Food for Thought
GOBBLE GOBBLE BITCHES! Helloooo all my little turkeys and Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you’re all feeling *thankful, grateful, blessed* I didn’t expect to write a post today, but the holidays can come with A LOT of stresses and cause some unusually high anxiety for some peeps. I just want to offer some Thanksgiving Thots on what y’all can do to calm TF down and eat some pie.
This advice is also for when someone texts you - like “ugh just feeling like I’m getting really anxious.” DO BETTER than just responding with “aww I’m sorry, let me know if there’s anything I can do.” BARF - I mean no one who has really bad anxiety or is on the verge of an attack is going to text back and ask for some guidance lol wishful thinking. SO what can we do to be a more reliable ~thxgivin’ thot~ ? (see what I did there?) LEMME TELL YA.
If someone calls or texts you about some anxious thoughts they’re having, and they aren’t in a full blown attack, try and ask what is the main thing on their mind that’s causing the anxious thoughts. This helps them redirect their mind from anxiety to thinking “ok what is going on in my head?” When they tell you - don’t just dismiss it as something that isn’t worth being worked up over…news flash WE ALREADY KNOW THAT. That’s one of the most frustrating things about anxiety - we already know that it’s usually ridiculous. INSTEAD, acknowledge the issue at hand, then don’t dwell on it. Begin to help ground them. Ask them what they’re doing. Are they sitting or standing? Are they alone or with people? What do they taste in their mouth? What do they feel beneath their feet? What do they hear around them? What can they feel with their hands? This technique brings the person out of their minds and back to the present room and time. I then try and make a little joke about something they said because I’m wiTtY. (LOL) But, the next thing to do is just help them focus on their breathing.
NOW I’m not saying this always works and it might not be for everyone. It works well for me and I’ve found that it has helped some people in my life. And it’s important to note - if someone is having a full blown panic attack, they’re not going to be able to answer questions - because you know…of the panic. (sry not the right time for jokes lol) If they’re hyperventilating or crying, get them to control their breathing, and then ground them! Or honestly - if you don’t want to try that, sometimes an anxious person just wants to have someone talk to them. It helps take them out of their head.
SO - now that we’re all licensed psychologists - we can get on with our holidays knowing how to be a ~helpful ho ho ho~ (I’ll see myself out) BUT - jokes aside, all we can really do at the end of the day is be a shoulder our loved ones can cry on or lean on or whatever the saying is. JUST BE THERE. - if you can be - self love first boo. Ugh now I’m ranting…idk just offering some FOOD FOR THOUGHT. HAHA I was waiting to use it. ok sry have a great Thanksgiving :’)
