Alright friends, this one’s for anyone who has experienced anxiety. And if you are one of the lucky ones who has not, keep reading, and tuck this into your toolbox should you ever need it.

Anxiety and gratitude cannot exist together.

Positivity is the heart of Enchanted Moon Press. I wanted this to be a place for where readers could come to for uplifting books, stories that move you, and a place for those in the publishing industry to feel included and connected.

But sometimes life throws you curveballs and it’s tough to find the positive. I want to share an experience that I just had where I was in a very anxious situation and by being mindful in my positivity, turned the entire situation around. It’s about a trip to the dentist, not books. But it’s a story a positivity, and one I feel is worth sharing.

Long story short, I had a traumatic dental experience about two years ago. During a root canal, I had trouble breathing. I needed to close my mouth to draw in a breath and I physically couldn’t. My mouth was held open with devices and a dental dam covered it. I panicked and tried to let the dentist know, but the dentist and hygienists told me they could not let me close my mouth. My mouth was trapped open, and I could not breathe. For the first time ever, I went into a full-blown panic attack.

Now this was at the age of 43. I had 43 years of easy dental experiences, actually 43 years of experiencing no anxiety whatsoever. But this one experience was traumatic enough for me to invoke the feeling of extreme anxiety with just the thought of having to hold my mouth open for dental work. Even a routine cleaning made my palms sweat and I would, ironically, hold my breath.

Cut to me taking a walk on a beautiful day last week, listening to a podcast on positivity. I heard the guest say you cannot physically feel anxious when you feel grateful. It’s impossible. The two cannot exist together. The advice was to make a list of things you are grateful for as soon as anxiety starts to creep in. Hmmm.

This morning I had to have a filling redone. I have since changed dentists, and this was the first procedure with the new dentist that came highly recommended. Even with friends telling me of their positive experiences, I was still anxious this morning. Once again, my palms were clammy and I caught myself holding my breath. I went through every bad thing that could happen sitting in the chair, and this little procedure had morphed into a big monster for me.

When the dentist came in, I explained that I am a newly nervous patient, and I would appreciate as many breaks to close my mouth as he could give me. He told me I would have plenty of breaks and to let him know if I need to close my mouth. He would allow me to take breaks even if we were in the middle of it. That was like music to my ears.

I thought I was golden. But once they told me to open my mouth to start the work, my anxiety creeped right back in. I thought it’s now or never. I’m going to try the gratitude trick and see if it works. I sat in the chair, staring at the ceiling, and started making a mental list of everything I’m grateful for. I started with the big things: my family, my health, our freedom, my faith. Then I went to things that make me happy: my dogs, my friends, laughter, nature, books, lakes, walks on the beach, sunsets.

Now, the whole procedure was probably fifteen minutes. That might not sound like a long time, but when you’re trying to fill it with lists of things you’re grateful for, you realize how long fifteen minutes is. But I didn’t want to stop being grateful because it was working! I was not anxious. I was calm, even happy. It was really working.

My list continued and got a little silly, but I had to keep going. I am grateful for washing machines. I am grateful for seatbelts in cars. I am grateful for grocery carts. I am grateful for leaves falling. I am grateful for the little light I can clip on my book to read at night. I am grateful for my mom’s spaghetti recipe. I am grateful for the little hooks for purses under bars. I am grateful for the delicious grapes at Aldi right now. I am grateful for laughing so hard I cry with good friends.

My list continued, no matter how silly it got, because it was working. It proved true; anxiety cannot exist with gratitude.

You might be wondering what you do if you are in a longer situation that brings anxiety, like a long flight or daily anxiety over work. I wish I had a clear answer for that, but I do have suggestions.

• Start each day with a gratitude list.
• Fill your mind with happy things for as long as you can.
• Listen to your favorite music.
• Get fresh air or have a fan on you.
• Read. Write. Solve puzzles. Keep your mind active.

I’d love to hear what tips you have too. This gratitude tip isn’t something I came up with; it was shared on a podcast. Sharing these tips and tricks with each other to stay positive is essential. And if you’re ever in an anxious situation, I challenge you to try the gratitude list trick. It worked for me, and I hope it can help you too. Let me know.

So, here’s to keeping it positive and finding gratitude and joy in every day. Thank you for your support. I am grateful for you.