This One's For the Girls: A Tool for Anxiety and Aunt Flo

Sorry men, but you are going to want to stop reading right. about. now.

Seriously. You don't want to keep reading.

I've heard that your anxiety can worsen depending on your menstruation cycle. I never really put much thought into it until today when I was using a site that I normally use for fertility purposes. It's called My Monthly Cycles. Its a really cool website that has a lot of free features as well as premium services if you are interested. I used it to help get pregnant with my first baby. You can track you period cycles, it will let you know when you are ovulating and fertile, and the part I want to talk about today- you can also track your menstrual symptoms. It has a list of symptoms you may feel- nausea, headache, moodiness, ANXIETY, and more with a radial button to list how light or severe the symptoms are. The idea behind this is that over time of logging in a few period cycles, it will begin to predict what symptoms you may experience in the future. So if at the beginning of your cycle if you are really moody, tired, and have some crying spells, it will let you know when your next cycle will start and those symptoms you will have so YOU CAN PREPARE. I say this, because it has the option of choosing your anxiety levels during the month as well. How cool is that?!? Over time, it can tell you when you are most likely to be anxious, allowing you time to prepare for any rough days that lie ahead.

Even if you only want to use this to track your anxiety and nothing else, I think that would still work. I think this is such a great tool to keep in our back pockets.

Enjoy!

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Warning: An Anxiety Free Post

I don't usually do this, but today's post has absolutely nothing to do with anxiety whatsoever. It does however, have to do with keeping New Year's Resolutions, and one that I kept for 2009. I mentioned earlier how I wanted to display more of my photography in my home and so I created a photo wall. Some of you asked to see pictures. So here you go:

The wall vinyl says "We do not remember days, we remember moments."

Being the perfectionist I am, I can't just show this to you without all of the buts and disclaimers. It's not entirely finished. As I mentioned I still need to fill up the last canvas of a close up of my husband. Also, I need to get better hook ups for the back so they will stay level. Currently they move a lot and look crooked. The family pic in the middle isn't my favorite, but its the only recent one that we have. Since there are only 3 of us it is a little redundant, so as we have more children I will swap some out for pictures of them, and I would like to get some nice pictures of our pets for one of them as well. I couldn't stick to a theme of all black and white, or all color, or all sepia because each picture looks best in a certain way and so I decided to just mix it up so that I could showcase my favorite pictures how they look best.

Just so you can see how it relates to the room.

If you want to know how I did it- instead of paying $150 for each print to be turned into canvas prints, I had shutterfly send me the 16 X 20 prints. I used craft paint to paint the sides of the canvases (black, brown, or cream to match the picture) and then I modge- podged the prints onto the canvases. I didn't modge-podge the tops of the prints, only to glue the print to the canvas. Then I sanded the sides of the prints to make it look a little more worn and to make them fit better. This process cost only about $30 for each which is much better for my budget. (I got the canvases all at half prince at my local Hobby Lobby).

I edited all of the pictures myself, but only took the ones without me in them of my daughter and hubby. My coworker and friend and my hubby took the others.

If you have done anything similar to this or have a way to show us your finished resolutions from last year, leave a link in your comments so we can check it out!

Thanks for looking!

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New Year's Resolutions

Every year when January 1st rolls around I have a whole list of resolutions for every aspect of my life. I guess its the perfectionist in me, as there is a never ending list in my head as to how I can improve. Then, as long as I actually complete one resolution, I am happy. Its sort of fail safe.


Last year one of my resolutions was to display some of my pictures that I take in my home. I came up with a photo wall of 9 16 X 20 canvas prints that I love. I have one left that I need to still fill of my hubby (getting him to do a photo shoot of only him will be a miracle). But it was a lot of work and took a long time to accumulate the photos and put it all together. So I am happy.


This year, I want to do a lot more for my home. Turning my house into a home kinda stuff. I have my toe dipped into so many little ventures, I would like to take one of them and run with it. Turn it into something bigger. As for my health, I have a lot of ideas for the site, but I haven't made any real goals for myself. I am still trying to master the once a week yoga. The holidays kinda took me off of that one, whoops!


I have spiritual goals and family goals, but they too come with roadblocks that make it hard. And I've decided I don't want to put too much pressure on myself. Make life simpler so as not to get so overwhelmed. So I think the simplest way for me this year is to sum all of my goals into one mission statement if you will:


To spend my time with people that I love, doing activities that I love, that make myself and my family happy.

Remembering that will help me to stay focused on where I should be.

Any New Year's Resolutions for you?

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It's Official- the Shop is OPEN!

I just wanted to announce that I have posted some fun necklaces or pendants for sale at the new Reality of Anxiety Shop! You can see the widget on the top left side of the blog, or you can get there by clicking here. I only posted 4 items so far so I can get an idea of how much interest there is before I go all crazy and bust a ton more out. Although I do have some that are already made that I haven't posted that say "Bring It On" "I Can" and "Calm".


I don't want to just have necklaces, so I can do any of them as pendants as well that you can use for a keychain, a phone accessory, etc.

Also, I have been toying with the idea of creating customized journals as well. Journaling was the first thing I did to try to cope with the anxiety. I carried that thing around with me everywhere and flipped through the pages for references all the time. I listed my affirmations and important things I wanted to remember when not by my computer or not at home with all of my books. I am a crazy scrapbooker and so I may put some of it to use in the future.


As I've mentioned before, everything can be customized to say whatever you would like including names, phrases, and dates. Just let me know!

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Happy New Year!

I know I am a few days late, but I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year from our family to yours! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday and have a promising outlook for Twenty Ten.

This past year of the Reality of Anxiety has been greater than I ever imagined and mostly because of you all. You truly are the motivation that keeps me trying to improve and blogging. So, to the Readers of the Reality of Anxiety, I'd just like to say....

Thank you for simply stopping by
Thank you for the motivating and kind comments
Thank you for inspiring me to try new things
Thank you for your input and inquiries
Thank you for spreading hope
Thank you for participating in all of my ventures
Thank you for creating friendships
Thank you for just being you.

Happy New Year!

Love,
Aimee, Tyler, and Peyton

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Display your Affirmations on Washer Necklaces!

I have had an epiphany. I am so excited to share it with you, I can't stand it. I just hope you like the idea as much as I do.

I used to work in an office 40 hours a week and would struggle with my anxiety every day in my cubicle. I didn't want everyone in the office to know about my personal health so I would post pictures of random things that no one else would know the meaning of but me. For example, I used to have a picture of a footprint in the sand. This was to remind me whenever I saw it of the affirmation "I can take as small a step forward as I choose. There is no need to push myself." Everytime I glanced at the picture I would think of that. I had a sticker of an upper case "R" on my computer monitor. This was to remind me of the positive affirmation "I respect and believe in myself more than other people's opinions."


This worked great while I worked in the office. Then as a work at home mom, I would post the affirmations around my bedroom and bathroom. However I found it embarrasing if any guests came over if they saw it.


So this idea is a way to carry those thoughts with you all the time- at home, at work, and on the go. Simply wear them as a necklace!

I have created these really cool hand stamped customized washer necklaces that are really popular in the crafting community. It started out as putting my child's name on one and making some as Christmas gifts with family names and birthdates. Then I started to think about other things I could stamp into them and I thought of phrases that could help with anxiety such as:

"BE STILL"

"CALM"

"BELIEVE"

"AT PEACE"

"SERENITY"

just to name a few. But really, ANYTHING can be stamped into these necklaces. Initials, numbers, phrases.  These can be worn underneath clothing for privacy, or they can be as stand-outish  as you want with additional charms and beads. I only have one picture on here to give you an idea of what I am talking about, but there are so many other styles that I can do as well.


So here's the thing. I decided I would share these with anyone that is interested. I have set up an etsy shop 

and will be posting these necklaces for sale in the very, very, very near future. I will probably only post a few to see what kind of interest there is. So if there is something you hold dear to you that helps you find hope, encouragement, or valuable affirmations, let me know and I can make it for you. All the details will be in the shop but I wanted to let you know it was coming so you could swirl the idea around in your head. 


I hope everyone has a Happy New Year! Are you thinking of resolutions that you want to do for 2010? I know I have. I am a believer in them. Do they work for you or stress you out?

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Grinching Christmas

I don't know why I am suprised, but the last few days for me have been filled with anxiety. I never even thought seriously about preparing for the family get togethers. So wouldn't you know it Christmas Eve morning when I am supposed to go to a family Who-ville Christmas Breakfast, I am in pure panic mode in my closet. "What if I am sick and can't eat anything and I ruin the breakfast? I know its so important to my sister and I didn't want to be a downer..." and on my thoughts raced.


I tried to login to the website but my computer's battery was dead. So I decided to nip it in the bud instead of letting it draw out all day long. I simply called my sister up and told her that I was having a lot of anxiety and we would still come, but I may not be able to eat much since I wasn't feeling good. Worst case scenario, I could put it all in a doggy bag and eat it later.


There- it was out in the open, she knew, and I didn't have to try to be perfect anymore. And then the wave of anxiety quieted. That was the worst of it. I still had more ripples here and there, but no more panic attacks. Christmas morning and this morning I found myself uneasy, but nothing overly serious.


I am always a mess during the holidays. I get so wrapped up in how they need to be perfectly memorialized events that the thought of me ruining them with my anxiety always creeps in. I am my own Christmas Grinch. For some reason I feel that if I am sick, it will ruin it for everybody. When in reality, if I was really sick, it would really ruin the holidays for me, and most likely just me.


So I will say it again, being open and honest about your panic and anxiety with those around you always seems to be better for me than trying to hide it and pretending like everything is just fine.


How was the Christmas holiday for everyone else?

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