in and joining for today's episode .

Speaker 1 1:10

For today's episode , I chose this topic because last week I was feeling pretty anxious . I had a pretty rough week just in that space of anxiety , and so I kind of used today because I'm feeling much better as a way to reflect and see kind of what practices were helpful for me , like what was supportive for me in this wave of anxiety that I was experiencing , and so I broke it down into 10 things that you can do if you're feeling anxious . And these 10 things , they're all pretty different . I'll elaborate a little bit on each one and it's just an invitation for you to see what might be supportive for you if you're feeling anxious and what little nuggets can you take away to incorporate into your day-to-day life . Also , stay tuned , because at the end of today's episode I do have a few exciting announcements that I'm happy to share with you and projects I've been working on for a long time . So definitely stay tuned to the end and hear about all of these fun , exciting things I have going on . All right , so the first thing that you can do if you're feeling anxious which is actually the first thing that I did when I noticed kind of the state that I was in is connecting with nature , and what this looked like for me was pretty simple . It was just getting outside for a walk with the intention of taking deep breaths , getting fresh air and just really being with the cold winter air Right now in this season , any of us might be experiencing maybe anxiousness or sadness , or just not in our normal state Even though I don't even really want to even say normal state .

Speaker 1 3:12

Summer , for example , for me is definitely preferred and so being in the weather of winter can sometimes bring on what's called even the art of wintering , which is this idea that during this time of the year we are more introspective , we might even crave being more in solitude , we might turn down plans , we might not want to be as extroverted , because it's just the season that we're in and it's our nervous systems really just taking a break and resting . And if you look outside at nature and you look at the trees and the dirt and the earth , all of the trees are going deep into the soil and they're all kind of inside right now . They're inside the earth . We don't see them , they're not bright and green and flowers aren't blooming . And this quality is something that we too can experience , and that is kind of the cliff notes version of the art of wintering . So being out in nature , even if it is just for a little bit of a walk , and bundling up and staying as warm as you can and just letting yourself kind of breathe in that fresh air .

Speaker 1 4:26

The second thing that you can do if you're feeling anxious kind of builds off of that first one a little bit . It's breath work , right . So this is something that I incorporate into my work with clients , but also into my daily life as well , and breath work definitely has different forms . You have your mindful breathing , like going for a walk outside and taking those intentional deep breaths . But you can also take that deep breath that I just took . You can take that in your daily life . You can take that on your lunch break , you can take that in the middle of a work day , and that's mindful breathing . Breath work , specifically , is a little bit longer I would say anywhere from six minutes or more of a structured breath pattern that you're doing and you're manipulating your breath with intention , and so this is an active meditation technique , and what I really value from it , or what I did when I was feeling anxious , was it really helped me to just be present with how I was feeling and meet myself exactly where I was at . Breathwork has so many different intentions , but what it's really doing is it's helping you regulate your nervous system so you're able to use your breath to self-regulate . And if you're feeling anxious , that might look like down regulating so being more present , feeling more grounded , feeling more calm , really connecting with your breath or it can also look like up regulating , so maybe you want to kind of shake your body , maybe you want to move your body like roll out your shoulders or release tension , while you're doing a more activating breath . And speaking of breathwork , there are two opportunities that I'm going to share at the end of today's episode that you can experience Breathwork practices on the go . So definitely stay tuned for the end of today's episode .

Speaker 1 6:20

And the third thing that you can do if you're feeling anxious and one of the most important things that I do for my mental health is movement . So for me that looks like working out . There's a gym that that I love to go to . I live about 15 20 minutes away from it and I go to that anywhere from two to four times a week . But for you that your movement could look like anything else , it doesn't have to look like mine . So just movement in general . Another thing that really was helpful for me was I went for a run . If you've been following me on social media , you'll see that recently , sarah and myself started a mindful running , walking jogging club called mindful miles , and so I also had that this past weekend on Saturday , and that was really helpful for me . Another way that I've been incorporating movement is every Wednesday I go to a Kundalini yoga class , and I really like that . It's very gentle movement , activating breathwork , and there's also some singing in it , which I like a love , so that helps me to feel feel good as well . So particularly last week when I was feeling anxious , those three things really helped me . So I went to the gym three times , I went for a run and I went to my Kundalini yoga class . The other way that this could have looked is if I was feeling so anxious that I kind of like cut those things out or maybe like didn't do those things . And again , there's nothing like wrong with whatever approach you're taking , but movement in general will definitely be supportive for you if you are feeling anxious .

Speaker 1 7:48

And then the fourth thing that you can do if you're feeling anxious is reading . So last week we had Allison speak up on the podcast . She's awesome . She's a self-published indie author . If you haven't checked out the episode , definitely tune into it . She went over how you can write your first book , market it , publish it the whole thing . So I am reading her book , which is great . So I'm reading her book right now called key rich , and I am including this in my list of things that you can do if you're anxious , because Reading can be so regulating and so calming and so relaxing , and often times , when you're in this Space of self-development or wellness , it's so easy for us to go to these more kind of like quote-unquote self-help books and Sometimes , if I'm not in the right headspace or if I'm just not feeling my best , a self-help book makes me feel worse , and it's not necessarily always something that makes me feel better . So this year I've been incorporating way more fiction into what I'm reading and it's been really helping with just having an outlet . That's not so so so much in the work , as much as I love it . So reading Key Ridge by Alison Spica has been really nice for me over the past two weeks .

Speaker 1 9:07

And the fifth thing that you can do if you are feeling anxious is really being aware of and tracking your cycle . So I use Flow . It's an app that you can download right in the Apple Store , but what this is doing is really just bringing in another layer of self-awareness being able to know where your cycle is at are you PMSing , are you about to get your period , are you not ? And it also gives you all of these options to track how you're feeling , what symptoms you might be experiencing , and this has always been really helpful for me . But just for myself , knowing that I PMS like no other , being able to track my cycle and know that that's contributing to how I'm feeling , is so helpful . And some of the wellness practices that I do incorporate , if I know that my cycle is affecting me , is having raspberry tea , walking , going for walks really helps . Being in nature really helps . Heating pad , resting , taking a warm shower , things of that nature . So really just being gentle and aware of how I'm feeling and the state that I'm currently in .

Speaker 1 10:20

And the sixth thing that you can do if you are feeling anxious is taking your supplements or vitamins that you would normally take . So for me this looks like B12 and vitamin D , but for you it might look entirely different . But just naming it like what supplements you normally take , if you do take any , what vitamins you normally take , and making sure that you are taking those and you're getting just a general nutrition that you need I'll also mention water , right ? So like noticing your water intake are you drinking enough water , are you dehydrated ? And making sure that you're checking both of these boxes .

Speaker 1 10:55

The seventh thing that you can do if you are feeling anxious is not isolating . So making sure that you're talking to the friends you would normally talk to , that you're talking to your family that you would normally talk to . I have a handful of friends that I talk to regularly , and so a few of them were just aware of how I was feeling . They asked me how I was feeling . I'd be like I'm feeling really anxious this week , and then they would send me texts throughout the week to kind of just be like , hey , how are you feeling ? And then I would tell them honestly like , yeah , don't feel better , this is what I'm doing , and they'd be like , oh , sending love or like whatever they're doing . So talking to your friends and your family , but , more importantly , just not isolating yourself from the people that you already normally talk to . There's nothing bad or wrong about feeling anxious , and allowing yourself to receive their support that you already have around you will help you to feel better .

Speaker 1 11:44

And the eighth thing that you can do if you are feeling anxious is saying no right . So if you don't have capacity for something right now , if you are not feeling your best , like you're feeling particularly anxious or sad or you have a difficult emotion that's coming up , really knowing that you can say like no , sorry , I can't make it , or no , sorry , I can't do that right now , it doesn't mean it doesn't always have to mean like no , forever . It could just be like yeah , like right now , that's just not in my capacity for what I can handle right now , and that is okay . There's nothing wrong with that . So just really being able to practice what your yes is and practice what your no is , and know that that's okay . And the ninth thing that you can do if you're feeling anxious this is something that helps me before going to sleep , if my mind is racing or if I can't get something off my mind .

Speaker 1 12:37

I call it brain dumping . So this is when you kind of take all the thoughts that you might have in your head , if your mind , if , like , the volume or the pace of your thoughts is quite fast or quite loud and it might be keeping you up at night or even just throughout the day , and brain dumping all of it . So this could look like with a pen and paper in your journal . This could look like typing it on your computer . This could also look like just right in the notes section of your phone , so it doesn't have to be something that really you add any meaning to . It could also just be like a place to like let your thoughts out , all of that energy goes somewhere . Let it all just be on the page or be in the notes section or be in the on your computer , wherever it is , and release that . You don't have to keep it all in . It's okay for it to be messy and not make sense . Just kind of let it all out .

Speaker 1 13:27

And speaking of sleep , the last thing that you can do if you're feeling super anxious or you're experiencing feelings of anxiety is making sure that you're getting adequate sleep . So sleep is so , so , so , so , so important . When my week of not feeling my best started , I had an awful night of sleep and that definitely amplified and contributed to how I was feeling throughout the week . So one thing that I love to do if I'm not able to sleep that great and of course those nights are going to happen where you're just not going to sleep great is I have a meditation that I use . It's right on Insight Timer . I can put the link for that in the show notes . It's like a free app on your phone and I love to do this one meditation . I don't even think it's actually for sleep , but either way it puts me right to sleep . I have yet to stay up past this meditation , and so I love doing this meditation . It's something I just put on right when I'm in bed if I'm tossing and turning a little bit too much or if my mind is racing or something like that . I've done the brain dump and now I can put on my sleep meditation and go right to sleep , and it definitely has helped me with how I was feeling , with my anxiety . So , speaking of anxiety and all of these wonderful tools that I've gone over , and these can be practices that you can incorporate into your day to day life , even if you're not feeling anxious . All of these tools that I just shared are so valuable and so helpful and things that I use even when I'm feeling my best , so you don't have to be feeling anxious to take advantage of all of these tools that we mentioned or just ways of being that we mentioned .

Exciting Offers

Speaker 1 15:10

Speaking of anxiety , there are three offers that I have coming up that I'm really excited to share with you about , and these are offers that I've been working on for quite some time now . They've been projects behind the scene , and I've just gotten a lot of clarity , really over the past two to three weeks , on what I want 2024 to look like professionally , where I'm headed and how I would love to show up and support you . So the first offer that I have coming up is called the Masterclass Pass , and this is something that I did offer in 2023 for the end like September , I think , is when I started it last year , and it was a lot of fun , we had a great time , and this is kind of the upgraded version of that experience . So this is called the Masterclass Pass again , the 2024 version , and what this looks like is a different workshop each month for the rest of the year . So this is anywhere from eight to 10 workshops over the course of 11 months , and our first workshop will actually be on February 21 .

Speaker 1 16:18

It's a Wednesday and it's all about how to be your own best friend . So we are talking self compassion . We're talking clarity on your values , clarity on what you love , on identity , what makes you a compassionate person with yourself . So in February it's always about , you know , it's Valentine's Day , so it's all like hearts and love and that's all the marketing . And so I'm using that marketing and I'm putting a spin on it and I'm saying , okay , all of that love that you give outwards to your friends , to your family , to your significant other , to your coworkers , to your kids can you give that exact same love to yourself ? And how can you show up and be your own best friend ?

Speaker 1 16:59

And I do have a podcast episode that I shared about this topic a few weeks ago , so you can always scroll back and listen to that episode If you haven't listened to it already . There are some nuggets in here . This is like the deep dive version of that episode . We will be doing some meditation , some breath work , some inner child work , and it's going to be a lot of fun . So that's just the first workshop of the masterclass past . There's going to be like nine more after that and they're going to be on all different topics . We're talking grief , somatic healing , breath work , inner child work , nervous system regulation . It's going to be awesome . So if that interests you , I will put the link in the show notes and send me a DM if you have any questions about that .

Speaker 1 17:49

Okay , and the second offer that I have coming out this is coming out in March . This has been something that I've been working on for what feels like forever , and this is going to be an online resource of all these different audio practices that are about meditation , breath work , nervous system regulation , energy healing , somatic healing . So it's just going to be kind of this like healing playground for your mind , body and soul , and it's going to be set up similar to a paid podcast , so this will be accessible right on your phone all audio practices and this is called the studio . So this is going to be like a super low cost way for you to have access to nervous system regulation practices right in your back pocket . So I am really excited to bring to you this offer . It's going to be just really healing and , because it's so new , it's something that I'm coming out within March .

Speaker 1 18:46

We can also co-create in this offer , like , if you are looking for something in particular , if you're really enjoying one of the practices , if you're looking for more of like a certain to go in a certain direction or a new intention or something like that , you're going to be able to give me that information and I can create something based around that , as long as , of course , it's in my like realm of expertise . But I would even say actually like I could have guest experts in there sharing their practices . So , whatever it is , whatever comes up for you while we're going through this , like co-creation of this offer called the studio , I'm so excited about it . It's something I've been wanting to do forever and it's finally coming to fruition . So it's happening . If you are interested in that , send me a DM . I'll get you on the waitlist . You will be the first to receive information about it and definitely stay tuned because I'll be talking about it more as it comes closer .

Speaker 1 19:41

And then the third offer that I am creating behind the scenes . I have not talked about this yet , and so , basically , you're one of the first people to know perks of being on being a podcast listener and listening to the end of the episode . So here we are . This one is called anxious to embodied , and this is going to be an eight week group program . The first cohort is you know , I'm beta launching this . It's going to be the first time I'm launching . It is going to be pretty intimate , so I'm hoping for like five women as my . Probably it will be small , like a size of that size , a group of that size , I mean and this is going to be four modules and through each module I will be walking you through the exact process of what I did to move from being really , really anxious like 11 out of 10 anxiety , to feeling safe in my body , to being embodied , to being confident and to feeling safe and okay with all of those times that anxiety does arise , being able to have a completely transformed and different relationship to anxiety .

Speaker 1 20:52

The relationship that I have to anxiety now is completely different than the one that I had when I first started my journey . And so anxious to embodied is going to be that exact process of how you move from exactly that being anxious to being embodied , feeling safe in your body , to feeling like you can take up space , to understanding your nervous system , connecting with your inner child , experiencing breathwork , releasing anxiety , understanding where what it is , where it lives in your body all of these things . So it's four modules , it's over the course of eight weeks . It has eight live workshops within the eight weeks and different modules that are dropped on Monday , wednesday and Friday . So there's just so much more information that I'm going to share with you about this .

Speaker 1 21:37

This is probably coming out in April , and so you are again getting first the first to know about this . And so , if this interests you and you want to be in the group program , if you want to join anxious to embodied , send me a message . We'll chat about it , I'll send you all the information and we'll get you all signed up and set . So , if any of these opportunities interest you , so we have the masterclass pass that starts this month in February , on February 21st . We have the studio . This is an online resource that will be going on going throughout the year and that is coming in March . And then we also have a group program called anxious to embodied , and that is the exact process of how I went from feeling 11 out of 10 anxiety to feeling safe in my body , embodied and able to completely transform my relationship to what anxiety looks like in my day to day life . Check out the show notes for any additional information upcoming workshops , upcoming events and how you can get in touch with me to reserve your spot in any of those offers that I just mentioned .

Speaker 1 22:49

So thank you so much as always for tuning into today's episode

Supportive Tips for Reducing Anxiety

Speaker 1 22:54

.

Speaker 1 22:54

I hope that it was helpful for you . I hope these 10 things that you can do if you are feeling anxious is supportive for you and something that you're able to just take with you and incorporate into your day today . So I hope you have an incredible rest of your day and rest of your week and I will talk to you soon . Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode . If you are moved or inspired , please share with me by leaving a reading and review on Apple Podcast . It means the world to me and I am so appreciative for your support in helping my podcast grow . If we aren't already connected on social media , head over to Instagram and TikTok and follow me at Ray the Semetic Coach . Make sure you check out the show notes of today's episode for links to freebies , opportunities to work with me and ways we can stay connected outside of the podcast . I am so happy that you're here and I can now eat to talk with you on our next episode of the Radiant Life Podcast .