Happy Wednesday,

While it’s easy to have all the patience in the world when someone you love is feeling anxious, extending that patience to your own experience is a lot easier said than done. I’m no expert on the subject, but I got curious about how to alchemize my own feelings of anxiety into something I could work with. Below are some tools I found.

✍️ Viva

Make it Better: Treating Your Own Anxiety With Compassion

A quick read on harnessing anxiety:

Moderate anxiety isn’t without its place; it’s actually an appropriate response to all kinds of normal situations. In this article, Dr. Alicia Clark outlines three ways to translate the power of anxiety into motivation: 1) Think of anxiety as a signal; 2) Label the feeling to steer your experience; and 3) Aim for the sweet spot—this one’s about partnering with anxiety to reclaim control.

A calming resource:

Our CEO, Carlos, said that back when he worked as an investment banker, the only thing that kept him centered was his meditation practice. As a result, he now has the best meditation recs. He uses an app called Headspace, and it’s got some great courses on reframing fear, releasing tension, and changing your relationship to anxiety.

Quote of the week:

“Vulnerability is the center of shame, scarcity, fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. But it is also the birthplace of love, belonging, and joy.” - Brené Brown

Questions to invoke joy:

Throwing this in here because I think somehow joy is the intuitive antithesis to anxiety. In 2018, Ingrid Fetell Lee authored Joyful and taught the world the difference between happiness (pursuable, situational) and joy—which, as she puts it, “is already within us, ready to be stirred and released”. And remember NYT’s 36 questions that lead to love? Well, Lee came up with 36 questions to lead to joy. The delightful conversations prompted act as a salve to little daily stresses.

From the menu:

On the topic of joy, we’re making a lot of tacos for Cinco de Mayo: Beef Birria, Chicken Tinga, Pork Carne Asada, and Chipotle-Potato. Find them in 4-packs right after the dessert section on the 5/5 - 5/11 menu…along with all the Elote, Chorizo Queso Dip, and Margarita Mixers you could want. Then place your order before noon on Friday, when the menu closes.