5 things I do daily to manage grief and anxiety.

Good morning readers ! Hope you all have a great Thursday . So today I decided share with you 5 things that I do daily to help manage grief and anxiety. These are things that really help me . As I have said before , I am NOT an expert , I’m not a doctor or counselor. I’m sinply a mom and a wife who has just lost a child . I’ve said before , parenting two children while grieving for another child is hard . It’s unknown territory for me and I struggle daily . I made this list to hopefully give you some ideas , and maybe some or all could help some of you! Like I said , this works for me . Please feel free to share things that help you ! I’m always open to trying different things . 

First , I’d like to give you a life update . I chose to become a stay at home mom , rather than returning to my job in healthcare . I feel happy at home , I feel safe and being able to be with my kids every day , all day is pure joy to me. Don’t get me wrong , we have days where I want to pull my hair out and pop open a bottle of wine by 9 am , but for the most part .. I’m so lucky to have this. The only downfall to me being home was losing my income . Plus , I felt like I needed to be contributing financially to our family . So next week , I’ll start babysitting.  Harper is beyond excited to have a couple of friends to play with . I’m also working full time basically on Tulips of Pink . Writing blogs , planning , advertising, and rebuilding my website that decided to crash once I finished it . I must say , everything feels as though it’s meant to be . Things are falling into place . 

Now .. to the list . 

1. Have a routine.
I cannot stress to you enough how simple this is , and how much it helps me. I have a simple routine in the morning . When I wake up , I brush my teeth , wash my face . I get the kids up and ready for the day then they have breakfast and watch cartoons . Usually I’m working on my blog or checking social media while they eat. 

At night , bath time and bedtime for the kids , I clean up dinner , set clothes out for everyone for the next day and clean the house . I sleep better and wake up happier when my house is clean. It’s a fresh start to the day . There’s no chaos or mess . It’s just peaceful . That’s how I like my mornings ! 

2. Play with my kids.

I know that sounds odd .. most people do this anyway. Since I’m home , I don’t feel rushed , I feel like I can spend 2 hours making an art project or swimming in the pool with the kids . I make time to really play with them . No phone , no distractions . It’s like being a kid again , it just lifts your spirit. I mean , who can be sad or angry while making fairies out of paper and glitter ?! 

3. Writing
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Now this is obvious , I’ve mentioned numerous times how much this blog and YOU have helped me through this process . I’ve also mentioned that I keep a journal . I keep all kinds of things in my journal. Letters , thoughts , lists of blog ideas , or quotes that find helpful. I try to write something in it every day . I also read it when I’m having a hard time , or if I feel overwhelmed and my anxiety is kicking in . It helps me in a couple of different ways , and it’s for me only . There’s no judgment or fear of what others will think. 

4. Doing less.

This drives my husband crazy. I’ve always been a homebody , even more so now . I don’t like to 

make plans , I just like to go with the flow and see what happens . I like to home , cooking out , swimming , playing outside . I love having our friends and family over . I just don’t like going other places so much. We used to run constantly. It gets expensive for one , and two , I always felt rushed . Feeling rushed then makes me very anxious . I love being around people , I just prefer to have them over , rather than running. And that is perfectly okay. 

5. Pray. 

I pray every single night . I’m not a super religious person , I don’t even go to church . I believe in God , and I believe there is a reason he is putting us through this . I will never know the answer to my questions , and I’m learning to accept that. I pray every night. I pray that Gracelynn will watch over us and keep us all safe . I pray that she will always know how much I love her and miss her. I pray that my grandparents are taking good care of her and that she knows just how much she is loved . I say goodnight to her , and I thank God for what he has given me. 

I’ve learned when it comes to grieving , everyone is different . What works for one person , may not work for another. The most important thing I’ve learned is that I am not alone . No matter how bad , angry or sad I feel , I know that it’s okay to ask for help or to talk to someone . Having a support system is so important . Not just for your mind but your overall health. I hope that maybe these things will help you . If you have any tips or anything to share , please comment below . I’d love to hear from you! 

Until next time..

Tulips of Pink