A Daily Check-in With Yourself to Ease Anxiety—Anxiety Therapy San Francisco
As an anxiety therapist in San Francisco, I have noticed a lot of people ignore themselves and their emotions until they are at a critical point. Somehow, as a culture we neglect our emotional and sometimes physical needs until we are almost ready to fall apart. There seems to be no thought of preventative mental healthcare. . .we simply aren’t taught HOW to take care of ourselves and our mental health.
As an Anxiety Therapist in San Francisco, when a client presents with anxiety I start by examining my client’s self-care routine.
I ask the following questions: how much sleep do you get? Do you eat regularly? Do you take lunch breaks? What do you do to relax? How many hours do you work? Though these questions seem rather boring, they are key pieces of information about how my client is functioning on a day-to-day basis. The answers let me know know about how the client takes care of themselves and how that care (or lack of care) could be contributing to their anxiety.
Next, I ask the client how often they notice or pay attention to their emotions. The answer to that question is usually “not very often” or “only when something bad happens.” Many clients with anxiety only notice their anxiety when it is really extreme and ignore more subtle emotions or deliberately push them away. In order to help my clients become connected with themselves and their emotions, I often suggest checking in with themselves at least once per day.
How To Do A Daily Check-In With Yourself—Tips from An Anxiety Therapist in San Francisco
The following are tips to do a check-in with yourself and your emotions. You can do this daily or even several times a day to start to connect with how you feel.
1) Find a quiet space where you can be uninterrupted for at least five minutes. Make sure to turn off your electronics or put them in another room so you can’t be distracted. Get into a comfortable position (I recommend either seated or lying down) and close your eyes.
2) Start to scan your body and notice any physical sensations and emotions that are present. Try not to push away any particular thoughts or emotions. Anything thought, feeling, or sensation that arises is welcome.
3) Ask yourself the following questions: “How am I feeling? What do I need?” Again, do your best not to suppress anything that comes up. Often physical needs will surface first e.g. “I need a glass of water.” It may take a while to connect with emotions but if you keep checking in regularly, it will become easier to connect with your feelings as well.
Try to check-in with yourself, at least once a day. It truly only takes 5 minutes and builds a deeper connection to yourself and may help ease anxiety by acknowledging the feelings and thoughts you are not connected to. If you have questions about how to do a daily check-in or anxiety therapy in San Francisco, please reach out to me at lisa@lisamanca.com.