By Petra Victoria
We all have days, situations, moods and sometimes nothing specific at all, that cause us to worry. And at times, it can be quite difficult to climb back out of that black hole. Whatever it is, I promise you, you will be okay. In the meantime, here are a few pieces of advice that I've accumulated over the years that have helped me and that hopefully can help you too on days when your brain needs a little hug.
1- Close your eyes or take a soft focus and take deep, steadying breaths. Concentrate on the way each breath feels as your chest, stomach and back expand and relax. Count your number of inhales and exhales. It often appeases my mind to imagine my inhalations as one colour, spreading all the way from my core down to the tips of my fingers and toes, farther and brighter with each inhale; and my exhalations as a different colour, shrinking and dimming as my body expels them.
2- Visualize a place that makes you feel calm and safe, it does not need to be real. For example, I love to swim, it is when I feel the most free. So my calm place is me floating on warm, crystal blue waters, carried weightlessly high above white sands and sparkly shells, maybe even with a few harmless stingrays soaring around me, gazing up into a baby blue sky, finding shapes in the clouds. And I remind myself that this place exists within me. And I am safe. Find yours.
3- Practice gratitude. Thinking of things that you are grateful for is a wonderful way to remember what an amazing life you live and how very lucky you are. It often puts things into perspective, making you realize that you don't need to worry this much. Regardless of how this interview goes, the people that love you will still and always will love you. No matter if this date sucks, you will still have eyes that can read books and see colours and watch your favourite movies. Even if you have a difficult first day at your new job, you will still have these lovely legs that can take you different places every day. And stars to gaze at and animals
to love and songs to sing.
Even if things don't go exactly as you have planned in that marvelous mind of yours, this world is still pretty great. And you can make new plans tomorrow. And with each one that doesn't go quite the way you expect it to, it will get a little easier to enjoy this unpredictable ride. Why don't you try listing 3 things right now that you are grateful for, and see how you feel.