#slumberkins

Superhero Strengths with the Slumberkins 🦸‍♀️

We all get a little worried from time to time. Here's a few things I do to help when I'm worried or stressed and need help calming down.

1. Ask myself is what I'm worried about actually happening? This is important because I worry a lot about the what if's in life. What if this situation goes wrong or what if I mess this thing up... if it's not actually happening right now I remind myself that it's not happening right now and most of my what if worries never happen.

2. I take deep breaths! Your breath is one of your most powerful tools. I slowly inhale and then slowly exhale trying to extend how long my inhales and exhales are with each breath. After a few breaths I usually feel better.

3. Creative expression.. I often turn to my journal or my sketchbook. Both work equally well for me depending on my mood. Sometimes I want to write out how I'm feeling and sometimes I'd rather express it through art. Both techniques allow you to express how you're feeling and provide the opportunity to better process and reflect on your emotions. Use what works for you!

4. I practice EFT... what is that? Emotional Freedom Technique is an alternative therapy option that involves tapping on acupuncture points on the body while focusing your attention on your emotions. There are many different pressure points in the body and they all regulate different systems in the body. I could easily do a whole post or series on this but we'll keep it simple. The pressure point between your eyebrows often called the third eye is the pressure point that helps most regulate me when I'm worried as it relates to bringing peace and clarity. It's simple to do but if you've never heard of it or tried it you can feel a little strange. Just give it a try if you're open to it. Simply close your eyes and lightly tap on the place between your eyebrows repeating to yourself silently or aloud "I am calm". After a few moments I find my mind is more clear and I feel less worried. (I often always find myself giggling, bonus points if after you've calmed down you want to look in the mirror while you do this, guaranteed to get a little giggle out of you!)

5. Somatic Shaking... I'm sure you're asking what is Misky talking about now? Somatic Shaking is a therapeutic technique involving intentional and rhythmic movements of the body to release tension and stress. This is a technique that if you can get into the process it can be quite fun and very effective especially if your anxiety is very high energy as in unable to stay still. This is easier with music and honestly the type of music doesn't matter, just something you enjoy moving your body to. I start with gentle swaying and a very light bounce in my knees and I slowly let that evolve. Listening to my intuition and allowing my body to move and shake in whatever way feels right. I hold a lot of tension in my upper body like chest, shoulders and back.. so I focus on those areas a lot swinging my arms and shaking everything out. This is another technique that can feel a little strange at first but just give it a try and go with the flow. There is no right or wrong way to do this. Just listen to your body, and do what feels best for you. This is another technique I often find myself giggling towards the end. I highly recommend at least trying this one because it provides a physical way to release that energy.

6. Meditation. I love meditation, it is a tool that has helped me for decades. There are so many ways to meditate again I could do an entire series on just this topic alone but for this I would recommend going to YouTube and finding a meditation that brings peace and relaxation. There are millions of guided meditations online. I have a list of some of my favorites I've found over the years so when I'm really anxious I just go and choose one from that list. I highly recommend doing this so when you are in high anxiety or a panic attack your meditations are easy and quick to find.

7. Call a friend or loved one. Sometimes just having someone else listen while we audibly process can be very beneficial. Your stuffed animals will happily listen anytime too, or a technique called chair therapy where you place a chair in front of you as if someone was there listening and you just talk it out. Some people need to vocally process things.

8. Laughter. If you have a show, book, movie, podcast, favorite comedian, literally anything that always makes you laugh... do it! Laughter energetically breaks up anxiety quicker than anything else. Also laughing triggers the release of endogenous opioids, or endorphins which are the main happy hormones that are the brains natural painkillers and mood elevators.

9. If you have a pet, give them a cuddle or play with them. Animals are truly healing. They want to be near you and be cuddled, it helps heal them and you. In fact studies show that humans that pet their animals live longer, and so do their furry family members.!

10. Be patient and kind to yourself. Being worried and anxious is hard enough as it is without adding the extra stress and pressure that we put on ourselves when we aren't kind to ourselves. Your worries and anxiety is not your fault, we all deal with them and it's okay to feel worried and anxious. We're human we are meant to feel, all the things.. but being more kind and compassionate with yourself makes the difficult feelings just a little easier.

I couldn't possibly fit every single technique or piece of advice when it comes to dealing with worries or anxiety. These are just my top favorite tools in my toolbox. What are some of your favorite tricks or techniques to help you when you're feeling worried or anxious?

🌺 Which stuffie loves strawberries?

🌺 Which stuffie likes to be outside the most?

Thank you! 😊

hello hellllloo 4 berries,, my slumberkins cranberry hammer head is big fan of allllllllllll red fruits !!! 🍓🍒🍎🍅🍉

nnnnn 4 outside frens big tie between valentines stacey (essa, squishmallow) or my sven, sky, (beanie boos) n kyla (squishmallow renamed squall after one of my fahlo bracelet animals that i track) bag charms 🛍️

tyyyyy so much 4 asking hope u hav best day

Jim Henson Saja Boys:

Left to Right:

Big Bird (Sesame Street) as Mystery Saja

Kermit the Frog (Muppets) as Abby Saja

Gobo Fraggle (Fraggle Rock) as Jinu

Bailey (Word Party) as Baby Saja

Fox (Slumberkins) as Romance Saja