SCALE BACK YOUR WORRY
Use the power of numbers in your journal to assess your emotions and move towards calm, says coach and author Jackee Holder
Use the power of numbers in your journal to assess your emotions and move towards calm, writes coach and author Jackee Holder
LAST WEEK, I STOOD BEHIND A WOMAN IN the supermarket who took several long moments to wipe down most of the surface area of her trolley, compared with the split second I took to sanitise mine. A few days later, I overheard a conversation where the person was explaining how they had to find a builder for a project, despite having a close family member who is experienced in that trade and usually does building work for them. Their relative had not left the house since we first went into lockdown because of their overwhelming fear of Covid. Anxiety can be subtle – or glaringly obvious.
If you are struggling, one way to check in with how you are feeling is to use scaling. Let’s take a scale of 1-10, where 1 reflects that you have experienced social anxiety or mild forms of anxiety over the past year, and 10 reflects the opposite – that you are feeling positive and confident. As a starting point, how would you rate your anxiety levels pre- and post-covid? Then, say you rated yourself as a 3 on the scale, even though it is down the lower end of the scale, what are you doing right now to ensure that you are a 3 and not a 1? Take time to intentionally name and write down the things you are doing that ease your anxiety and help you achieve that healthier 3. Highlight how they contribute to alleviating your worry even in small ways, which could be so easily overlooked and forgotten.
The first important thing is to make a note by writing down what’s working and, secondly, to make a conscious plan to do more of what works on a regular basis. We know from research that memory retention is higher when we write using paper and pen compared with typing on a keyboard. Writing down your reasons for feeling better can make all the difference to whether you repeat them, while anxiety thrives on vagueness and generalisations.
In a digital world, going analogue slows down the racing thoughts that accompany anxiety. Working with numbers can be a simple way of easing yourself into exploring emotions and feelings, especially during those moments when you feel blank or unsure. Numerous studies continue to emphasise the ways that journalling helps strengthen your immune system, improves the quality of your sleep and lowers blood pressure – all physical ailments and side effects of rising anxiety in our constantly changing world.
This month, if you want to get to grips with harmful habits and develop new, more helpful ones that calm your anxious thoughts, I recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear (Cornerstone, £16.99). Clear’s clarity, brevity and precision is remarkable and insightful.
jackeeholder.com; @jackeeholderinspires