Free Play It Away: A Workaholic's Cure for Anxiety by Charlie Hoehn

practicing gratitude through writing.
    Whenever you get really stressed out, grab a pen and a few pieces of paper. Write down every single thing you’re currently worrying about . Don’t filter your words or resist your feelings. Be brutally honest about what you are going through. Expose your fears and insecurities so you can see them outside of yourself.
    Once you’re finished, go back and read through everything you just wrote. Then take out another few sheets of paper, and write down one reason why you’re grateful for every single thing you’re worried about. It doesn’t matter how awful or irredeemable that source of stress has been; come up with one reason why you’re thankful to have experienced it.
    This is the best method for transforming mental poison into spiritual nourishment. Writing unlocks the gates of your mental prison, which allows your brain to decompress and breathe. And practicing gratitude for each of your stressors helps you see your life in a more positive light.
    I can’t overstate how critical writing was for retaining my sanity. It was one of the few activities that calmed me down and made me feel better. Even when I felt like death, I was setting aside time to write down everything that was bothering me. Writing to myself (combined with meditation) helped me recognize that all of my thoughts were acceptable. That’s how I learned to be okay with myself again. It’s how I became my own best friend.
    I’m a major advocate for writing worries out by hand (rather than typing). It’s slow and kind of painful, but there’s something magical about the process. You are simultaneously venting and listening to your most private thoughts, and no one is there to interrupt or argue with you (plus, you’re not being distracted by the internet). The practice is extremely therapeutic, and for me, it’s a lot more emotionally powerful than typing.
    Whether you keep or throw away your written thoughts is completely up to you. This is just a technique that can help you love yourself more.
    FREQUENCY:
    As needed.
     
    COST:
    Free.
     
    DO IT NOW:
    Take out a few pieces of paper. Write down everything that you’re stressed out about. Then come up with one reason you’re grateful for those sources of stress.
     
    RESOURCES:
    Moleskine Journal (playitaway.me/moleskine) The most beloved brand in notebooks, sketchbooks, and journals. Great for travelers, writers, and note-takers.

End of Week 2 - Assessment
     
Did you have at least two sessions of guilt-free play with your friends?
Did you get 15 minutes of sunlight and fresh air each day?
Did you optimize your room for great sleep?
Did you go to bed at the same time each night?
Did you take a nap each day after lunch?
Did you observe your thoughts for 10 minutes each morning?
    Ongoing:
     
Did you do the Remove Your Anchors exercise?
Have your simple solutions been effective?
    On a scale of 0 - 100%, how much did your anxiety drop this week?
     

Eat Healthy Meals with Healthy Friends
Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.
— J EAN A NTHELME B RILLAT- S AVARIN
    The old saying is true: You are what you eat. And if the food you’re consuming is foreign, toxic, and difficult to digest, you will feel sick, anxious, and constipated. 30 It’s impossible to feel healthy if you’re subsisting on foods that have zero nutritional value.
    When I was at the height of my anxiety, I was regularly eating foods that I knew were toxic on a daily basis — fast food, junk food, ice cream, pizza, alcohol… But I didn’t care. I was just so desperate for quick and easy forms of comfort, even though they ultimately made me feel worse. The food highs disappeared as quickly as they came, and I’d run off to find another stimulant to numb my bad feelings. Of course, I only ate like a slob when I was alone. When other people were with me, my eating habits magically cleaned themselves up.
    The way I broke out of my unhealthy eating habits was by regularly