Inside This Box

poetry prompt and self-care challenge: reflect on what’s in your anxiety toolbox

Tucked away in a box somewhere in the attic of my heart is a healing space filled with soothing techniques. When anxiety is the warning bell that rings the loudest in my body, warning me of the very real dangers but also the not-actually-dangerous-dangers, I’ve built up ways to a) listen in on my needs, and b) quiet them if it turns out to be a false alarm. There’s writing poetry, which encapsulates big emotions in the bubble of a protective dumpling wrapper, compartmentalizing but also expressing. There’s body work of relaxation techniques that physiologically signal back to my nervous system to chill the f*ck out because simply thinking it may not be enough. And then there’s routine, the quiet and calm and beauty of the ordinary bringing me joys of surviving and thriving with what I have, even if we live in an era of daily dumpster fires.

Inviting Aaron Kemp | Eva Rotolo | Loud Updates | Rusty Alderson | Kevin Alexander | K.S. | Lori Lamothe | Himanshi B| Noorain Hassan, BMS | if you’re up to it and anyone else interested to smash that writer’s block, join in on this tiny challenge and write a response, wherever it takes you! It can be a tiny poem, a shortform piece or an essay — whatever comes into that brain noodle!

Prompt: reflect on what’s in your anxiety toolbox

Submit it to The Brain is a Noodle or be sure to tag me in your response if you publish elsewhere, so I can read it and share it with the world!

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Hi I’m Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) and I check-in once in a while to see if my anxiety toolbox is still working, whether I need additional help (refresher therapy sessions, or to continue learning about new ways to manage anxiety). Do you? PS, I PUBLISHED A BOOK 📚

Hop down the rabbit hole? 🐰🕳

^ by Warren Brown