How to Manage Anxiety with Gratitude and Mindfulness

"You can't be anxious and grateful at the same time" - Rachel Hollis

If you've followed my retraining my brain series you'll see that I learnt to start each morning with gratitude. I'm thankful for my snoring husband, my cat that always sleeps by my side, my warm apartment, my financial situation that allows me to just relax on the weekend and my friends whose messages I eagerly respond to because I fell asleep mid conversation. Life can be so beautiful when you stop and think about all the blessings you've been given.

Now, I know it's easy to show gratitude when everything is coming up Milhouse. When everything is going your way and the sun is shining. But what do you do on those dark days? How do you be thankful for your life when you just want to hide under the covers, order Uber Eats and ignore the word and its existence? Well, I'll tell you what you do. You take a page out of one of my heroes books, Rachel Hollis.

Rachel is an American public speaker that has spearheaded a movement to empower women. Working women. Mommies. Wives. Single ladies. Millennials. Gen X's and even Boomers. She wants all women to dig deep and release their inner power. Rachel's podcast, Rise, interviews women who have climbed the ladder in business and carved out a place for themselves in the market. It's pretty amazing stuff and really lights a fire in your heart. One of the other topics she covers is her battle with anxiety. I love how open and candid Rachel talks about her struggles and the methods she took to push through when her anxiety told her she had nothing left. One of the most awe inducing things that she said was: "you can't be anxious and grateful at the same time". Y'all my mind exploded at that moment. It was as if this formula of the universe was being laid out in front of me.

Let's break this down - 

* Anxiety is worrying about the future. How will it turn out? What do I have to do to not fail? Am I going to be enough?

* Showing gratitude is all about existing and appreciating where you are right now. It's acknowledging everything that you are and deciding that you are complete and whole and that your goals are attainable, even if currently out of reach.

You can't have one foot in the future and simultaneously be fully present.

I'm not saying it's as easy as 'oh I'll just be fully present then. Thanks Sussan, goodnight'. Being fully present takes time and practice and conscious effort to wrangle your self talk.

Looking to start small? Start a gratitude journal. Each night before bed I write down three things I'm grateful for. They aren't always big things, sometimes it's as simple as seeing the leaves get caught up in the wind on my daily walk. Each time I write in my journal I go back a few pages and read old entries. I see proof written in my handwriting that I was happy. I am blessed. I had a great time with family, friends, my partner or a great time on my own. It's my own book of happiness.