With the holidays in full swing, many who are prone to Anxiety feel it’s full effects this time of year. Seasonal anxiety also known as (SAD) or seasonal affective disorder can be characterized by feelings of overwhelm, stress, depression and panic. Over 10 million Americans suffer every year from seasonal anxiety. Some of the contributing factors are colder temperatures, less sunlight, which can cause our body’s natural rhythms to fall out of sync., and additional stress from holiday shopping and family gatherings. Women tend to be more prone to seasonal anxiety with an estimated 60% to 90%. Depression seems to be the key symptom. Other symptoms can include sleeping longer hours and having a harder time waking up in the morning as well as a noticeable change in eating habits such as craving sugary and starchy foods which creates even more problems.
Moving Past the Wintertime Blues
Fortunately, anxiety and depression don’t have to dominate your life during the winter. I’d like to share with you 3 Simple Tips to help with seasonal anxiety.
First, be conscious of what emotion is yours and what is not. I have found that those who suffer with anxiety are often empaths. They often take on the emotion of others around them as their own. This causes overwhelm, depression and anxiety as well as full on panic attacks. By daily checking in on what emotion is yours and what is not, you can release a lot of stress. So simply ask the question, Is what I am feeling mine? If not, ask who’s it is and be willing to release it. A quick and easy visualization that you can do is to simply close your eyes and imagine what the emotion looks like that you have taken upon yourself from others, see it sitting on your skin. See it’s color and texture and name who it belongs to. Then simply take your hand and brush it off and have the intention of returning it to sender with love. Some affirmations to help are: I easily release what is not mine. I create healthy boundaries so that I can bless and help others. I am clear and conscious of my own emotion. I make space for more good to enter my life.
The second tip is to reduce stress and triggers with peaceful rituals or more self-care. Stress is a major trigger to seasonal anxiety with holiday shopping and expectations, so adding in some additional calming activities can make all the difference. One of my daily rituals during the holidays it to put on calming essential oils. Some of my favorite oils to promote feelings of calm and peace include wild orange essential oil, lavender essential oil and Balance essential oil. Other peaceful activities can include taking time to bundle up and go for a walk-in nature or take a bath with Epsom salts and some essential oils to release toxins and relax.
My last tip is to protect yourself from the negativity of others and to fill yourself with more light. A simple and easy tool to use to protect yourself from the negative energy of others is called The Zip UP. Simply take your hand and start at your pubic bone as if you were zipping up a coat and run it up the center of your body to your bottom lip, then twist your fingers and lock it. I learned this technique from Donna Eden, and it really works!! I also feel like you can repel the negativity and emotion of others more easily if you are full of light yourself. This can be as easy as saying a prayer and asking for more light, forgiving others, and taking time to read wholesome books that infuse your soul with light and knowledge.
You will be surprised how these 3 Simple Tips can make a big difference in reducing seasonal anxiety. To further your progress and release specifics to your Seasonal Anxiety, book an email session with Tara here.
