Small Steps.

Creating small steps to conquer the day

Take deep breaths: When my anxiety and panic attacks were really bad, I would wake up panicking and I mean in the middle of the night I would wake up sweating, breathing fast, to my head to my toes my body felt like it was on fire. I had to really calm myself down by taking deep breaths and drinking a glass of cold water to shock my body. Eventually my body and mind would calm down. I remember this happening two or three times a year to a regular occasion of happening twice a week.

Set an alarm or two:

I know this sounds the obvious but I set alarms to help me get ready in the morning:

Alarm One: Would be for getting up and getting ready, being dyslexic if I was rushing in the morning it would frazzle my brain even before I would get to work and this would affect me all day.

Alarm Two: Would be an half hour alarm before I would need to leave the house this would give me a little warning also I don't know if it is a dyslexic thing but I struggle to know how long things take and the concept of time. Also this has a title on the alarm to remember to take my medication.

Alarm Three: Time to get ready to leave the house, yes it does take 15 mins even through I am dressed and ready to go there is probably one thing I struggle to find like key cars and my shoes which I never remember where I put them!

Being ready in the morning has really helped me get by throughout the day, sometimes I don't need all the alarms but if my brain is in panic station it is a great way get ready step by step.

Bedtime routine:

If you are like me and work in a high-stress environment where you are dealing with people's traumas, it is vital that you have a good bedtime routine. I started to have baths with lavender bath salts to help my mind and body to relax. This was essential for me to wind down and get into my night clothes afterwards.

In my Christian faith, I have got books that have daily encouragement bible verses and thoughts of the day and this helps me to settle my mind.