As I’m making progress in my recovery from whatever was making me ill (at this point I’m pretty sure it was a combination of age-related hormone changes + a walloping case of anxiety about what was going on with my body), I’m mindful of wanting to give thanks for all the love and support I’ve received from family and friends. When you’re anxious and scared, it’s easy to feel like you’re all alone. Even though there were times when I felt pretty awful over the past two months, I never felt alone…so a BIG THANK YOU for being there for me!
For those of you who might struggle with anxiety as well, or are just curious to know what’s helped me so far, I’m happy to share. I see this recovery as an ongoing journey – one that will ultimately make me stronger, healthier, (and hopefully) wiser and more compassionate along the way.
In addition to my new ritual of daily meditation (I like to do my meditation just before breakfast), I’ve also done daily yoga sessions on Youtube with this wonderful teacher. Getting outdoors for exercise in the sunshine and fresh air has also worked wonders.
Since our minds have an uncanny ability to sabotage our best intentions at times, I’ve also found it helpful to keep furthering my reading on meditation and mindfulness practice. My book pile above currently includes the following titles:
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway – Susan Jeffers, Ph.D
Timeless Truths for Modern Mindfulness – Arnie Koza, Ph.D
Breathe: The Well-Being Special
(Not pictured, but also incredibly helpful have been the following two books: Minding the Body, Mending the Mind – Joan Borysenko, Ph.D, and, The Upward Spiral – Alex Korb, Ph.D)
XOX – Joana
Glad you are feeling better, Joana! Some resources I highly recommend to my clients that might also be helpful to you: Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score and Kristin Neff’s work on self-compassion. She has written several books on the topic and has a really useful website: http://www.self-compassion.org with all sorts of great mindfulness meditations and other exercises.
Hi Marta,
Yes, I’m definitely feeling like I’m on the mend. Some of the weight is coming back on and my mood has really improved. Yay! I just book-marked Kristin Neff’s site and will also check out Bessel van der Kolk’s book. Thank you so much for letting me know about both.🙂
I love you lots and hope you have a wonderful V-Day today.
xox – Your Sister
On Tue, Feb 13, 2018 at 6:08 PM, JOANA MIRANDA STUDIO wrote:
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Sorry to hear you were under the weather and happy to hear that you are on the mend… I can certainly relate since I suffer from anxiety as well… You have to be strong to survive this world, not easy… What you are doing is a step in the right direction… I wish you well and take care of yourself❗️
Thanks so much, Denise! I’m sorry to hear that you, too, suffer from anxiety. Know that I’m with you and am sending all my love and support for your anxious times, too.
And Happy Valentine’s Day! Hope you have a wonderful day filled with lots of love (and maybe some chocolate?)
All best wishes, Joana
On Tue, Feb 13, 2018 at 7:38 PM, JOANA MIRANDA STUDIO wrote:
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Glad to hear you’re feeling better!
Thanks, Helen! I’m very glad to be feeling better. It was a scary time so I’m committed to keeping on doing the meditating and mindful work in case I have an “attack” again.
Happy Valentine’s Day, my dear! Thanks for being such a loyal fan and friend. 🙂
xox – Joana
On Tue, Feb 13, 2018 at 10:23 PM, JOANA MIRANDA STUDIO wrote:
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