Mental Health

Anxiety – Let’s Talk About It

/ caseylmatzke / 2 Comments

Not too long ago, I was laying down with my kiddo and she looked over at me and asked me if I had anxiety. I quickly closed my book and thought about the question. My first response was do you know what anxiety is? She replied, not really. This told me that this was something that she picked up or heard from somewhere. I preceded to tell her that I don’t think I have anxiety but that anxiety is when you worry about things that can sometimes be out of your control. 

She asked me if I had panic attacks and what they were… she was coming with the big questions. I told her a panic attack was when you got so worried and stressed out about something that sometimes it got hard to breathe. I then told her I would do some research for her and come back with some better answers. 

Anxiety – “A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.”

Some symptoms of anxiety according to Mayo Clinic – 

  • Feeling nervous, restless or tense
  • Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
  • Having an increased heart rate
  • Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
  • Sweating
  • Trembling
  • Feeling weak or tired
  • Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
  • Having trouble sleeping
  • Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
  • Having difficulty controlling worry

Home Remedies to help combat anxiety according to Mayo Clinic – 

  • Keep physically active
  • Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs
  • Quit smoking and cut back or quit drinking caffeinated beverages 
  • Use stress management and relaxation techniques
  • Make sleep a priority
  • Eat healthy

I have been pretty fortunate to not have anxiety play a huge role in my life. Now, I will admit that I am an over-thinker. I can go down a path quickly and get lost in thought and future conversations that may never even happen. For me, focusing on the present seems to help. I tell myself to stop, relax, and try to think about something else. To not make assumptions but to wait and see how things play out on there own instead.

For me, this was a great reminder that – You never know what someone else is going through or what they are having a hard time with. Choose kindness next time you get frustrated with someone. Choose joy next someone gives you a hard time. Choose grace next time someone cuts you off. You never know what they may be dealing with internally. 

Also, if you have kiddos, just assume, they are consuming everything that goes on around them. Have the tough conversations with them. Heck, I didn’t even know what anxiety was until my later 20s, now my 11 year old is asking me about it. Don’t be afraid to have the conversations, we need more of these conversations. 

As always share some love, we could all use a little more love.

XOXOXO

Casey 

Sometimes, You Just Have One of Those Days

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Do you ever have those days where nothing seems to go right? Where despite how good of a mood you are in the hits keep coming? Where you just want to go home and go to sleep and re-start tomorrow. I had one of those days recently.
I had been journaling that morning on staying present and continuing to be in a good mood despite what gets thrown my way. I had a really good day the day before using this perspective and I wanted to keep with it. Little did I know, it was going to be a day of tests. It was almost like me writing about it was sending a vibe into the Universe, saying let’s see how she holds up with this.


I won’t bore you with all the small details but it all ranged from angry customers to, being out of the food I wanted to order, to changing plans around then their was the icing on the cake. That I will tell you about.


I was trying to be productive and get gas before going home.

  • It is cheaper
  • I didn’t want to have to rush in the morning to get it before leaving town.

I turned a corner and my shake spilled. My Andes Mint Shake (because there were out of Chocolate Shakes)! I quickly picked it up but knew that some had spilled. I thought no worries, I have plenty of napkins, I can get it. I parked and lifted my console to begin cleaning and it spilled again!


This time, on my seat, on me and on my book! I quickly grabbed more napkins and wiped down my book and my seat. Then I leaned back in my chair and just let the tears fall. I didn’t get angry, I didn’t yell, it was more of a defeated state. What else can go wrong? My book, why my book. After about 30 seconds and reminding myself that in 5 years this will not matter, I scrubbed some more on the book to see how much I could get off. I then opened my door to clean the floor. That is when I realized, there was shake in both of my shoes. I continued to let the tears fall as I cleaned up the whole mess. I got gas and sat in the truck as the pump slowly filled my tank. For once, I was actually thankful for this, it gave me a minute to pull myself together, wipe my tears away, know that it is just material things, that I can always wash my shoes, and that in a few days this will probably be funny. I gathered myself together and made the drive home.


How we react to things matters. Sure, I could have gotten angry and made a big deal out of things but what purpose would that have served. I would have come home angry, that negative energy would have leaked out to others and before you know it, everyone would have been angry.


Sometimes, taking 5 minutes to let it out in the parking lot is exactly what you need to do. Let it out, get rid of it. Pull yourself together and keep making the most of your day. Even on days I am tested, I don’t want to have negative energy/juju surrounding me.


No matter how positive or happy you are as a person, there are going to be days that test you. Keep pushing out love, stay with the positivity. If you have too, take the 5 minutes and have a moment, or if it is that bad, call it a day and take it to the house. Sometimes, we just need a reset. Whatever you do though, keep on shining, the world needs more of it.

As always, share some love, we could all use a little more love

XOXOXOXO

Casey

The Four Agreements – Book Review

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I recently finished the book – The Four Agreements. It has been one that I have wanted to read for a while. I originally heard this book being discussed on the Sean and Sax Show podcast. I am a firm believer that books tend to fall in your lap when you need them the most, and this one fell into my lap a few weeks ago. This book is about four crucial agreements that you can make with yourself to make life more peaceful. 

  • Be impeccable with your word. 

When I originally heard this, I thought it meant staying true to what you are saying you are going to do. Your word is your bond. Although, it gets a little deeper than that. Through your words, you are manifesting everything. If you talk negatively and have a poor attitude, then more than likely you will keep experiencing negative actions. If you are positive and radiate good thoughts and vibrations, those will come back to you in positive experiences. Once again, it all goes back to mindset and how you look at things and the world. When crummy things are happening around me, I always like to think – “Is this going to matter in five years?” More than likely it won’t, so be mindful of what you are putting your energy into. 

“How much you love yourself and how you feel about yourself are directly proportionate to the quality and integrity of your word.” – This is a super powerful statement if you take the time to step back and really let it sink it. How much are you loving yourself today?

  • Don’t Take Anything Personally 

“The maximum expression of selfishness because we make the assumption that everything is about “me”. Even if others insult you, it has nothing to do with you. What they say, do and opinions they give are according to the agreements they have in their own minds. Whatever you feel and do is a projection of your own personal dream, a reflection of your own agreements.”

This one is huge to me. How many times do we take things personally? How many times do we assume someone else is trying to hurt us, out to get us, or even thinking about us? I can pretty much guarantee that people do not think of others as often as they think of themselves. Think about it for a minute, how often do you think about others compared to yourself? Remember, we are all raised and brought up to see the world in our own way. Don’t take things personally and your life will be a lot more care free. 

  • Don’t Make Assumptions

This one and the previous agreement almost go hand in hand. I always say, expectations and assumptions are the devil. The quickest way to ruin relationships. Instead of assuming things, ask the questions. Our assumptions are more than likely going to be wrong. Remember, we all see the world differently. So stop assuming and start asking. A trick I learned in therapy. When you aren’t sure what someone is meaning or implying, respond with, “What I am hearing you say is xyz.” This helps both parties in the conversation know if more explanations need to be made. It is amazing what happens when we start having more conversations and less confrontations. 

  • Always Do Your Best

When you do less than your best, you can experience frustrations and guilt. When you strive for perfection, you can over due it and spend more time and energy than is needed. There is a happy medium, put your best effort forward whatever that may be that day. A friend recently shared this concept with me. If all you can give is 40% that day and you give 40%, then you gave 100%. Remember that. There will be days that you can’t jump out of bed and conquer the world. But if you can get out of bed and do the one task you needed to do, well, I call that a win.

This book is a relatively easy read with a lot of good nuggets. Check it out if you have the time!

As always share some love, we could all use a little more love. 

XOXOXO

Casey