If a Walk Can Fix It, It’s All In My Head.
Worrying never solved any problems, babe. I mean, has it ever solved them for you? Or did it make solving them more difficult? I’d bet money on the latter. If you’ve found a way to turn overthinking into something productive then please shoot me a message and enlighten me, I am keen to know.
Overthinking and worrying are attributes of anxiety. When you are anxious you become semi-feral, in my opinion, because the thinking parts of the human brain shut off for survival. You don’t need to logicize when you’re running from a bear, you just need to get away from the bear with your life. Anxiety is fear. Therefore, your body is engaged, your mind, not so much.
If worrying is an extension of anxiety then we can control it. It may be habitual to worry, but it is something we can control. It’s as easy as adding in good rather than getting hung up on the existing unhelpful crap that clouds our rational vision and trying to get rid of that. The more you build the habit of adding in positive thoughts, the more you’ll start to see the negative thoughts and thought habits slipping away. When this disconnect happens I try to bring body and mind together again. Often this results in a walk, or any other enjoyable form of exercise or meditation.
If a walk can fix it, then I know anxiety got the best of me and I can allow my worries to rest. Whenever I get anxious, or notice I’m ruminating, I’ll go for a walk. Preferably a walk outside and near a body of water, or natural scenery. If this isn’t possible for you, the fresh air will still work wonders to pacing around your bedroom. There’s something magical about walking that helps clear the mind and helps get rid of the somatic stress. It feels like it sends a signal to my brain, “Hey brain! We ran. We got away. We’re safe now.” Like that energy needed somewhere to go. Usually when that happens I know my mind was playing tricks on me. I’m then able to return to the problems I have and solve them through a calm, rational approach.
On the flip side I have the walks that end in more frustration. The walks where I can’t stop crying and feel like a super big wrinkled ball sack the moment I make it home. These walks help signal to me that I need more support. Either in the form of bouncing ideas off my friends, or following my doctor's treatment plan. I don’t wish to divulge the details on my health plan because it’s personal to me. I encourage everyone to reach out to their own doctor for emergency supports, or even just to develop an emergency support plan.
If a walk didn’t fix it, worrying ain’t gonna solve the issue either. So, what do I do? That’s when I’ve got a choice:
I can accept reality, grieve, move on.
I can write down a goal, or a plan of action.
Worry and cry about it and become a pitiful mess.
To accept something means to receive or undertake something being offered.
To write a goal with steps to achieve it is to aim for an ambitious or desired outcome.
To become a pitiful mess is well, pitiful.
There is also a fourth step that involves a medicated or simply medical approach, but you’d need to discuss that with your doctor.
So, knowing what you know now, what will you do next time your thoughts start getting the best of ya? I’m gonna trust my future self with my future problems.
With love,
Adrienne.
