Download the preorder exclusive PDF until September 12 here!
Exciting news! I have a new book coming out on September 13, 2022. I created Out of Your Mind: A Journal and Coloring Book to Distract Your Anxious Mind to provide you (and me!) with positive distractions for your anxious mind.
For years, I’ve created art and self-help content for Positively Present to help me cope with my anxiety. Over time, I’ve realized that, while it’s great to soul-search and learn about the causes of (and coping mechanisms for) anxiety, what helps me the most when I’m in the thick of an anxiety spiral is doing something to get out of my own head. A creative distraction usually works best!
Anxiety is inherently creative, which is why an outlet like Out of Your Mind can be so helpful for breaking the over-thinking cycle. Even if you don’t feel like you’re a “creative” type, this is still the book for you. It’s been designed using my own anxious mind to help you channel your creativity and quiet your anxiety.
The word “distraction” might bring to mind thoughts of avoidance, and I certainly don’t want to encourage you to avoid feelings. All feelings, even the anxious ones, should be felt! But, as anyone with anxiety knows, sometimes you need a break from feeling all the feelings. Sometimes Diving into a soul-searching book or journal isn’t always what your anxious mind needs, which is why I created Out of Your Mind!
Out of Your Mind is for those moments when you feel you can’t do anything, but you know doing something to completely numb your mind isn’t the best solution. Distraction is powerful, but it takes the right kind of distraction to stop you from dwelling on worried thoughts. I’ve designed these pages to be just the right amount of distraction — simple activities with enough depth to be meaningful.
By channeling your creativity into this book, you can disrupt over-thinking, embrace imaginative expression, explore your emotions in new ways, and maybe even defuse some of your anxiety.
Out of Your Mind is designed to be used in any order. Some pages are completely about mindless distraction — simple exercises or coloring pages — while others dig a little deeper. I recommend you choose what works best for your current emotional state. If you turn to a page and it feels like it’s adding to your anxiety, flip to another one.
There’s a bonus benefit to the book, too! Though it’s technically a journal, I’ve made it so that most of the pages can be colored in, even if that’s not their initial purpose, which provides a bonus creative outlet! The act of coloring has been known to quell anxiety, so it’s a wonderful creative outlet, especially if you’re not feeling particularly creative (which can happen if you’re anxious!).
The pages in Out of Your Mind are likely to help you interrupt your rumination, focus more on the present moment, increase your self-esteem through creativity, reduce over-stimulation, experience playfulness, feel less stressed, and maybe even learn a thing or two about yourself! I’ve personally tried each page myself when I was feeling anxious and, though I might be biased since I made them, they really did help bring me back to the present moment.
If you’re looking for a resource to help you get out of your mind and back into the moment, check out Out of Your Mind, available on September 6, 2022 wherever you like to buy books. You can keep up to date on all things book-related @OutofYourMindBook, and visit the Out of Your Mind page for:
- Links to preorder the book — and info on how to get exclusive downloads available only for those who preorder!
- Access to the Out of Your Mind Spotify playlist — a curated selection of songs to listen to while journaling or coloring.
- Additional resources — including a Recommended Reading list filled with books that have helped me understand (and feel less alone with) my anxiety.