I have an issue with anxiety and clutter. I'm sitting in my clean bedroom and breathing in how wonderful it feels to have everything put away and organized. I am asking myself, why did we let it get so bad? Why did it take me so long to get things cleaned up? The answer: my anxiety, combined with my husband's attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), got in the way. When not under control, anxiety and clutter can form a cycle in our home. 

Anxiety can be about the present and future. This came to mind because we had a big transition in our family recently. My baby started kindergarten. Now, both of my girls are in school. The house is quiet, and life feels a little different. This isn't what I pictured life would be at this moment. I thought we would have at least one more little kiddo around to fill our house with noise and laughter, but that hasn't happened. I feel sad. I feel a little lost. I wonder what the future will hold since this phase of life has come sooner than I anticipated. This change brings up anxiety about the present and the future, but I know I can overcome it and live happily in the now.

Strategies for setting appointments have become important to me. This is because when it comes to setting appointments for the doctor, dentist, etc., anxiety can hold me back from getting it done. It seems like such a simple task, but it can be extremely overwhelming. I can't let anxiety keep me from doing what needs to be done, so when it comes to managing anxiety and setting appointments, here are my strategies.

Preparing for a vacation can be particularly anxiety-inducing for me. There is so much to get done, many things to worry about, and, in my case, two little kids and a giant dog to care for on top of everything else. It is hard to stay motivated and get everything done without feeling brain fog and nausea. Below are six ways I handle my anxiety and vacation preparation in the summer months. 

I have anxiety while driving, despite my previously being a confident driver. I never worried about anything terrible happening while driving, but then I had kids, and my problems with anxiety and driving appeared. Suddenly, the precious cargo I was carrying weighed heavy on my mind. I saw potential accidents and danger everywhere.

There's so much expectation on everyone during the holidays; to spend money, eat food, make food, drink, be festive, be jolly, be happy, want to be happy, and so on. Being such a chaotic time of year, it's no surprise that people get anxious before, during, and after the holidays. Keeping a gratitude journal helps keep me grounded, especially during the holidays.

Symptoms of dissociation can be terrifying. One night, I had horrific acute, prolonged panic symptoms, and in an out-of-body utter state of confusion, I looked at my husband and asked, "Are you going to have me committed?"

Growing up, I left the room when my parents turned on the nightly news. I had no interest. Besides, it was all bad news, or so it seemed: wars, fires, shootings, murders, robberies, injustices, bickering politicians, and so on. No, thank you, I had anxiety around the news.

Nobody likes cleaning. Wait. That's not right, because I've known people who enjoy cleaning as it provides a sense of accomplishment or something else I can't comprehend. Not me. I hate cleaning. I especially hate the big jobs. They give me anxiety. Of course, I procrastinate, the job gets bigger, and my anxiety increases. So, I procrastinate some more. And I do it again and again. It is a circle of procrastination and anxiety that eventually must be tackled.

I wrote many blog posts this past year about my struggles late last summer with weeks of acute panic and anxiety that left me traumatized. I attended weekly therapy and worked hard for almost a year to get to a point where I could finally revisit the place where the worst of the trauma occurred, which I did, successfully. With that said, I'm wondering if therapy still makes sense for me.