Easter is this weekend and it marks the beginning of what will be a month of various road trips and adventures. Our pace in the last few weeks has increased by several notches. We’ve been hiking, planning, spring cleaning, home learning, visiting friends, renovating and preparing our gardens. It’s been wonderful, but amidst the business of our day to day life I have to constantly check in with myself.

I have a propensity towards anxiety and when life gets busy I start to place unrealistic expectations on what I should be getting done. These ridiculous expectations make me feel stressed, exhausted and ultimately anxious. Over the last year I have learned some great technique to help me stay in the moment, challenge my thinking and let go of unnecessary expectations. I still get anxious but not to the same degree or as long because I am better able to identify triggers and make necessary changes.

Anxiety is part of life, but there is a big difference between unhealthy pervasive anxiety and healthy anxiety. Unhealthy anxiety can be debilitating not just mentally but physically as well. I know because I’ve been there. It’s easy to feel victimize by your own anxiety and think that you have no control over it. Thankfully, that’s not true and there are some great resources out there that can make a big impact on living life without constant angst. Personally, I found cognitive behavioural therapy to be really helpful and highly recommend it. There are other options as well but I’m probably not the best person to give advice about them. If you struggle with anxiety know that you aren’t alone and that asking for help can make a big difference.