A Poem About Thriving In Anxious Times
There’s no doubt that we’re living in anxious times. The news of each day seems more frightening than the day before. The worst-case scenarios look almost inevitable. There is fear in the air and peace of mind is hard to find.
I know this place well.
For many people, this coronavirus pandemic is the first time they’ve experienced the worry and dread of anxiety. For me, this has been my reality for the past 17 years as I’ve attempted to thrive through anxiety.
For much of my life, I felt like the first and second rules of dealing with anxiety were like Fight Club — you don’t talk about it. But in a country where more than 18% of Americans deal with anxiety a year and at a time when most of the world is learning to push through the nervousness, fear, and uncertainty of life under COVI-19 lockdowns, I thought it might be time to share some of the strategies I’ve developed to help navigate the angst and uneasiness.
I wrote this in a prose format because #poet. I hope it brings encouragement in these uncertain times.
- Breathe
It’s no wonder that the first thing anxiety steals is your breath
You feel it quicken but never stay
The air in the rooms feels thin and not enough
If you cannot breathe, it’s impossible to think straight,
Much less calm down.
So, start by connecting with your breath
Push down the shoulders
Release the tension in your neck,
The lump in your throat
Focus on nothing else but the in-HOLD, out-HOLD of deep breathing
Let your lungs know that there’s more where that came from
Remind your heart that you will make it through this moment together.
2. Sleep
When rest is needed most
is when it’s most lacking
The days blur into evening
And into daylight
And back into nighttime again
And your mind
Is still
Racing
Filled with an endless list of worries
And so many tasks left to do
It is tempting to finish just one more thing
To watch one more mindless show
To sit and stare, helpless out of the darkening window,
But I beg you,
Sleep
Allow the heaviness of your eyes to overtake you
Let the quiet of sleep be your comfort
There will be time to tackle the giants in the morning
But tonight, give yourself some rest.
3. Cancel Everything (aka finding community in the age of social distancing)
Cancel everything
Cancel everything but community
Close every place
Close up every door but the one that leads to kindness
Turn off the alerts from news and social media
Silence the panic-inciting mob
But never
Never
Never
Cancel love
Community kills anxiety
A calming word breeds peace
So, let the aching thud in your heart
Drive you to seek new and deeper ways of connecting
Send a letter
Call a long lost friend
Leave a bouquet of sunflowers on a doorstep
Keep your distance for as long as they tell us to
But always leave the door to your heart open
4. Practice Gratitude
I’ll admit it
It is bad.
I trust my mind,
My nerve,
The gift of anxiety enough to know that sometimes it is as bad as it seems.
That the chest is tight for a reason
It is wisdom for the body to protect itself
But that is only part of the story
Today
Just now
And now
And now
A baby was born
A relationship once thought to be irreparable has been saved
There is much to worry about in this life
But there are even more reasons to say Halleluja
Thank you, Abba, Yahweh, Allah for this day
For this moment
And this one
And this one
For now
Connect to the heart of gratitude
Meditate on what remains after the flood.
Remind yourself that all is not yet lost.
