If you haven’t tried using a planner, or more specifically a mental health planner, then I hope this inspires you to give it a go.
By the end of this post, you’ll understand how using a planner can help manage even the hardest down days. You will be armed with a handful of ways to try out using a planner to support you in dealing with your mental health, including a few options to try for the best planner for mental health in general, the best planner for depression, and the best planner for anxiety.
Using a Mental Health Planner Can Relieve Your Stress
Using a planner is a way to take thoughts and worries, put them all in front of you, and start making a plan to address them. There are days where it feels like I’m sitting in the washing machine watching the rest of the world go on.
When I have those days where I’m overwhelmed, or feel untethered, or riddled with anxiety, it always helps to start writing down what I’m processing and what needs my attention first, what I can note down and save for later.
If I write it down, I don’t have to worry that I’ll forget about it.
It’s a way to put some structure to your thoughts instead of letting them make you feel overwhelmed. Sometimes it can make the stress lighten just by writing down an action step for later. You’re taking care of yourself by making sure that it stays on your radar.
Honestly, sometimes my favorite tool is a simple spiral notebook.
Using a Mental Health Planner Helps Be Accountable to Yourself
Planners can work to help you track things too. For example, if you’re trying to reach a goal noting every time you take a step towards that goal in your planner holds you accountable to ourself.
After all, there is no way to know if you’re hitting your goals if you don’t have the data to monitor your progress.
This can mean little things too. It doesn’t have to be a critical life-changing goal. It can be as simple as taking a 15-minute walk every day to get the blood flowing. Or it can be writing one positive affirmation every day for a week.
Starting with small goals is the way to go. Sometimes big hairy audacious goals can be overwhelming in themselves. Especially with those of us with depression and anxiety, starting small makes it doable. It’s the little things and the little wins that add up over time.
Here’s a smart goals planner that is super well organized and I love that it’s like a little book.
Permission to be Unproductive
We’re going to take a mid-post break here to say, “You have permission to be unproductive!”
Yes, it feels good to get stuff done and take steps to address what’s stressing us out or making us feel like crap. There are some days where you’re not going to get anything done and be plan unproductive. And that is perfectly normal too.
I had one of those days yesterday where I just knew I didn’t have it in me to be productive, so I decided it’s going to be a chill day. And today, I woke up ready to get my thoughts out and get back at it because I let myself have a relaxing day.
So today, I had a goal of writing a post. Even if it’s a small something, that’s okay. It feels so rewarding right now that I have the energy to be writing to get this goal checked off. And I get the same feeling from doing the dishes and tending to my plants.
Achievement can look like a lot of different things, and getting stuff done is always satisfying.
And you have permission to not be productive when you need to!
Track Your Mood
I used a mood tracker a couple of years ago when I was going through a tough few months managing depression. It helped me to identify better things that made my depression worse and what helped. For example, when I didn’t make an effort to eat healthily, my mood would go wonky real quick.
Using the mood tracker helped me to learn that I really can’t eat straight-up sugar. I have to eat it in moderation, and it helps me make sure I am eating some fats with it to help balance the sugar rush. I’m not sure that I would have recognized the correlation.
This mood tracker is inspiring me to try it again and I love that it’s a minimalist and clean design.
Keep Your Perspective
On bad days, sometimes I want to slap people when they say to keep perspective and remember all of the good things.
They don’t get that it doesn’t work that way when you’re in a depression hole.
However, I will say that I have tried writing down things I’m grateful for when I feel like nothing will ever be right again, and it has helped me remember that the feeling won’t last forever and that it will pass.
Here’s a nice option to try out for a gratitude journal. I like that it’s geared to only take five minutes out of your day.
Add Structure
Adding some structure to your day will do wonders for your mind. For me, what’s even worse than depression is the anxiety it causes. The most dreaded feeling I have is waking up on a weekend day with no plans when I’m in a state of fear. On regular days, there’s nothing I love more than waking up to a full weekend of no work and relaxation.
However, when anxiety is at the wheel, and I wake up with jolts in my chest, and panic from the get-go, the idea of an entire day with nothing scheduled can feel terrifying, like how will I fill all of those hours and I can’t wait until its night again. I keep a list of activities I can do on the weekend in my planner so that when in doubt, there’s always something easy for me to access and not think about.
You can keep a list wherever it’s easiest for you to access. But I keep mine in Google Keep. It’s always on my phone and syncs automatically. You can pin notes to the top and change the background colors which is fun. It also lets you add hyperlinks.
Here’s my list of go-to activities. Some of them are tricky during the pandemic of course, but most of them can still be done!
Now you have some ideas which mental health planners to try to start feeling better. There are so many options out there and these are just a few examples. I hope at least that this has inspired you to try using a mental health planner, whichever version works for you.
Do you use a planner to help with your mental health journey? Let me know if this post was helpful or if there are other planners or tools out there that I should add!
How many of these incredible people do you know? I’m going to share the top thought leaders in the personal finance space that I’ve learned from and you should definitely check out.
And by the end of the article, you will discover that financial freedom is possible for everyone.
Ready? Let’s dive in!
Michelle from Making Sense of Cents
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner is the owner of Making Sense of Cents. She started the blog to help her improve her finances and help others. After working as an analyst in the financial service industry, has been blogging full-time and making way more than she did as an analyst. She and her husband and dogs travel full-time and lived on a sailboat and an RV! All while blogging remotely.
What I like best about Michelle’s blog because it shares great information and is simple, with no frills. She has main pages for saving money and making money, both of which have a list of her posts with links. It’s cool because you can scan through them quickly and find exactly the kind of information you’re looking for.
Kelan and Brittany Kline are the founders of The Savvy Couple. They started it as a side hustle and now have been able to change their financial situation while sharing information on saving money, making money, money management, and some lifestyle posts.
They were able to pay off their debt, grow their savings, and create a successful business. Their mission is to help people simplify and organize their finances to have the freedom to do more of the things they love.
Sara started Gathering Dreams when she realized the night security guard in her office building (that had 1,000 people) knew her by name. She devoted herself to finding out everything about financial freedom and passive income so that she could start to build a life she loved. I love the simplicity of her website, and her girlfriend is the photographer who takes beautiful photos.
Her posts are approachable and filled with great super helpful information like hacks to save money, creative ways to make money, what you can sell online, what crafts are profitable. She also writes about her other passions, food and travel.
Rosemarie focuses on budgeting and making money. She also helps people with home organization. A part of her take on finances is that it is intertwined with taking care of the home. She and her husband used to struggle with debt and budgeting, and keeping up with the house. But she came up with a strategy that worked for them and decided to blog about it to help other people. I love that she shares a lot about her family and their finance and organization journey.
The website is (of course) very well organized, and they have a handy Start Here section that lays out what they do and why it works. It’s a lot of information, but they have some free starter programs to try out. So you can see if you like their programs before jumping in.
Danielle writes about personal finance and healthy living. She calls herself a personal finance nerd, and I can relate! Her message is important because she is a huge believer in living your best life, so she also writes about healthy living.
After all, what good is financial freedom if you’re not healthy to enjoy it?
She has a helpful recommendations page with money-saving, money-making, blogging, and health and well-being resources. She says her goal in life is to live a life of freedom, which can happen when you are financially independent. That is the dream.
As you can see from what all of these great influencers are doing, it is 100% possible to reach financial freedom. It just takes being open to looking critically at how you think about money, being willing to make changes, and trusting that it will happen when you commit to it.
Let me know if there are other personal finance blogs that have helped you in your financial journey. I love to keep finding more great information out there.
I love to read, especially books on personal growth. When everything is taken care of, the cleaning is done, everyone’s settled in, you can find my face in a book.
There are tons of books have taught me, inspired those “ah-ha” moments, touched me, and helped me to feel understood.
These are the books sitting on my nightstand right now. I usually read a few at a time.
There is no limit to how many books could be on this list. That’s why it’s hard to show all of thee most outstanding books.
Everything here I got something from or enjoyed reading. There have been plenty of books that have done nothing for me. And I’ll never add any of those here.
The ‘in the queue’ section is for books that I’m excited to check out. If after reading, I don’t want to recommend it, bye-bye.
What are your favorite all-time reads? Let me know in the comments. I’m always looking for new books to read and for ways to keep improving and growing.
This post is all about how to reduce anxiety and ground your energy.
If you are feeling anxious today, I feel you and understand how hard it is. I have dealt with periods of extreme anxiety in my life that were debilitating. I’ll take depression over anxiety any day of the week.
Because of my struggles, I’ve tried everything I could to try and combat the anxiety. There were times I would wake up with the zaps in pure panic attack mode. It was exhausting and I felt like it would never get better.
These tips are all methods I have tried over the years and continue to this day. I hope there are some ideas in here that help to ground your energy, stabilize the spinning mind, and ease the heart palpitations.
Go for a walk
I am guilty of not getting myself up and moving as much as I know is healthy for my body and mind. My day job requires me sitting behind the computer for nine to even up to 15 hours a day. Then I am also behind the computer when I’m writing and working on my blog. Hours can role by without a thought of moving when you are in the flow state or trying to meet a deadline.
Get outside and move your body
I would venture to guess that if you’re reading this, then there is something that causes you stress in your life. Whether it’s a job, taking care of the kids, or plain old life. Whenever I leave the computer, get outside, and move around it makes all the difference in the world. I know that the same would help you, too!
It seems like a no brainer, but it is truly critical that we exercise our physical bodies, especially when we’re exercising our minds for so much of the day. It brings us into the now and is extremely powerful in breaking the tension in our necks and backs from hours of dealing with stressful situations.
Let the endorphins counterbalance the stress hormones so that your body and mind have a fighting chance to calm your nerves, get a good night’s rest, and meet each day with enough energy.
Get into nature
Nature heals, period.
We live in the city and whenever we are able to get out into nature it feels like we’re coming home. If you can, get yourself out there. The fresh air, the quiet from modern living, trees, moving water, sunshine-it all works together to reduce anxiety and create a sense of calm. Even better, go for a hike. You’re getting the benefits of exercise in nature, for a double whammy of feel-good energy.
I recommend putting your phone on mute and not listening to any music, even though I am a huge music lover. There’s something truly healing about being in nature and listening. You’ll start to hear all different kinds of sounds and your brain will get a chance to just be. No worrying about deadlines, no struggling through traffic. You can just be and take in the surroundings.
“The earth has its music for those who will listen.”
George Santayana
Listen to music
I just said to turn the music off in nature, but listening to music can reduce anxiety. Music is powerful. I use the free version of Spotify and create my own playlists. Some of my playlists are based on how I want to feel. For example, I have one that’s called “Calm the f#*% down.” It’s filled with songs that I know have made me feel good vibes over the years. Another great one is this Calm Down playlist that Spotify put together.
Without fail, I always get anxious when I go shopping, especially in bigger stores with lots of people. Kids are screaming, in-store announcements are blaring, obnoxious music intended to get you to buy more is pumping, ahhh! I always bring my headphones and play relaxing music. I’m telling you, it makes a huge difference.
Music can also fill empty spaces that may feel uncomfortable, like having a whole day to yourself with all of those hours to fill. Instead of putting the TV on for background noise, try music instead. It has the same effect but doesn’t zombify you from making use of your day.
Try Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Tapping
EFT may seem a little out there to some. Ehrm, tapping my face-what?
But I have tried it and it works so well to reduce anxiety. I have been dancing with depression-related anxiety my entire life. Sometimes it has been extremely disruptive in my daily life. I have desperately searched for anything that would provide relief. I came across EFT a few years ago. It helped me through a rough patch last summer when I was experiencing debilitating anxiety. Tapping is an alternative therapy where you tap specific points on the body, mostly on the head and face, in a certain order, and sometimes with verbal queues.
EFT can ground you in your body by restoring the balance of energy in your body that may be out of whack from any kind of mental or physical issue. Tapping may not be for everyone. But if you are willing to give it a shot, then you may find some relief by trying it. Here is one of the YouTube videos that really helped me and I recommend you try out.
Check out Julie Schiffman’s video to try EFT for yourself
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWu3rSEddZI
Try a protein smoothie
Of course, good nutrition plays a role in anxiety and how intense it shows up. There are a lot of foods that can add to the level of anxiety you’re feeling. More on that later (hello, sugar). A while back I was doing research on foods that can reduce anxiety and depression, based on how certain foods impact your microbiome or gut flora.
There is a whole area of nutrition science focused on the gut brain connection. I encourage you to investigate it if you have depression or anxiety. That is based solely on my life experience, though, and is not based on any medical training, whatsoever.
I found this recipe but have changed it to suit my tastes over the years. It sounds like it would be gross, but it tastes pretty good once it’s all mixed up. The combination of healthy protein, fruit, greens, and fats can bring me right back to earth. There have been a few times where I realized how much my brain had been swirling before I drank it and how much calmer it made me. If you are willing to give it a try, I think you may be surprised.
Grounding Berry Smoothie Recipe
1/2 cup of frozen berries 1/2 cup of frozen bananas 1 cup of coconut water or alternative milk 3 tablespoons of collagen 1 teaspoon of nut butter 3 pasteurized egg yolks 1 tablespoon of coconut oil 1-2 tablespoons of ghee 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder 1 tablespoon of hemp or flax seeds 1 tablespoon of goji berries
Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until creamy smooth. I like to use a reusable stainless steel straw. If you have extra, I like to throw it into the freezer and eat it like ice cream later.
Cut the Caffeine Pronto to Reduce Anxiety
Cut.
Done.
No mas if you’re trying to reduce anxiety.
When I am feeling anxious, there is absolutely no way I am touching caffeine. Even when I’m not feeling anxious already, caffeine can bring it on fast.
There is no question that caffeine will get your heart pumping and your hands sweating like nothing else. Many moons ago when I was in grad school, I drank a huge americano before a presentation and had a panic attack. It was embarrassing as hell, and I was mad at myself for something that could have been avoided.
Now, not all caffeine is equal. Unfortunately, I have sworn off coffee, which is a travesty. I barista’d my way through college and americanos were my life for many, many years. Sometimes I allow myself to get a full-fat cappuccino if I know the quality is going to be good. Yes, quality matters. But if I want caffeine, I limit it to one cup of green tea on work mornings. Likely when it’s going to be an especially demanding day.
And soda, not even going to comment. Just don’t do it. Another choice to try if you miss the taste of coffee are teas that have a richer, more robust taste. I also love herbals and there is an unlimited number of flavors you can explore. Nothing will replace the real thing. But it is worth your mental health, and your nerves will thank you if you cut it out.
Take it easy on the sugar
Oh, sugar. How I love thee…
My husband will tell you that I have the hugest sweet tooth around. I crave sugar at all hours of the day. But I have learned that as the years go on, I am more sensitive to the sweet stuff. Last year I made a batch of “date-orade.” I drank the whole jar and less than 15 minutes later found myself shaking on the floor asking why. What was the problem?
All sugar, no fats to balance the shot of energy to your system. So, I recommend keeping sugar consumption to a minimum. A square of dark chocolate, chocolate covered almonds, or a small scoop of excellent quality ice cream. Because, it’s ice cream. We should not feel like we can’t enjoy a sweet treat, but it’s all about quality over quantity and moderation.
Meditate and Get your Yoga On
It is so easy to say, I have no time to sit and do nothing for 10 minutes.
Really? You don’t? Not even to reduce your anxiety significantly?
I am guilty of it and I am guessing you are too. If not, then kudos and keep up the excellent work. When I do make myself a priority and meditate, every single time I think, “Oh yeah. This is why I do it.”
It is like that with physical exercise, just as much with meditation. A swirling mind needs meditation. It needs a reminder to take deep breaths, focus just on breathing, in and out. Because at the end of the day, if we’re not breathing, well you know. I really enjoy meditation as a part of my yoga practice, which can lead to the same result. Yoga classes that integrate a spiritual aspect or breathwork. In my experience, have the power to truly bring your whole being into the present and ground that down.
It is powerful stuff.
During the pandemic, the Headspace app made their subscription service free, for which I will forever be grateful. Their sleep recordings helped me on many nights when I was completely overwhelmed with work pressures and deadlines. The Calm app is also a desirable choice, and they have an awesome free resources page.
Also, since the pandemic hit, I have been relying solely on YouTube yoga for my workouts besides going for walks. I recommend checking out Boho Beautiful’svideos. They offer a wide range of different practices. I love that each video is set in a different beautiful location.
But of course, there are great options to explore at home too. Both Calm and Headspace have great audio content that lead you through meditations for all kinds of emotions, from work, kids, sleep, focus, stress, and anxiety.
Practice deep breathing to ground your energy
Again, I mentioned breath work above, but it needs a category all its own. If you have not tried Kundalini Yoga, I don’t even know where to start. It is all based on a breathing practice. I have sobbed and then felt so wonderfully glowy in the same class. It may sound a little anxiety producing, but it is just that the impact of the breathwork is so amazingly powerful.
“The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.”
Caroline Myss
I know this post is about grounding, and I am talking about work that creates high energy. But experiencing those emotions in a class is a safe space to explore what the feelings are all about. You are not going to be the only one feeling deep feels. I miss going to classes in person, because the experience is so special in a class setting.
I know, I know. I resisted jumping on the adult coloring book bandwagon. But when I was going through some intense life events last fall, I ordered a book and new pencils and had at it. I have to say, it was relaxing as all heck. I ordered a book of which I liked the designs.
It felt playful and reminded me of simpler times as a kid. Times when there was no adulting and why wouldn’t you just color in your book? It is a simple form of expression. But a tactile one that is unplugged. You can color outside in the sun with a big refreshing glass of water or a warm delicious cup of tea. Anxiety reduced, check!
Try Knitting
I started knitting a few months ago and I am in love. I tried it years ago and made some scarves. But this time I went for it. I knitted booties, a hat, and even a sweater. At first, it felt like a foreign language figuring out all of the codes. It is like a computer code that you have to decipher. Thanks to YouTube tutorials, I completed all my projects. In fact, here’s my latest masterpiece! So stinkin’ cute (IMHO)!
It was soooo relaxing and comforting. The soft yarn and repetitive motions of knitting.
I love that it is completely different from my life behind the computer. The women in my family have been knitters, crocheters, needle pointers, painters, and a slew of other craftiness. I love that I’m taking part in a craft that my grandma and my mom have enjoyed.
I recommend just taking your time and do not worry about the result. You WILL have to pull out rows when you make mistakes, and you are going to hate it. I would get so frustrated when I saw a big hole when I did not notice one before and have to pull it out. But you learn from pulling out mistakes too. And the result will be better for it. You’ll have learned how to pull your irritation out of the can and keep going. I started from scratch and had to buy the basics.
Who didn’t bake over the last year of pandemic life?
I know I did. I baked cookies, bread, a birthday cake… It is one of those domestic activities that just make you feel warm and cozy.
You can’t help but reduce anxiety. The warm oven, the smells wafting throughout the apartment, and then the nom nom! I like to bake when I don’t know what else to do with myself. Sometimes I feel a little lost with what to do with the day. It is always there to comfort you.
I have such positive memories of baking as a kid with my mom and around the holidays especially. The smells bring back that positive energy and nostalgia. If you didn’t bake as a kid or have never tried it, then now is the time to create your own experiences.
So even watching other people bake makes me feel like I’m surrounded by feel-good vibes. If you don’t know about the Tassajara Bread Book, you need to. It has easy recipes and several of them are our family favorites. My go-to for bread is always the banana walnut recipe.
Having sex releases feel-good hormones everywhere throughout your body, duh. I’m betting that after, you won’t even remember what was causing your anxiety. At least for a little while.
Whether it is with a partner or by yourself, it doesn’t matter. If you want to have a sure-fire way to reduce anxiety, hop into bed. Or heck, wherever you’re standing, just get it on!
I hope these ideas to ground your energy and reduce anxiety will help you to combat the anxiety monster. If you have any other tips that have helped you, please let me know in the comments or shoot me a message. I will be personally grateful and maybe it will inspire another blog post.
This post is on must-read self-help books to change your perspective on your day, your situation, and even life! From burnout to stifled creativity to feeling trapped by your job, these books will help to ignite the fire and provide comforting words.
I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Emily and Amelia Nagoski are the sisters who came together to write Burnout. Emily is a Ph.D. in health behavior and has been a sex educator for 20 years. Amelia has a Doctorate in musical arts and is a musical conductor. This combination of their backgrounds, as well as their sweet relationship as sisters, makes this an engaging read that shows you how to get your body into a state of relaxation, regulate frustration, learn to love your body, and befriending that naggy voice in your head that criticizes you incessantly. As a professional woman who has felt burnout many times over my career, I am thankful to have this read in my arsenal.
Check out Emily and Amelia’s podcast, “for feminists who feel overwhelmed and exhausted by everything we need to get done in 2020, and still worry that we’re not doing enough” at feministsurvivalproject.com. Check out Emily and Amelia talking about Burnout below from the XOXO Festival.
Self-help book if you’re stuck in a rut
Read The Law of Attraction Plain and Simpleby Sonia Ricotti. This little gem of a book has been by my side the past few weeks. It is filled with inspiring quotes and encouraging prompts to help you take action towards creating the life that you yearn for.
The life you want may feel so close, but you just can’t get there. Or maybe it feels so far away that it’s impossible. Sonia Ricotti put together the perfect balance of inspiration and activities to pull ideas out and give you encouragement to change your mindset and make things happen for yourself.
I recommend reading a chapter and then journaling about what thoughts arise. You can also do the activities in your journal. There are pages for you to write in the book itself, but I like to keep it clean so that I can keep using it over and over again.
The creative struggle is real and it helps to know that everyone goes through it and you have to just push through. One day at a time and trust yourself to do the damn thing. It’s when we are so scared that we don’t act, or listen to the self-critic who says that we don’t have anything worthwhile to share, that we feel defeated and deflated.
Elizabeth Gilbert talks about Big Magic in the below video!
“Your soul has been waiting for you to wake up to your own existence for years.”
Elizabeth Gilbert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JnmIQxRZwI
Self-help book if you feel trapped by your job
Read What it Takes to Be Free by Darius Foroux. If you dread the alarm going off and facing the workday, then this is a must-read, because, “No person should ever settle for anything less than freedom. No matter where you are, there is always a way out.” It encouraged me to trust in the process. That you can take a leap of faith in life and make your dreams happen for yourself.
That’s what Darius did. He writes about when he started to focus on his writing career back in 2015 and did what it took to make his dreams into a reality. It is full of great tips to listen to your passion, trust that you can make your dreams happen, why we get caught up in different emotions that get us stuck, and how to get out.
Self-help book if you worry about what other people think
Read The Courage to Be Disliked: The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. If you have social anxiety or imposter syndrome, read this book. The format is a dialogue between a youth and a philosopher over a series of meetings. This book has so many great lessons. One such lesson is that our experience of life is determined by the meaning we give to experiences, not the experiences themselves.
An excerpt that really made me stop and think is, “There is no such thing as worry that is completely defined by the individual; so-called internal worry does not exist. Whatever the worry that may arise, the shadows of other people are always present.” I never thought about it that way before, but it’s true! Worry is so tied to what other people have said, what you think they’ll say, or how they may react.
“There is no such thing as worry that is completely defined by the individual; so-called internal worry does not exist. Whatever the worry that may arise, the shadows of other people are always present.”
Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
Self-help book if you feel disenchanted with anything
Read Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living Your Dreams by Mike Dooley. Mike Dooley will give you energy, period. Because his energy is infectious. I heard of his work through a friend in my women’s process group who’s a writer. I ended up taking one of Mike’s writing workshops and I could not stop smiling and laughing.
Just watching and listening to him was a mood booster and his book is the same. He is like the little engine that could to cheerlead you to where ever you want to be in life. I wish I had a recording of him I could play whenever I needed a pep talk.
“A higher understanding always has to be there to dissolve old beliefs, and in the light of understanding, limiting beliefs have to disappear, just as the dark disappears when the sun rises.” Enough said.
Yes to Life holds up to that important work in its own right. In spite of seeing his family and friends perish in the Holocaust, Victor was still able to keep a hopeful outlook on life. While not a “self-help” book, this work provides grounding and a level of appreciation that is prolific.
I hope this post on discovering poignant reads to change your perspective has lead you to find words of wisdom that you needed to hear at the exact moment you needed it.
Let me know in the comments what other books have changed your perspective. I’d love to get other recommendations!
