Anxiety, as I have learned, has a horrific chain reaction in my body. My anxiety withholds enzymes that break down food, making my stomach hurt. My stomach pain weakens my back which makes my back hurt. My back pain makes me unable to workout which, without those endorphins, makes me depressed. My sad mood makes me anxious. And repeat cycle until you have one miserable Brittney. Upon further reflection, I have to admit I did really well up until this point. I thought all of this would catch up to me much sooner in the "basic training" process. But. Alas. Here we are.
So, why am I sharing the gory details of one of my rougher days?
Because: Bad days happen.
You can do everything right. You can take all the precautions you want, and yet, sometimes, hard days can happen. You can take your medications with diligence, workout daily with fervor, and meditate with consistency... But sometimes, a rough day slips through the cracks of the barrier you've created yourself and it gets you.
And that's okay.
A very wise person told me that in hard times, it's OKAY and even ENCOURAGED to acknowledge each feeling as it comes to you. Shrugging off your bad feelings and tossing them into a pile only creates a larger pile that eventually, you WILL have to face. Don't pretend to be something you aren't (although don't be a giant jerk to everyone around you either.) Treat yourself as the fragile being that you are for a bit. Get the extra shot in your coffee, snuggle your dog for a few extra minutes, and take care of yourself. Once you give those bad feelings the time they demand from you, I've found they have a way of melting away much quicker than they do when you spend your time trying to ignore them.
So today, I'm getting that extra shot in my coffee. I'm going to play an extra few minutes with my pup, and when the time is right, I'm going to kick my anxiety to the curb until next time. Bad days don't last forever.