Research has long suggested that 21 days is all it takes to start a new habit. 2
Introduction It s normal to feel a tad stressed from time to time. Life can be stressful. We all worry about things like financial problems, work, family struggles, or health. But sometimes anxiety can become so severe that completing simple, everyday tasks can become difficult. Anxiety is not an easy condition to treat. It's created through years of experiences, complicated genetics, and difficulty understanding the nature of your symptoms. It can take a long time to negate your anxiety symptoms. But there are ways to prevent, manage, and in rare cases cure anxiety in a matter of days. Things You ll Need A notebook, word document, or journal Lavender essential oil Determination One hour of quiet time, every day Optional CBD oil Lavender candles An essential oil diffuser Create Your End Goals List Your end goals are an important part of your 21 days to control your anxiety. Why? Because the goals you set are what you will be working toward. 3
Introduction What Kind of Goals? The kind of goals you set will determine your overall success with this program. Set realistic, achievable goals. Aim too low, and you won t feel like you achieved anything, aim too high, and you ll fail. So what kind of goals? Examples Get on a sleep schedule that fits your life Decrease or eliminate panic attacks throughout the day Learn to a new skill during your hour of you time Start exercising Get your day organized with a daily planner; stop forgetting things These are the kind of achievable, realistic goals that will help you in you journey to get control over your anxiety. To top it off, goals like this will increase your overall quality of life. 4
Day One The first day of this plan is the most important. If preparation takes a few days, that s okay! Just make sure that when you start your official first day you ve checked off all of your goals. Achieving all of the goals of day one will set the foundation for a successful 21 days. Goals Complete your day planner Get all of your material gathered. Finish your Day One journal entry Complete your End Goals list Step One - Gather Your Materials Whether you ve elected to only go with the essentials, or you ve opted to dive head-first into a world where you control your anxiety and it doesn t control you, make sure you have everything gathered. Step Two - Create Your Day Planner Your day planner will quickly become your best friend. Now, before you run away from the idea of a strict schedule you ll end up not following, hear me out. This is not a schedule. It s a planner. In your planner, you ll list all of the things you have to do during the day, such as take medicine, feed the dog, chores you want to get done, etc. 5
Day One Example - Take Daily Vitamins Take the dog out Start the laundry Sweep the bathroom floor Using a day planner instead of a schedule is less confining, you don t have to set exact times to do something, but you have a reminder, a little nudge, to help you remember all of the things you have to do on any given day. I recommend using an app on your phone to keep your day planner; that way it will go anywhere you go, and make it easier to check your to-do list items off on the go. Create your plan for the day the night before, so that you can wake up and immediately know what you have to get done that day. Start Your Journal The idea of keeping a journal makes some people want to hide in a pillow fort until it goes away. Well, in this case, it s much simpler than you think. Your journal entries don t have to be long and involved at this point, but they do need to be done. It doesn t particularly matter what you write in your journal; complain about your partner, or coworkers, talk about your dreams; whatever is on your mind throughout the day. 6
Day One Try to fill one page, and don t write anything less than half a page. Taking journaling seriously will give you a serious edge on your anxiety. 7
Day Two Make Sure You Finish All of the Items on Your Day Planner By now, you should have your day planner set up and ready to go from the night of day one. If not, write your plan for the day as soon as you get up for the day. Getting organized and staying organized throughout the day will help with the feeling of being overwhelmed. Make sure that you keep your plan for the day realistic; don t add so many things that you create the feeling of being overwhelmed and fail to finish your to-do s before the end of the day. Start Using Your Lavender Oil According to the principles of aromatherapy, breathing in the scent of lavender essential oil or applying lavender essential oil to the skin sends calming messages to the limbic system, a brain region known to influence the nervous system and help regulate emotions. There are two primary reasons to start using lavender essential oil - One - Sleep Research has shown that most Americans would be happier, healthier and safer if they were to sleep an extra 60 to 90 minutes per night. 8
Day Two Sleep problems are commonly a symptom of anxiety, depression, and other mental-health ailments. Sleep issues can also cause anxiety and other mental health problems. It s a vicious circle. Stopping the circle means addressing any sleep problems you may have. Lavender oil is widely considered the best essential oil for sleep and relaxation. Whether you re using a diffuser, bath bombs, incense, pillow/linen mist, or topically applying pure lavender essential oil, lavender is an amazing all-natural way to encourage relaxation, calm, and quality sleep. Using lavender as a natural sleep aid is a great alternative to pharmaceutical sleep-aids and, in most cases, is highly effective if used properly. Two - Anxiety Symptoms Irritability, sense of dread, feelings of being unsafe or out of control - they re all very common symptoms of an anxiety disorder. All of them can also be improved by lavender essential oil. How to Use Essential Oil Now that you know why lavender essential oil is a great way to ease your anxiety symptoms, you need to how to use it (properly). 9
Day Two There are 3 primary ways to use lavender oil - Use a diffuser Use it topically Use lavender products Diffuser An essential oil diffuser is one of most popular and effective ways to use lavender oil. Simply add a few drops of pure lavender oil to the diffuser and you have aromatherapy. Topically Using essential oils topically is the easiest, arguably most effective, way to achieve the desired effect. Add a drop or two to your wrists, chest, or temples for a long-lasting feeling of calm. Lavender Products Lavender products, such as lotions, bath bombs, soaps and pillow sprays, are a great way to use essential oil, but are best when used in combination with topical application of pure lavender oil. Write Your Second Journal Entry Your second journal entry is possibly more crucial than your first, as it s the beginning of a habit. Keep it going! Whether you write about your feelings throughout the day, the things that annoy you most about your partner, or anything else that crosses your mind, make sure you fill one page with your thoughts. 10
Day Two Enjoy Your Quiet Time Today is the first day you ll make room in your busy schedule for one hour of quiet time (but it won t be the last). Establishing one hour where you do whatever makes you happy is a key part of self-care. Whether you write, read, watch TV, or just sit and think, you need one hour of time each day that you can call your own. Try not to do chores or work during your quiet time. Get Your Rest Take a look at these statistics: 50-70 million adults in the U.S. have a sleep disorder, and the numbers have been on the rise for some time. Insomnia is the most commonly claimed sleep disorder, with approximately 30 percent of adults reporting short-term issues and 10 percent reporting a more chronic problem. You re not alone in your restless nights and caffeine binges survey findings show that stress may be getting in the way of quality sleep. American adults report sleeping an average of 6.7 hours a night less than the minimum recommendation of seven to nine hours. In addition, 42 percent of adults report that their sleep quality is fair or poor and 43 percent report that stress has caused them to lie awake at night in the past month. 11
Day Two Using your lavender oil as an aid, sleep should be easier. Furthermore, it should be high on your priority list. Try to get a minimum of seven hours of sleep per night, more if possible. Just try not to sleep more than nine hours - oversleeping can cause as many problems as too little sleep, and can make you feel just as tired. 12
Days Three Through Ten At this point you may not have seen any real results. Be patient. Rome wasn t built in a day, and anxiety symptoms won t recede in two. As long as you re following you day planner, using your lavender oil, keeping your journal, getting your quiet time in every day, and trying to get your sleep schedule under control, you should start to see results soon. Keep in mind that lavender oil can be taken with you everywhere you go and applied frequently throughout the day. Use it as often as needed to keep you as relaxed as possible. 13
Days Fourteen Through Twenty By now you should start finding it easier to sleep at night, stick to your day planner, and keep your journal. Your sleep pattern should be well under control, you should find yourself more alert throughout the day, and more relaxed. As usual, continue to build your new good habits, and get rid of any bad ones as you go. Day Fourteen Today you ll start adding a new section to your journal - Five Positive Things. In this section, you ll start writing five positive things that happen to you throughout the day. Things like hearing from an old friend, a nice cashier, or a special date are all things you could add to this section. At first, you will be thinking really hard to find positive things about your day, especially if it s a bad one, but do your absolute best to find just five good things about every day. It may seem like a pointless exercise, but it will teach you to look for the good in even bad situations. It s a highly effective therapy, so take it as seriously as you can. 14
Day 21 Today is a day to celebrate! You ve made it to the end! You ve established new, healthy habits, got your sleep schedule within a normal range, started looking for positivity throughout your day, and learned to take a little time for yourself. Your stress levels and anxiety symptoms have improved. Evaluate The Goals List Remember the goals list you created at the beginning? It s time to sit down and see how many of your goals you can check of the list! Don t worry if you only check a few off, or even if you check off any - that s ok! Achieving long-term goals can take time; some goals more than others. The point is, you ve established some very healthy new habits that will help guide you through fulfilling your long term goals. Good luck! 15
About the Author Brylee Alexander has been working with busy business owners for over 3 years. She writes SEO articles for businesses that want to see their Google search rankings surge and their user engagement fly. As a member of the Professional Writers Alliance she s no stranger to the trade. She s written for Medium, Blasting News, Upwork, and ghost-written for many others. Her educational background in health and wellness and professional writing give her knowledge and experience to draw from when writing articles on her blog, manywordsonevoice.com, and on her client s blogs. She especially loves writing articles about natural health topics. You can find out more about her writing services at bryleealexander.com. Copyright 2018