For those of us who have anxiety and depression, struggling to get through a Bad (with a capital B) day can be excruciating. We start to spin negative thoughts in our heads: What if I said the wrong thing to my neighbor? Why don’t I feel successful? Do I pay enough attention to my kids? Was that the right way to handle that situation? I should be weeding/folding laundry/dusting. I can’t do anything right. I’m a failure….
As someone with acute anxiety, I’m familiar with the soundtrack that sometimes repeats all day. It expands and contracts according to my mood and the season, what I’ve been eating, how much stress I’m under, and for various other reasons.
When the walls start to close in on me, I’ve learned to reach out for support. Sometimes support comes in the form of a conversation with a good friend.
More often though, especially when my anxiety is crushing my social skills, I reach out to my Spirit Guides as the first wave of support to get me out of a funk. I get out my cards and have a nice conversation with my Higher Self and my Spirit Helpers.
Create Rituals to Ease Anxiety
Making a little ritual out of connecting with your Higher Self and your cards can be super calming. I take a moment to light a white candle, get settled into a comfortable position, take a few deep breaths… really get into the moment.
Inhale deeply, filling your lungs and belly. Exhale fully, til there’s no air left. Repeat the process a few times.
Here’s my ritual for starting to work with my cards:
- I invite Archangel Michael and my Guardian Angels to protect my space and my being, keeping out any negative influences—including my own thoughts—that would disturb my reading.
- I ask my Spirit Guides to join me.
- I tap out my cards and focus within myself.
- I really get into the moment, grounding myself, focusing on my breathing and the cards helps me to stave off the peaks of my anxiety.
Get Clear On Your Question
Then to bring a moment of clarity. I ask:
What am I stressing about? or What do I need to know about (what is stressing me out)?
Pick ONE Card
Pick just one card—maybe two MAXIMUM—to keep the message simple and straightforward.
The cards that come up are usually quite clear in their messages and a bit cheeky, if you ask me. Yesterday, it was the Seven of Pentacles reversed. The fact that I feel like I have sowed seeds and nurtured crops and tended fields, yet I have yet to see an abundant harvest. Part of this is due to self-worth issues, I know. And part is honestly due to grit and consistency—or a lack thereof.
And part of it is sheer overwhelm; with Covid and back to school, regular mom-stuff, being an entrepreneur, and feeling like I. need. To. Do. It. All. RIGHT. NOW!! No rest for the weary here.
OK. Message clear. Got it!
*You could stop there, especially if you need to meditate on your answer or how the card fits into your current situation.
What Can You Do To Ease Your Anxiety?
If you want to explore potential solutions or find a way to deal with your anxiety, you can ask:
What can I do about it?
Pick just one card again.
The Page of Wands comes up to tells me that I likely have to light a little fire under my tush, first. Second, focus on the things that get me excited, the things that fire me up. I have to look at things from a new and innocent perspective, finding wonder in my work again.
And I might need to take a day off to pursue ONLY those things that light my fire.
Is There A Shadow?
I might also look at the bottom card on the deck after pulling a card for the above-mentioned questions. This would be the Shadow of the situation, or what I am avoiding.
Oh, hello Six of Wands reversed. Fear of failure, big time!
Am avoiding defeat and not looking good to myself and the others around me by not giving 100%?
After working with my cards yesterday, I came down from an upwardly anxious spiral. I got the message about what I needed to do to put a dent into what was bugging me. I also got some clarity about what my problem was to begin with.
My Higher Self spoke to me through the cards. Honestly, it was easy to decipher what the cards meant for me because they were so on point.
Now I know what the issue is, I know how to solve it. I know what I am avoiding.
Get Out Your Tarot Journal
From here, I can get out my journal and write about exactly what I want to accomplish, getting rid of the “shoulds and the musts”, focusing on a few things that truly move ME (3 maximum for the day).
I also take a moment to recognize the negative voice in my head that makes everything so urgent and wants it all NOW! NOW! NOW! I can even talk to that voice in my journal:
Dear Sue,
I know that you want to help us get to a better place and that is why you are scared that if I don’t do everything right now, we won’t get there. I want you to know that we have to take things one step at a time, with purpose and focus. If we do things step by step, we’re less likely to trip and fall and more likely to really feel good about what we’ve achieved. It will also help us to do better work, as we’ll be much more mindful of the work we do. Thank you for caring so much.
With love,
Sue
When you are facing life with anxiety and/or depression, tarot can be an excellent tool to use to really take a moment to get in touch with your Higher Self.
Don’t overcomplicate things. Just pull one card at a time.
Get your journal out and write a summary note to yourself based on the cards you pull… and enjoy the moment. Breathing. Connecting. Focusing.
Conclusion
The practice of working with tarot can bring you into a much calmer, more connected state of mind. If you are spiraling out on a bad day, working with cards can quickly show you what the root of your issue is and how to resolve it. After you sort out the details, you can return to your life with a focused plan and a little more peace and calmness in your life.