Douglas - F*ck Anxiety: 101 Ways to Soothe Anxiety, Stop the Panic + Get Back to Your Badass Self

Copyright Maria Ribas Literary LLC

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The health advice presented in this book is intended only as an informative resource guide to help you make informed decisions; it is not meant to replace the advice of a professional or to serve as a guide to self-treatment. Always seek competent medical help for any health condition or if there is any question about the appropriateness of a procedure or health recommendation.

ISBN: 978-1-5248-7828-3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021947202

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For Carolina, sister in all things, even the scaries. And for Claire, the dazzling therapist every woman deserves.

Welcome! Youre Safe Here.

First things first: youre a fucking lovely human being. Secondly, youre super safe here. And youre going to survive this, whatever it is. Not because we just wish it to be true, but because that beautiful body of yours can heal from anything. Thats science. And you dont fuck with science. Plus, in your hands right now you have 101 research-backed ways to start soothing all your hurting spots.

Try to reach for these when you feel that first whoosh of anxiety. After all, if you were spurting blood out of your leg, would you try to muscle through one more email? Fuck no. Youd get up, find a first aid kit, and slap on a bandage.

Anxiety is like your whole nervous system bleeding, but we just cant see it. But that doesnt make it any less real than that stabby leg wound. And most of the time, we feel it super intensely. Our stomachs turn and roil. Our breath goes all raggedy. We become a big ol ball of freak-the-fuck-out, and we have no idea what to do.

So think of this book like the first aid kit youd run for if you were bleeding. Inside it, there is a whole supply of tools to soothe anxiety and panic. Each one will work for different kinds of anxieties and different days, so choose just one thing that sounds good to you. Which one sounds manageablesounds like it could help? Do just that one tiny thing. Breathe as much as you can.

And remember that any time you turn to your anxiety, see it, and soothe it, youre teaching yourself to act when you feel afraid. Youre teaching yourself that you dont have to give in to your fight/flight/freeze response, and you can, instead, choose to apply a bandage to that wound. Over time, as your body starts to learn that you know how to soothe it, it will start to feel that it is safe.

Of course, the bandages cant stitch up deeper hurts, and you may need additional support like medication or other treatments. For sure, you should turn to and nail down a dazzling therapist to guide you deeper into those hurting places.

But the reality is: anxiety is a part of life. Its your bodys way of saying, Hey, something isnt right here! It will always strike when you feel triggered, scared, or out of your comfort zone. And that is super okay. Because hopefully this book will help you see it with clear eyes, so you can thank it for trying to protect you, but also calm it down in a hundred delectable, feel-good ways.

Mmmm. Thats that good shit. So are you ready to feel good (or at least a little less bad)?

Notice
+ Name
+ Pause

Drop everything youre doingthis is a mandatory vibe check. So, ignore that text. Mute the T.V. Put the snacks down. That shit can wait because you need a minutethis exact minuteto check in with yourself. And that minute startsright now. Go!

1. Notice It. Ask yourself, How am I feeling right now? Frustrated? Thats alright. Sad? Okay. On the verge of punching a few dumb people in their dumb faces? Fantastic. Embrace those feelings like the validation queen you are.
2. Name It. Speak your truth. Point out exactly whats irking you (an emotion, a thought, a person) and say it. Like, out loud. Even if it feels completely weird. Even if you have to mumble it under your breath because the cause of your Big, Bad Feelings is standing, oh, two feet away. This is your moment to call out the bullshit. Call it, girl, call it.
3. Pause. Breathe in. Count to ten. Breathe out. Repeat until the screaming in your head goes from an 11 to a manageable 6 or 7. Now that youre somewhat re-centered and can actually think in complete sentences again, check back in with the feels. Still stressed out the wazoo? Skip the rest of this section and hightail , where well get you back in your body and right mind, STAT.

Feeling calm enough to think actual thoughts? Then read the fancy box below, where we get science-y, because everyone knows that science is the best way to punch your problems in the face.

Science for the
Post-Spiral Mind

Anxiety spiral. Catastrophic thinking. Magnifying. Whatever the hell you want to call it, this anxiety gremlin is that one jerk on the mountain that kicks the wrong spot and triggers an avalanche of crappy thoughts. It will convince you that one missed deadline will derail your future or that a poor choice of emoji will end a relationship (hug emoji for you, right here, right now, for that). The spiral is a valid mood, but that doesnt mean you have to let it run the show.