As moms, we HAVE to protect our nervous system more because it impacts our children.
My top favorite 5 activities and reminders to ease anxiety quickly, as a busy mom:
☀️Direct sunshine: increases the release serotonin, a chemical associated with boosting mood, helping you feel calmer and focused. It lowers depressive symptoms (that is why seasonal depression is a thing). So, sit in the sun at least 5-10min a day.
🌊 Nature: especially barefoot. A walk or kid play in nature (beach, lake, mountain, yard, animals...) is antidote for anxiety because it can lower blood pressure and stress levels, reducing the nervous system, enhancing the immune system, reducing anxiety, and improving mood.
🍎Mindful nutrition: Avoiding or minimizing added sugar, processed foods, alcohol and caffeine. These increase cortisol (responsible for stress and anxiety) and spike blood sugar, leading to a crash. Adding magnesium, or zinc rich foods like cashews, beef, and eggs can help lowering anxiety too.
🧘🏼♀️ Mindset work: Meditation, affirmations, therapy, doula, a support group, a chat with a friend... can help slow the racing, anxiety triggering thoughts.
🚫 Set boundaries: Moms are extremely empathetic and vulnerable. The news and social media are plagued with events. Which is good to be informed and help us create change (reaching out to friends impacted, having proper conversations, donating, sharing resources, not tolerating hate...) but, WE NEED TO BE THE ONES WHO DRAW THE LINE. Our nervous system is not meant to consume these types of news on an every-second-basis. Remember, there IS GOOD HAPPENING TOO. Understand when to pause so you don’t reach a mental fatigue, and have the right energy (and some hope alive) to do better, for yourself, your family, and the future of the world.
Other things:
keep physically active
make sleep a priority
identify triggers
socialize