How airplane mode is saving my sanity
The thing about panic attacks is that you don’t see them coming, especially the first one.
But looking back, I can clearly remember the build up toward them. That’s how they work. Anxiety builds slowly, over time, and unresolved stress mounts upon unresolved stress. I wasn’t technically diagnosed with generalized anxiety until 2012 but I can look back as far as my childhood and see it: night terrors when I was 10, my outgoing nature turned to painful shyness in highschool, my college boyfriend telling me as I was working as Editor-in-Chief at Illinois State University’s daily newspaper, “You don’t deal with stress well.”
Yes, I picked one of the most stressful jobs you can pick, a hard news reporter covering everything from politics in the Illinois Statehouse to city government and courts in North Carolina to weird and crazy daily news in Oregon for Reuters. I loved it and fed on the adrenaline rush. I could get by with the stress, ignoring the need to take care of myself and pushing aside the inability to deal with life’s responsibilities like housework and healthy living.
That worked until it really didn’t.
Reporting on city government in Wilmington, NC
In 2011 I teamed up with a top notch investigative reporter, a long-time military journalist who had spent his fair share of time overseas covering highly intense topics. During our three-month investigation we interviewed a source at a medium security prison outside of Raleigh, NC. We were taken from locked door to locked door and walked past inmate after inmate. We also spent time getting chased by Pit Bulls in rural North Carolina while trying to meet sources and driving around with a private investigator.
I could feel the fear and stress building but I pushed it aside.
To this day I don’t think my co-writer knew my stress was worsening during that 3-month investigation and would ultimately lead to my first full-on panic attack- luckily in the safety of my home and with Jonathan who could help pull me out of it.
“When you have anxiety you also get really anxious about other people knowing about it - hence why it’s taken me so long to share my story with all of you.”
When you have anxiety you also get really anxious about other people knowing about it - hence why it’s taken me so long to share my story with all of you.
It took years to quell the panic attacks and learn tactics to reduce my stress. And I still struggle. I know how to calm myself down and I’ve gotten pretty good at recognizing what’s real and what’s just a story I’m playing in my head. But it takes work every day.
I tend to notice when my anxiety is building up because it immediately affects those closest to me. The dishes don't get done. Clothes are strewn. I’m much more irritable and I feel like crud.
But sometimes, I’m so deep into the stress I’m not aware of it.
Being aware is crucial to resolving and reducing stress, but the constant updates and dramatic breaking news makes that tough.
For me, I’m noticing -perhaps with a little help from my live-in motivator (wink)- it’s getting hard to put down my phone. And it’s wearing (for all of us).
I found myself bolting out of bed one day last week at 4:30 am, my mind swirling over all the things I suddenly needed to search on Google:
Can my cat get coronavirus?
How are the symptoms different from seasonal allergies?
Who’s shutting down what?
The list went on …
And then … LIGHTBULB! I had broken one of my personal Life Strategies. At Spears Strong, we help our clients develop Life Strategies, basically rules to live by so that they are healthier, move more and feel better on a daily basis.
This particular Life Strategy for me was no phone, no outside stimulus, first thing in the morning. What you do first thing in the morning sets the tone for the entire day and my tone that day was … AGH … EVERYTHING IS SCARY! Usually I make tea, do a morning workout routine, breathe, play with our cat. But instead I was instantly getting online for the latest and it was upping my stress and eating away at my peace of mind.
I decided to get back to another rule: Go on Airplane Mode. I regularly do this by 8 p.m, giving me a chance to shut it all off for some relaxation and family time. But I also go on airplane mode when I breathe or when I have focused work to do, setting a timer for when I can go back online or do something else.
Email me at spears@spearstrong.com if you want guidance and help with Life Strategies specific for you.
Your phone is designed to distract you. Going on Airplane Mode doesn’t mean you’re disconnecting. All of your text messages, news updates and social streams will still be there. Turning it off for set periods of time will guarantee you’re stepping away from the distractions and back into the here and the now. Use that time to get outside and just notice what’s around you. Listen to the birds or inspect the details of the moss on the trees. There’s endless beauty around you if you take the time to look for it.
(check out our Life Strategy above for minimizing your time on tech during this tumultuous time)
Anxiety can only live in the future. It’s not happening right now.
Stay with us over these next couple of weeks as we lay out Life Strategies you can use to recover from stress, move your body and feel a little better. I’m here to help you. Call or email me -503-891-1243 or spears@spearsstrong.com - if you want more direct and individual guidance on how to recover from stress, be motivated to move your body and set up routines to keep you on track. The time has never been better to take your health into your own hands.
As the world spins into chaos and confusion, it’s clear we at Spears Strong are not only able, but have a calling to help in our own very unique way. Over the next couple of weeks we’re going to send you a lot of information and I’m going to be sharing more of my journey and more of my story on our blog. I’m hoping to help you the way Jonathan and creating Spears Strong helped me: physically, emotionally and mentally.