I hate thunderstorms. Especially severe ones, or the threat of severe weather, because it triggers emotional flashbacks in me. Hail is the worst. It’s like Mother Nature is yelling at me and throwing things and threatening to hurt me–for no reason. So yeah, it’s of no surprise that thunderstorms trigger my anxiety.
However, in addition to the magic little pills my doctor prescribes, I’ve found several things help. My lavender “roll on” that I put on my wrists and at the base of my throat before I go to bed. (Mom says they used to put a few drops of lavender oil on a cotton ball and put it in the pillow cases of dementia patients to help them sleep in the nursing homes.) If things get really bad, I have lavender “body butter” that I rub onto my feet. There’s one other thing that I like and that’s my comforter. The weight of the blankets, snuggling under them, really helps the anxiety.
My cats also help. Last night with thunder and lighting booming outside, I lay in bed. There wasn’t any severe weather, thank goodness, but it was loud and triggery. Then, a couple of my cats (and I have big cats) laid down beside me. Ahh, the perfect anxiety antidote. A weighted blanket of cats.
There was “Chunk” who likes to crawl under the covers to stretch out along my back. And Pixie who is very happy curled up next to my stomach. Sometimes Bumble lays on my feet; sometimes it’s Pixie’s sister Clara. And Simba loves to sleep on his big stuffed dinosaur that’s between the pillows. Purr. Purr. Purr.
I don’t think my kitties mind refilling my “Purr”scription when it comes to my anxiety. They are happy to get attention, pets and cuddles, and I am happy to give it to them. Because as I do, I can feel the worry fade away, and I drift off to sleep, surrounded by cuddly, purry, weighted blankets of love.
