Isn’t life such a fucking conundrum? Just when you think you’re doing well, making progress, and growing, along comes this bitch named anxiety to knock you back a few steps. She makes you feel like a failure, like all the progress you thought you’d made was worthless. But, if one can just step outside the anxiety, even if for a brief moment, one can see that the progress hasn’t been worthless by any means.

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I’ve noticed that my “travel blog” and its corresponding Instagram, @The_Road_Linds_Travels for those of you wondering, have heavily taken on the topic of anxiety as it coalesces with my day-to-day grind. I’ve begun speaking quite candidly about the struggle that is severe anxiety. In doing so, I’ve created a space for me to analyze and ponder the root and triggers of said anxiety in the hopes that managing it will become easier.

If you’ve noticed, the tagline for my blog is, “One woman’s personal tales of life after loss through travel, yoga, food and wine, and the day-to-day grind.” I’d like to take a moment and briefly demonstrate how my anxiety relates to all of the above.

“One woman’s personal tales of life after loss through travel, yoga, food and wine, and the day to day grind”

Loss, first and foremost, is one of the triggers as I think most could say. The mere thought of the most recent loss of my furbabies back in September can ruin me at the moment. Because I’m aware of this, I utilize distractions be it work, yoga, or some form of entertainment.

FOOD & WINE MEET ANXIETY

Wine is an alcoholic substance that, honestly, can have positive or negative effects and also serve as a distraction. This is dependent upon how much I drink and what I am doing while drinking. For the most part, it relaxes me and I enjoy the taste. My tolerance is very high, which can create a problem as I’m pretty certain that a bottle of wine a night isn’t what they meant when they said, “red wine is good for the heart.”

Food is definitely a problem. One week ago, I willingly ate and drank my feelings so much that I woke up in the middle of the night with horrendous heartburn. There I was lying there, thinking I was too young for that awful sensation!

YOGA IS A LIFESAVER

This is why yoga and some form of cardio are lifesavers. It cannot be stressed enough (no pun intended) how much exercise benefits us, especially those of us with severe anxiety. A one-mile run on a beautiful evening like there was tonight can turn my frown so far upside down I look like I got a facelift! It’s the motivation part that is the most difficult to get past, though. You know, that part where walking in your front door after a long day’s work prompts you to pop open the bottle before popping on the Pumas and getting your run on? I’m happy to report that the Pumas came first tonight and the glorious sunset was just the icing on the cake! A great sunset can do wonders for the ease of anxiety.

The Road Linds Travels is not just about my travels to far off lands, but also my travels down the street, around the block, to the nearest winery, to my bed or bathtub because let’s face it, some days the struggle is so real, clean sheets and hot water are the only answer. The Road Linds Travels is about the destination, but also the journey – the journey to foreign lands, California’s central coast, some other tangible unknown, but most importantly the journey we take within ourselves each step of the way.