To Worry or to Play?

I just found a really interesting post from the blog at http://charliehoehn.com/2013/05/19/how-i-cured-my-anxiety/comment-page-2/#comment-6124 called “How I Cured My Anxiety” by @charliehoehn and it was not at all what I was expecting to read.  The part that really clicked with me I copied below in quotes:

 

“If you’re struggling with anxiety… Take a moment to ask yourself the following questions:

1. Am I allowing myself to have regular guilt-free play with friends?
2. Am I sitting and staring at a screen for most of the day?
3. Am I consuming information that’s feeding my anxiety? (e.g. conspiracy websites, fear-mongering news)
4. Am I moving enough each day to exhaust myself? (i.e. lifting heavy weights, playing sports, sprinting)
5. Am I outside getting natural sunlight and fresh air each day? (I couldn’t get enough sun at the time, so I did 30-days of Vitamin-D + fish oil, along with Vitamin-B. Both helped me ease up and feel better)
6. Am I sleeping eight hours per night?
7. Am I consuming too many stimulants (caffeine, sugar, grain carbs) and depressants (alcohol, drugs) throughout the week?

Those are the areas that will help your anxiety tremendously, once you’ve taken steps to fix them.”

 

My day job is a Proposal Writer and in my free time I play a lot of video games, work on my fiction novel, short stories, and poetry, and read.  I thought I was playing a lot in my daily life because I do things I enjoy and have a job I’ve always worked for.  Then I tried to honestly answer these 7 questions and realized that playing and mentally decompressing are not necessarily the same things.  I am going to incorporate more play into my daily life because I struggle with anxiety and playing sounds much more fun then worrying.