When I’m doing the two-step avoidance dance, the key is to not turn on myself, which would only fuel the fires of anxiety and depression. Instead, I ask myself this question.
This simple question can be a powerful wellness tool: “What I am avoiding?”; when I start to feel depressed, I get more depressed about being depressed. And when I start to feel those feelings, I get more anxious and I manically scramble to fix it, which only worsens the whole situation. What I've discovered is that self-care and self-soothing all are good and fine to calm and support myself. But there's a missing element that I was overlooking.
Under the left column: dancing in the kitchen to music; listening to my favorite radio station ; winter swimming with my best friend; texting goofy GIFs. Under the avoidance column: bookkeeping ; starting work projects; doing laundry; folding said laundry. I’m always adding to the list.
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