Well…this post is going live better late than never, you know? Ha. If you follow me over on IG then you know I spent most of Sunday at urgent care because I had a pretty awful anxiety attack on Halloween night. I’ve never experienced anything like that EVER and I actually thought that I had COVID and that I was going to die – so fun, right?! Turns out all my vitals were fine, I tested negative for COVID (thank GOD) and the doctors basically just feel like the weight of everything going on right now (COVID, the election, BLM, etc.) was weighing down on me so much that my body and mind just couldn’t take it.
Things Making Me Happy: 11.2.20
I have to say, Saturday night was a REAL wakeup call for me; apparently I’m so affected by the world around me that I felt tightness in my chest (which then resulted in me needing an EKG!), a headache like I’ve never experienced before, and the sweatiest palms you could possibly imagine (gross but kind of funny?).
I think my lesson for this week (and the weeks to come) is not to NOT CARE, because I will always care, but to stop the doom scrolling and the fact that I was almost kind of seeking out (?) negative news.
It feels like I was almost addicted to reading all the horrible things going on around me and that’s not good for anyone, but especially not for a “sensitive” like me. Here’s what I’m doing to change things up:
- No more doom scrolling (I’m going to set a 10-minute timer every night for me to read the news and that is IT.
- I deleted Twitter and I turned off alert notifications for the Citizen app. Sorry, but I don’t need to know about a stabbing 2 miles away from me; It only freaks me out and it’s not for my own protection.
- Sober November: I had actually planned on doing this a few weeks ago (inspired by my friend Gaby’s Sober October), but now that I had this anxiety attack I know not drinking for a bit will only help me feel better and less anxious.
What are some of your tips for curbing anxiety?
I’d love tips and tricks in the comments below!
American Girl doll Halloween Costumes
I mean. Halloween costumes in general gave me anxiety this year…mostly because I assumed that if someone went all out on their costume, that meant they were definitely going to a Halloween PARTY. That said, I don’t know what Carly did so I’m going to assume she did this for the ‘gram, and I LOVE it. I had a Samantha Parkington doll growing up and I begged (seriously begged) my parents for this costume. They always said no, and rightly so (I believe it was around $200), but now I’m v. jealous and will be searching eBay immediately.
Image: @Carly
A Black Flame candle
Speaking of Halloween, I know it’s officially over but I bought this Black Flame candle (circa Hocus Pocus – if you know, you know) on Etsy a few weeks ago and I am very into it. This is pretty much as far as I go for Halloween decor, but it’s just the amount of a Halloween reminder that I need. Oh, and I love that you actually get to choose the scent of the candle (they’re all hand-poured soy candles). I went for Pumpkin Spice Cake because I’m the most basic of bitches.
November 1st Christmas Decor
Any other year I’d be the legit first person to roll my eyes at this. Like, “guys, it’s ONE DAY after Halloween…get a life.” But not this year! This year I say GO FOR IT. If Christmas or Hanukkah decorations make you happy, do it. Go all out. Whatever is going to put a smile on your face as we close this dumpster fire of a year, 2020.
Image: @Snooki
The New York Times election Distractor
My friend Rachel sent me this “election distractor” earlier today and I can honestly say it put a smile on my face. After my anxiety attack on Halloween night, I’m trying to focus more on things like this and, let’s be honest, the internet has plenty of happy things to look at if you actually focus on finding them.
The Big Activity Book for Anxious People, by Jordan Reid
I’ve talked about this book before but, obviously, it’s more relevant this week than ever before. The book itself is “part journal, part coloring book. Part weird coping mechanisms, and part compendium of soothing facts,” as they call it. There’s even a page on the “soothing facts” about hand sanitizer! When I saw that, I thought to myself “is Jordan a witch? It’s like she and her co-author wrote this with Coronavirus in mind!” And now, of course, it’s getting me through election week and my post anxiety attack stress.
Also, you can listen to Jordan on my podcast, A Little Too Much, HERE.
Image: @RamshackleGlam
