Don't You Worry about a Thing

You heard your parents say it over and over, Stevie Wonder made a whole song about it, and we constantly tell ourselves to stop worrying. And yet; most of us live in a constant state of worry and fret. Money, children, work, and some made up things, you know it's true!  We think so much and are so much in our heads we forget all that is good and fun and most of all; Beautiful.  I know so many people, including myself, that suffer from anxiety attacks. If you have never had one, how very fortunate you are! Anxiety can be debilitating and downright scary.  I don't suffer with them as frequently now as I did when I was younger, I truly believe, in my case, I can thank exercise and relaxation/breathing exercises. I had to be diligent with both, no slacking, no excuses. And I had to get out of my head. Does that sound weird?  How often do you find yourself ruminating on one thing, constantly rolling it over in your head, critiquing, tearing it apart, putting it back together , to start all over?  I was harder on myself than anyone else ever could be. I was my own worst enemy, I WAS my own anxiety attack! Is that possible? For me, Yes! Once I figured this out, I could help myself. This whole getting older thing helped as well, things don't look so drastic to me anymore. I understand that I don't and can't control everything, there are certain things I can help; and for the things I can't... I pass on. Relax Dawn, I say to myself, don't you worry about a thing. Exercise is key, it always comes back to this doesn't it?  Feeling stressed? Full of anxiety? Mad? Get rid of it at the gym Baby! Run your stairs! Get a jump rope! my personal favorite. Better yet; take a Yoga class. Never taken Yoga?  If you have anxiety attacks or not, Yoga is good for us all. It teaches you how to tone, stretch, stand and walk taller,  breathe to calm yourself down, it is the  gift that keeps on giving.  The last thing I did to help me feel better, and this was one of the harder things to do; I stopped hanging with the Drama filled people. You know who they are: Ms. "I ALWAYS got a story to tell that isn't her or my business" and it is ALWAYS BAD!  Mr. " The world is a bad place and let me constantly remind you as to how bad it is!"  These people lurk in dark corners my friends, they aid and abet anxiety and sometimes they don't even know it. But run when you see them, in a polite way.. RUN!   This is how we help ourselves feel better, mentally, physically, spiritually. And we DO have to help ourselves in this quest not to stress, it doesn't always come easy, but we are all worth the effort. Take a deep breath... Relax.