Something’s bothering you. You’re not sure what it is, but there is definitely something bugging you -- making you antsy, nervous, perhaps even testy. You want something, yet you don’t know what that something is. You feel the answer just lurking beneath the surface. You anxiously await the “ah-ha” moment when the disconnection to the self fades and the lightbulb goes off.
 
But what if you don’t have time to wait for the “ah-ha” moment? What if you need to get past this unknown angst right now in order to get on with the business of living?
 
Here are a few steps that may help coax that elusive feeling out into the open so you can move forward and once again claim your life, your schedule and your peace of mind and soul:
 
1) Get Into Water. The sound of water running or the feel of it on our skin provides a calming effect and allows our minds to drift. Turn your thoughts to a time when you last played in water, or looked out over a lake or ocean. What’s bugging you may surface so quickly that you need not do another step.
 
2) Free Write. Do three pages of free writing. Author Julia Cameron recommends starting your day off this way, with three pages of stream of consciousness writing. She contends it gets the junk out of your head, and that you are able to begin your day without all the little thoughts vying for your attention. The angst may appear on your handwritten page, or it may manifest after you have finished with your pages. 
 
3) Meditate. Call it prayer, TM (transcendental meditation) or a simple breathing exercise. When you clear your mind and meditate, your mind has a chance to calm down. Your mind, body and spirit have the chance to reconnect and truly, the root of the problem is a disconnect between the three.
 
4) Nurture with Nature. Go for a drive or a walk and take in some of nature’s beauty. No matter what the season, there is beauty out there somewhere. Look and appreciate what the earth has created and realize the changes over time that have brought beauty to you. Touch nature and let it touch you. Feel the sun on your cheek, your hair; the breeze caressing your lips. Nature has wonderful healing properties; allow it to help you.
 
5) Write Appreciation and No Appreciation Lists. There are things you appreciate in your life; write five of them down. Conversely there are things you do not appreciate in your life; write five of those down as well. Are you any closer to discovering what it is that is bugging you? If not, try it again. This is an incredible tool to get a lot of anxiousness out and perhaps discover a new path and direction that you may need to follow. 
 
6) Revisit a Favorite, but Shelved Activity.  Many times we experience frayed nerves or angst because we have been so busy doing things for other people that we have forgotten our own interests. So give your favorite activity a few moments this week. Ninety minutes should do it; it doesn’t matter if you have to break those 90 minutes up over the week, or if you’re fortunate enough to get it all in one shot. Let others know that you will be taking this time and that you would appreciate no interruptions.
 
Many times our mind, body and spirit become disconnected because we forget to make ourselves the priority in our lives. Our families, friends and coworkers will drain our well if we let them. We must take care of ourselves before we can be expected to have the time, energy and spirit to taking care of others. This is almost as crucial as the law of gravity. Perhaps we should call it the law of self.
 
Copyright 2009 Gloria Attar RN BSN
 
 

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