Dark Evenings Make My Anxiety Worse

Photo Credit: h.koppdelaney

In this week’s podcast we are responding to a question from our inbox: “the dark evenings make my anxiety worse, can you help?”

Points covered in this podcast:

Make the Most of the Daylight

Make the most of what light there is. Get outside as much as you can and: walk, step out briskly and feel your feet connecting with the earth or drive into the countryside and appreciate nature and the sky.

Candelight & Meditation

Experiment with different ways to make your evenings lighter:

If you have a fireplace light a fire and practice gentle breathing while you watch the flames. If you don't have a fire, light candles and meditate on their light.

Try our guided candle gazing meditation on Amazon or iTunes for help with using light to calm anxiety 

Candle Gazing Meditation - Peace: Guided Meditations for Peace of Mind

This relaxing guided meditation introduces the ancient practice of trataka or concentrated gazing. The simplest introduction to tratak is gazing at the flame of a candle, and this meditation takes you step by step through a guided session that will help you relax and focus your gaze while enjoying the benefits of stilling and calming your mind.

Changing the lighting in your home can make a big difference - try full spectrum lights or daylight light bulbs. I have a full spectrum light in my office and at this time of year I really appreciate it. It helps keep my mood energy up on long dark afternoons. I also use radiant heaters and daylight bulbs in the studio to give warm bright light along with heat.

Wake up lights can be helpful too. We use a lamp that gradually lights our bedroom on dark winter mornings.

Fairy lights and night lights

We have fairy lights that give off a warm golden light similar to a candle flame around our bedroom window. Last winter we decided to leave them on a timer so they come on in the early evening and stayed on through the night. It made a big difference to my daughter and I in the evenings.

Tip: Try putting fairy lights around a mirror so the light is reflected.

Dress Your Space with Brighter Colours

Use throws or bed covers that are warmer colours, orange, yellows, brighter greens. Avoid darker colours like blues, browns and black at this time of year.

Use Warm scents to lift your spirits

For example:

• Bergamot

• Geranium

• Cinnamon

• Lavender

Daily Self-Care Recommendations for Anxiety Relief

Start your day with some stretches and/or a warm shower. Make your home bright as soon as you wake up.

If you wake up with anxiety try some EFT Tapping and Breathing to help you feel calm and confident about the day ahead.

Get outside for a few minutes during the day, take some deep breaths and walk briskly meditating on your feet connecting with the earth.

Practice a breathing technique to calm anxiety to diffuse your fears and calm anxiety as soon as you begin to anticipate any resistance or anxiety about diminishing light.

If you want to meditate on a warm and relaxing place try our Oasis Guided Journey and take a retreat in your imagination to a beautiful, healing location.

Tip: try a Guided Journey before sleep to help you wind down and relax with a sense of light and warmth.

Listen to the podcast: Dark Evenings Make My Anxiety Worse here

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