Hello Knotty ladies and welcome to another week and another episode of the Knotty Mama Podcast! This episode is about anxiety. A topic that is so massive it has been covered by hundreds of books, podcasts, scientific studies and at the forefront of effects from the last year we've had during the pandemic.

For me, anxiety has been present in my life since high school, always present and sometimes literally debilitating. I could talk on this topic for hours but this time around, I want to speak specifically to my latest bout of anxiety that started last Sunday and trailed on through much of Tuesday.

Over the last few months, I've been eating a plant-based diet about 85% of the time with not much sugar and I've also been pretty consistent with my morning meditations. I truly believe that these are MAJOR factors in the lessening of my anxiety to short moments here and there rather than long periods of time. That is, until the beginning of the week. But this time, I was armed with some tools to help lessen the intensity and help me better navigate my feelings. These are the lessons I've learned:

1. Take deep breaths when I can, and actually feel them fill me up with fresh, new air.
2. Recognize that yes, I am having anxiety and it's okay that I'm in that state. I don't have to hide it, try to control it or feel bad about it. It just is what it is and it will eventually go away.
3. Know that it's okay to ask the boys to play amongst themselves for a few moments while mommy has a "timeout" to be by herself.
4. Find a small outlet that allows you to step away from the current situation and do something for yourself that you enjoy, even for just a bit; for me it's doing a puzzle, maybe for you it's walking to the mailbox for some fresh air etc.

I hope you can find something in this episode that resonates with you and lets you know that we are not alone in our struggles. Dealing with our emotions is not about trying to hide them, feel bad about them or push them down or away, it's about being in the moment and letting it be. That's how we take the power away from those feelings that are less desirable.

Please know that you. are. enough and you have got this my friend! Please listen, review and share! Thank you so much! EnJOY!

**I don't know if I need to post a shoutout for the quote I use at the end of the podcast but here it goes just in case: "When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." -Franklin D. Roosevelt