PP 287: An Episode for Those with Anxiety

Kim Sutton Welcome back to the positive productivity podcast. I wanted to come on and have a conversation with you today that I’ve been having on a lot of other podcasts I have been guesting on. And that conversation is about anxiety. Now, I’ve never really gotten into it on the positive productivity podcast. But in late 2015, I started dealing with anxiety. And it humbled me a bit, and I’ll tell you why in just a moment. I had never experienced anxiety before in my life. And just in the several months before I started experiencing it, my stepdaughter was experiencing it and I was casting it off as teenage angst. I couldn’t understand why she couldn’t snap out of the crappy mood she was in, pardon my mouth. And I honestly thought she was full of just a lot of drama. Looking back now, I see that that was completely unfair, especially considering I have dealt with my fair share of anxiety ever since. For those of you listeners who have never dealt with anxiety, I want to ask you, kindly, do not judge people who are dealing with anxiety, especially if you have never experienced it before. I’m embarrassed now looking back at how I looked down upon my stepdaughter. Because as I already said, I did just think it was teenage angst. And I didn’t understand especially considering I’m usually such a positive person. Why she can’t just think happy thoughts and get out of it. But anxiety is a beast, unlike any other. For those of you listeners who have dealt with anxiety, I want you to know that I’m sending you out huge hugs and a prayer that anxiety will pass you by today and hopefully never come back again. Between the end of 2015 and mid 2016, my anxiety got ridiculously out of control. As soon as I stepped out of bed in the morning, it felt like the vines were climbing up my legs until they got to my neck, and it felt like they were strangling me. My anxiety would suffocate me to the point where I just felt like I could not breathe, or move for that matter. And some days, I would just go back into bed and pull the covers over my head hoping that my anxious thoughts would disappear. While the early on thought of my anxiety was, I believe, precipitated by the fact that I wasn’t sleeping, except for two or three hours a night. It has not completely gone away since I made a drastic life change in mid 2016. As you can imagine, as a mom of five and the primary breadwinner in my home, there is a lot of stress that comes along with my life. And I’m sure that you, as my listeners have stress in your everyday life too. Despite the fact that I’m sleeping more and taking better care of myself. There are just those times where it feels like any of the struggles and stresses that we are experiencing in my house or that I am experiencing in my business, they all seem to get all balled up like a big avalanche coming down a mountain. And then they plow into me, putting me in just a little bit over the edge. My brain starts going crazy and I start feeling short of breath. And then the anxiety kicks in. The anxiety brings on thoughts of doubt, wondering if I’m doing enough in this or that. And if you’re the same as me, I want you to know that we can only do what we can do. I know this is a lot easier said than done. And sometimes our anxious thoughts get the best of us. But the most important thing to remember, especially when we’re dealing with anxiety is that we are not alone. We can take deep breaths. We can try to take a nap. We can take a bath or we can exercise or we can do any other number of things. Sometimes the anxiety will go away and sometimes it won’t. But I want to encourage you if you have done nothing else then to reach out to your loved ones and get the mental support that you need. I know some days just a big giant bear hug from my husband will relieve such a tremendous lot of that pressure. And while some days my anxiety is caused by what feels like a deficient amount of funds. We can’t always be working ourselves into the ground. We need to know when it’s time to step away, and enjoy the other parts of our life, no matter how anxious our mind is. I know sometimes I’ll just get away from my desk and watch a Disney movie with my kids. And for that hour and a half to two hours, I feel relief. And I want you all to feel that same type of relief. I’m not saying that all anxiety is going to be managed by napping or deep breaths or exercise or watching a Disney movie for that sake. But we have to find what we can do to manage our anxiety and try to get our positive thoughts back in order. Anxiety is not a fictional made up condition, and neither is depression. And despite this being the positive productivity podcast, sometimes I know that no matter how hard we try, we just might not be able to get into a positive stress free mood. I totally get that. This was something that I didn’t get just a few short years ago. But I want you to know, especially if you’re dealing with anxiety that I get it now. And again, if you are dealing with anxiety right now, you have a big virtual hug coming your way. I would love to know how you have managed your anxiety if you’re open and willing to share. And if you are willing to share, please head on over to thekimsutton.com/pp287 and leave a comment below in the show notes. Now, I do want to add that when all else fails, one of the methods I use to combat my own anxiety is actually CBD oil. In Episode 284, I shared that I had been a smoker for 15 years. And while I did stop smoking, I do currently vape. I know you can be thinking shameful thoughts of me if you wish. But I’m always transparent as you know. CBD oil is legal in Ohio, and I’ll put a few drops into my vape and it’s amazing how the anxiety will lessen almost immediately. CBD oil unfortunately is not legal everywhere. And I know even in some countries of Europe, it is not yet legal. But if you are running out of ideas for how to combat your own anxiety, and CBD oil is legal in your area, I do want to encourage you to try it. I am not a medical professional, so if you are considering hurting or harming yourself in some way, please contact the medical authorities. You have so many amazing gifts inside of you. And even just getting out and sharing about your own struggles with anxiety, you may be able to have a huge impact on the world. Anxiety is not something that we should be ashamed of. It’s not something that we need to hide in a dark closet. And it is not something that we need to feel like we are combating alone. Again, while I am not a medical professional, I want you to know that I am always here to lend a listening ear. And you’re welcome at any time to visit thekimsutton.com and either send a message through the chat box or click on Ask Kim to send me a message. All your messages will always be treated with complete confidentiality. You deserve to know and you deserve to have someone that you can reach out to. So even if it is not me, I encourage you to go elsewhere and find that one person that you can talk to about your anxiety if you are experiencing it. Now with all this said, I want you to go forth and make it a positive and productive day.