So, here I am in paradise— Well, the resort is a bit of a tourist trap with a lobby that turns into a nightclub for the middle-schooler in everyone around 6pm, but once you step outside it’s a peaceful as a summer’s breeze.  I have a lovely room that overlooks the ocean and the bay, and my day job right now consists of exploring sparce caribbean islands in-between takes of the film I’m working on.

So why am I so anxious?

If you’re like me sometimes, you find it hard to relax.  You’re glued to your phone and when you get annoyed with yourself enough to put it away and try to read— it’s hard to focus.  Maybe it’s our modern age of technology… we’ve forgotten how to just sit and read a book.  So you try having a workout but something about the ambient gym noise and the methodical counting of your squats and chest presses just amplify your emotions screaming at you all of the things in your life that cause you fear and anxiety.  It’s ironic how we tell our children not to have irrational fears of shadows on the wall, the boogeyman in the closet, yet we live every day with the weight of the world on our shoulders because we carry around our own grown-up boogeyman.  His name is Worry.  And he makes it almost impossible to enjoy the moment we’re in (even if it’s paradise).

Can you relate to this?  I picked up a book recently called “Running Scared” about what Fear does in our life… how it creeps in, how to identify it and where to put it.  I haven’t finished it yet, but I’m enjoying it so far and I’m finding it’s been really helpful.

In the meantime while you wait for your book to arrive in the mail :), the quickest fix for anxiety is gratitude.  MAKE YOURSELF focus on what is good, say “thank you” to that Spirit bigger than yourself and breathe in the positive.  It’s a challenge, but you can do it!

xx Joy