Earlier this week, Susan and I launched the first of our digital downloadable products for the iPad. This is a project we have been working on for months, and we are so excited for it to be live! This is the beginning of a whole new Dream Life Loading. We are providing you with products you can use to create your Dream Life. The first of these products is our Anxiety Management Workbook. This is a two page workbook that you can copy to use daily. This workbook is full of things both Susan and I have been using for years to help manage, understand, and combat anxiety. We’ve taken what helps us and transformed it into an aesthetic, two page workbook you can instantly download for your iPad. The workbook is designed to help you, which means you can use it in whatever ways are best for you and your anxiety. But, if you need inspiration, this is how I use our Anxiety Management Workbook on my iPad.
I am Feeling
I think it’s really important to check-in with yourself daily on how you’re truly feeling. Personally, this allows me to dive into my emotions and begin to understand why I’m feeling the way I am. For this section, I usually write down 3-5 emotions that I’m feeling. But, if you have one emotion that’s taking up your headspace, feel free to just write down one.
Brain Dump
The brain dump is an important piece of any workbook or journal experience. I like to set a 5-minute timer and force myself to write without stopping for the entire time. You’ll be amazed at all the things you end up writing down. Sometimes I write my dinner plan, my daily to-do list, my shopping list, etc. And sometimes I write about things that have been on my mind or things that are bothering me. Whatever you write about, the brain dump is a place for you to let it all out. Let your mind go free and just get it out on the paper!
Worry List
Moving onto page two, we begin with the worry list. This one is hard because it forces you to really face your emotions. The worry list is designed to list out all the things that are worrying you. Usually I begin by writing “I am worried about…” and then I list out everything. It can be one word answers, a sentence, or a paragraph- whatever works for you. I often realize I was holding onto more worry than I even realized. Letting it out onto a non-biased piece of paper feels really good. No, listing out your worries won’t solve all your problems, but it gives you the foundation to be able to tackle them.
I Can Control v. I Will Let Go Of
This section allows you to take what you wrote on your worry list and start to unravel what it means and what you can do about it. Depending on how I’m feeling will depend on how I fill out this section. Sometimes I’ll go top to bottom, and other times I’ll go left to right. When I go top to bottom, I first start by listing off all the things I can control; I write whatever pops in my head first. For example, some of my go-tos are: what music I listen to, who I choose to surround myself with, what I eat for dinner, the way I talk to myself, etc. Then for the second side, I write down the things I will allow myself to stop trying to control. For example: other people’s expectations, negative self talk, and outside expectations.
Other times, I will use the tool as a way to reframe my thoughts by going left to right. I’ll think of a situation that I’m trying to control: first I’ll write down what I can control related to the situation, then I’ll let the rest go. If I’m really stuck on certain situations or scenarios, using the tool this way can help to relieve a lot of that anxiety I’m holding onto.
Instead of Feeling, I Will Feel
This section is all about reframing your thoughts. I use this section to turn negatives into positives. For every negative thought you have, write it down and replace it with a positive one. The two don’t even have to be complete opposites of each other- as long as you’re acknowledging the negative thought and giving it a positive replacement. Some of my favorites are: instead of feeling anxious I will feel productive, and instead of feeling stuck I will feel grateful. It’s a nice way to train your brain to fill your mind with the positive things you can focus on.
Action Plan
This is the place where you take all the work you’ve done over the last page and a half and make a plan for yourself. Now that you’ve detailed out what you’re feeling and why you’re feeling that way, what can you tackle today? Sometimes this is something as simple as taking time to read at the end of your day. Other times maybe you want to do something big like plan a time to talk with someone you trust. Make goals for yourself in this section to address the things that you can control. Don’t let your hard work go to waste: take those emotions and figure out ways to address them. A lot of times, the key to managing anxiety is being honest with yourself and not bottling up your emotions.
I Am Grateful For
This is something absolutely everyone can benefit from. We always have things we can be grateful for. I love ending the workbook with this because it allows you to step away thinking about all you have to be grateful for, and you can hold onto that positivity. This doesn’t have to be difficult- just list out the first 3 things that come to mind when you think about what you’re grateful for. Allow those feelings of gratitude to carry you through your day instead of the anxious ones.
No matter how you choose to use your Anxiety Management Workbook, we hope this is a tool that can assist you in not only managing your anxiety, but learning to overcome it. If you can take 10-15 minutes of your day to understand why you’re feeling the way you do, you will be giving yourself the love and skills to get a handle on your anxiety, instead of allowing your anxiety to have a handle on you.
You can shop our brand new Anxiety Management Workbook for the iPad here: dreamlifeloading.etsy.com.
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