Day 4

Welcome to the Wellow method - Day 4! You should already be feeling the benefits. Now that you are able to recognize the symptoms of anxiety, stressors and name your emotions, it is time to design your environment so that it too contributes to your well-being and is not a source of anxiety.

Analyze your environment, it could be a source of anxiety. 

In 2012, the World Health Organization counted 12.6 million deaths, 23% of which were attributable to the impact of the environment. Pollution, second-hand smoke, noise, chemical fertilizer, and climate change are some examples. Various diseases have developed, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and lung disease. Why talk about these diseases when this program addresses anxiety? In fact, the common thread between these diseases and anxiety is inflammation. The more we live in an environment that is pro-inflammatory, the more likely we are to experience anxiety and other diseases. This is why the Wellow method addresses this issue and sincerely wishes to make it rather simple.

Before we go any further, here is an example to illustrate! Here is a story told by an occupational therapist: while assessing a woman working in a laboratory for shoulder pain, they found that it was not the pace, the position or even the nature of the work that was causing the pain. Rather, it was due to the fact that there was a lot of walking back and forth behind her while she was doing precision work. Each movement caused the person to jerk slightly. This example allows us to understand that the environment can have a significant impact on the management of anxiety and that it is important to pay attention to it.

1- PausePose

Today, during PausePose, we invite you to analyze your environment with very simple questions.

• Morning routine:
  • Are you comfortable and are the items around you reassuring and calming or do they irritate you as soon as your eyes fall on them?
  • Do you walk 100 steps and every morning seems like a puzzle?
• At work:
  • What type of work do you do and have you taken the time to set it up?
  • If you work in a place where it is not possible to customize it, what are the things that make you feel comfortable?
    • your equipment, the location of your workstation, etc.
  • Evening routine:
    • What makes the morning routine different from the evening routine?
      • Playing with lighting, candles, music, this has an immediate impact on anxiety levels.
    • Bedtime:
      • What do you like best about your bedroom that makes you want to retreat to it?

In summary, is your environment soothing or stressful?

If you are a positive, cheerful and easy-going person, but you feel constantly on guard, jumpy, impatient, these questions are even more important.

Some people may also experience eco-anxiety. This is anxiety about environmental changes and worrying about the fate of our planet. Without labeling yourself as an eco-anxious person, it is important to take concrete action on the elements within our power, without depriving ourselves of comfort, pleasure and letting go. Remember, if you are paralyzed by anger and discouragement, you won't be able to take action in the long run. A small daily action to be a positive influencer in your environment is the key.

2- Fun

Look around you. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your access to pleasure?

In order to experience many enjoyable moments during the day and to rate it more as calm, laughter and satisfaction, these must be effortlessly accessible!

At home: whether you like to paint, write, read, play the guitar, play sports, is your equipment nearby?

At work: target your favorite tasks and increase your awareness when you accomplish them in order to increase your well-being capital at work.

Multiply your daily pleasures and give little importance to the less pleasant moments. Without ignoring them, direct your attention to the solutions and enjoy the good moments.

3- Productivity without burning out

Today, we have identified the elements in your environment that generate anxiety.

Make a change at home and at work to increase your comfort, productivity and well-being.

4- Consciously moving on

The more we try not to think about something, the more we will think about it. As we've discussed, worry time has a beginning and an end. But what about the impact of the environment on how you handle worry? We will end the program with this aspect.

• Where will worry time take place?
  • Make sure it is conducive to reflection: quiet, aesthetically soothing, but outside your room
• At what time, for how long and how often will you do the worry time?
• What activity will you do immediately after the worry time to end it?
• Where will you write down your worries when they occur outside your worry time?
  • What will be your thought to move on?

This is the conclusion of the four days! Don't hesitate to do it again or to use what you liked in this approach as often as possible!

See you soon!

Let go to get better.

The Wellow’s team