Spooky Season: Overcoming Our Personal Fears And Anxieties

While walking around my neighbourhood the other day, admiring the many creative jack-o-lanterns and other Halloween decorations adorned around each house, I was hit with a pang of dread. And no, it wasn't due to a particularly terrifying pumpkin on my neighbour's front porch. I just had happened to be hit with that all-too-familiar sledgehammer of basic anxiety. 

I couldn't even pinpoint what it was. Was it because I hadn't eaten much that day? Was I worried about my friends and family? Did I leave my front door unlocked? Anxiety is a fiendishly difficult beast to pin down, because it makes things a bigger deal than they appear, and can disrupt our entire day, sometimes even week. 

So how do we deal with this? Sure, therapy is an option, but sometimes our answers lie within a much simpler solution. Everyone deals with anxiety differently, but it's important to do one think with whatever's causing you angst: b-b-b-break it down.

Put your fears into little boxes within the creative mindscape in your head. Study each one individually. What exactly about it is worrying you? What can be done to solve it? Writing it down helps too, as it puts them out there right in front of your face, and tells you what needs to be solved, and what might not be as big and bad as you might think.

Another important tip: reach out to someone. Saying something out loud can work wonders. Call a family member, friend, or even turn to social media like Reddit forums to find a whole community of people who may have the same fears as you. It may feel like it, but you're not alone out there.

xx

-Fraser (Your resident blogger at With Love Darling)