12 days to slower living to banish the anxiety!! Banish the Anxiety and Overwhelm using these 12 Steps through 12 days! Let’s banish anxiety & overwhelm, and embrace self-love, slow living, and mindfulness in order to experience more joy and gratitude in the little moments of our daily life! I came up with these twelve ways to help you prioritize self care during hectic busy business ownership, because you have to take care of yourself in order to take care of anyone or anything else! Of course, in a perfect world we would incorporate most of these 12 things into our daily routine, but I don’t believe in perfect. I believe in progress. So, wherever you are on your journey, I challenge you to fully embrace each step on its day. In a perfect world, we would carve out time for most of these things everyday. But you have to start somewhere. If you already meditate/pray daily, then simply really notice and appreciate it on its day! Same goes for any of these—if you already are practicing that step, awesome!—just give it special & attention on its day. If you aren’t, don’t sweat it. Facebook.com/ Youtube.com/ W W W . T H E M A K E R S M A P . C O M BANISH THE ANXIETY The 12 Days of Slower and More Focused Living "Banish the Anxiety" Day One | Meditate/Pray Today, set aside at least 10 minutes to meditate/pray. You can do your own meditation or you can do what I do and simply pray. Choose a time that makes sense for you when you won’t be interrupted, and use this first day of the challenge to prepare your mindset for the next 12 days and set your intention to give yourself this small but mighty gift of at least one slow, self-care ritual a day for 12 days and possibly continue these things every day! If you can keep this small habit up over the 12 days, great! If not, don’t worry. Progress not perfection. But I recommend that you either meditate or pray every single day! Day Two | Move Today is the day to carve out time to move if it isn’t something you already do OR to really be present in your practice if you’re already getting exercise. Whether it’s a yoga class, a hike, or whatever type of activity resonates with you—just get out there and break a sweat! Day Three | Hydrate If you’re like me you’re in a constant battle with yourself to drink more water! I am a serious coffee junkie, I know the importance of hydration. Your brain needs water! AND LOTS OF IT! Hydration brings all sorts of benefits from glowing skin to flushing out toxins...and today is your day to prioritize it. Maybe the habit starts today! Facebook.com/ Youtube.com/ W W W . T H E M A K E R S M A P . C O M BANISH THE ANXIETY Day Four | Nature Whether it’s a bouquet of flowers in your home, or a walk in the woods—get some nature in your life today. Maybe take a trip to the nursery to buy a new houseplant or pic one up at the store and pot it. It doesn’t matter what you do whether you bring the green to you or yourself to the green, just make space to enjoy nature even if it’s just a small vase of flowers. In case you live somewhere that doesn’t have excellent flower shops and you want a really stunning bouquet, there are tons of places to shop. Surrounding yourself with nature and signs of life is inspiring. Day Five | Nourish Today’s the day to really focus on what you put in your body to fuel it. Try to eat good foods like grains, pulses, fruits, and of course lots of veggies! And try to stay away from refined sugars and processed foods. I am extra guilty of this, sometimes I skip meals and that just isn't going to cut it! We need fuel and healthy fuel! Day Six | Glow Today, take some time to treat your skin well. I know for me one of the things I struggle to prioritize the most is myself—especially things like my skin & hair which can feel frivolous. But the truth is our skin is a beautiful, complex part of our body and it deserves to be cared for and nourished for all it does for us. The water and healthy eating will nourish it from the inside, and today try to nourish it from the outside as well by enjoying a skincare ritual of cleansing, exfoliating, and moisturizing. Facebook.com/ Youtube.com/ W W W . T H E M A K E R S M A P . C O M BANISH THE ANXIETY Day Seven | Create My favorite part of the 12 things is the creation part! Even if you are not a creative, get the inspiration flowing! Create SOMETHING! Make something whether it’s a loaf of bread, a song, a painting. Knit. Write. Anything. Just make. Express yourself. And do it for the sake of doing it, not for any reason other than to enjoy the process. Remember this one is for you, not for work or to impress anyone. If you’re one of those people who doesn’t think you’re creative—try it...you might just surprise yourself. Day Eight | Relax To combat anxiety start the day with some slow, deep breathing, write out a plan for the day, and work the plan. If you are really stressed and if it gets really bad I do a quick little journal about what I’m feeling and why which always helps me feel better and get perspective! I call that brain dumping! It can be really helpful to say ask yourself “What am I afraid of?” and then “What’s really the worst that could happen?” You’ll realize that you can let so much go. The world is rarely about to end. And certainly not over the small things that we tend to focus on and stress out about! Day Nine | Indulge This is a fun one! Today do something luxurious for yourself, even if it’s as simple as a bubble bath, getting your nails done, a facial, or a massage. Some other ideas for indulging could be a chill movie night where you turn off all distractions or a date night with someone you love (and hiring a sitter if you need to!) Whatever luxury looks like to you, give yourself permission to make time for it today. Facebook.com/ Youtube.com/ W W W . T H E M A K E R S M A P . C O M BANISH THE ANXIETY Day Ten | Gratitude Today’s ritual is simple:just be grateful. I find that actually sitting down and writing out a gratitude list really helps me remember how good I have it and what I am thankful for! When I was learning to drive I remember being told “you’ll go where you’re looking”, and this is so true of our thought life. When we fixate and dwell on the negatives in our life, we manifest more negativity. When we set our eyes on all that is good, we manifest abundance. Try to think of at least 5 things and write them down. Might be a good time to start a journaling habit! Day Eleven | Sleep This is a biggie: I rarely get 8 hours of sleep I know this issue all too well! Can you walk away? No computers or cell phones in the bedroom. Clean sheets. Maybe a good book, a candle, and some relaxing time to help you power your brain down! I definitely need to work on this one, because I tend to be a night owl and need all the help I can get! Day Twelve | Celebrate Now...celebrate! You’ve done it! The important thing here is to give yourself credit for completing this process and to reward yourself...whatever that looks like for you whether it’s a sweet treat, a meal out, or celebrating inside! Now that this step by step is over ask yourself if you want to continue certain things and add them to your lifestyle. Mindset matters! Mindset matters for both you and your business! Facebook.com/ Youtube.com/ W W W . T H E M A K E R S M A P . C O M BANISH THE ANXIETY My hope is that you took value away from this and are able to apply small things to the big picture in your life and business each day! Hope you found value from this and I can not wait to hear your feedback. We always welcome your emails! But maybe you want to add somethings to this list! See the section below to add your own notes! XOXO Amber Be blessed! NOTES: Facebook.com/ Youtube.com/ W W W . T H E M A K E R S M A P . C O M.