Adulting with Anxiety: How Thankfulness Helps Me Combat Anxiety...

The longer I live, the more opportunities I have to find answers to my problems. Plain and simple (I warned in an earlier post that sometimes I will focus on the plain and simple.) It’s part of the joys of aging and can be incredibly satisfying. Especially when it comes to anxiety. I’m sharing my journey as I work, day by day, to be fully victorious over anxiety.

I want to share with you that with each passing day, I get a better understanding for coping with anxiety.

Some days, I make giant leaps of progress. Other days, I take steps back. One thing that has helps me move forward is thankfulness.

I know, it can really sound so cliché: be thankful. I see it all over – on notebooks, mugs, pillows, prints – and since it is “all over”, it’s easy to just gloss over such helpful life advice.

BUT, I have found that taking time to mentally list 10 things I’m thankful for is incredibly therapeutic. First thing in the morning, or last thing at night, it’s like taking a sword in my hand and jabbing anxiety in my mind, and poking it down to a smaller size. Because when I’ve just listed out what I’m thankful for, anxiety can creep my way, but I can fight it with:

Yes, but your colleague baked a muffin for you.

Yes, but the sun is finally shining today, reminding you of amazing past summers.

Yes, but you got a fun note from your friend, proving you are important to someone.

Yes, but that stranger let you go in line ahead of them.

Does my list of 10 solve all my problems? Of course not! But the short burst of 10 positive thoughts really brings a positive presence to my mind. They say you can’t fight fire with fire, but I firmly believe you can fight harmful thoughts with other powerful thoughts. And thankful thoughts? Very powerful.