How Creating Beauty Has Saved Me from Crippling Panic Attacks
I’ve struggled with a panic disorder on and off since I was nine years old.
If you’ve ever experienced one, I don’t need to tell you how….not fun they are.
Over the years I have found a few things that help me cope, some of which include
-a wonderful, understanding, patient husband ;)
-journaling
-meditating
-audiobooks (Harry Potter calms me down so fast!)
More recently, I discovered not only how to cope with the panic-y feelings, but how to thrive in the excitement of uncertainty.
For me, the answer came in CREATING.
Creating a nurturing environment for seeds & plants to grow.
Creating and designing a colorful garden.
Creating a floral arrangement for my kitchen table.
Creating a bouquet for a friend in need.
When creating something with my hands became a habit, the anxiety and panic took a back seat in my mind.
I honestly don’t really think about it anymore.
When my hands are in the dirt, I’m grounded and in the present moment. When I purposefully arrange flowers by shapes and colors to create something visually appealing, time stands still and I’m only focused on the thing right in front of me. And my favorite thing of all is finding what’s blooming in the garden and crafting a bouquet with someone specifically in mind—thinking less about myself.
But experiencing these feelings for so long has helped me have more compassion and empathy for others that struggle with any form of mental illness.
My experience in purposefully creating a calming environment for myself is one of the main reasons I created Aurora Flora–to help others that need a moment of calm. A moment to slow down.
A moment to CREATE something beautiful. Brittany Reynolds, a Team Flower Educator, said
“When you take a moment, sit down and mix or arrange flowers, you fall into something called a flow. This is actually a psychological term. Being in flow boosts our mental state, can regulate our breathing patterns, and slow down the heart rate.”
Flow essentially happens when we are so focused on a task, time disappears, and our brain is only thinking about this ONE thing.
We forget about criticisms, judgements, frustrations, and the rest of our circus-like lives and have a moment of control to be inventive & creative.
So let me recap a bit: Creating (particularly with nature, in my case, flowers), benefits me by
-decreasing my anxiety
-Improving my mood
-forcing me to slow down
-expanding my brain function
I can’t wait to give you the chance to experience this first hand! Spring will be here before we know it.
