July 2022 - Musings by Danna

When I was 19, I got my first deck of tarot cards. I quickly discovered a love for them and wanted to learn all I could about them. Shortly after, I branched out into buying oracle card decks too.

I have probably about 20 decks now, each with it’s own “personality”. They have helped guide me through some difficult times and I am so happy I have these decks in my life.

What are tarot and oracle cards?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with tarot and oracle cards, they are basically a set of cards used for divination purposes. Some people use it to speak with a god or goddess, while others may use it to access the Universe or their highest self.

Tarot card decks all follow the same structure for their 78 cards, though the art may be different with different decks.

Oracle decks are a bit less structured in that each one has different cards and a different number of cards.

Using tarot and oracle cards for self-care

I love incorporating tarot and oracle cards into my self-care practice. Here are a few of the ways that tarot and oracle cards have helped me have a better self-care practice:

Taking care of my spiritual wellbeing

Tarot and oracle cards are a regular part of how I practice spiritual self-care. They allow me to connect with the Universe or my highest self to find the answers I have had within me all along.

Spiritual self-care is something I ignored for a long time, but it has proven to help me when I put the time into it. I didn’t think it was important when I was younger and didn’t see the value in connecting with the Universe.

Now, this practice grounds me and helps me to strengthen my relationship with myself.

Connecting with like-minded individuals

This practice has also led me to connect with others who have similar desires as me. Because I use my tarot and oracle cards readings to practice self-care, I have found others that do the same.

We are able to share tips and connect with each other in a genuine way. We all care about self-care and want to build it as a regular practice in our lives.

These relationships have helped me learn how to set healthier boundaries because they have been a safe place to practice setting boundaries. Finding your group of people can be such a powerful experience, and I highly recommend seeking out others who enjoy similar self-care practices to you.

Self-discovery

I often learn things about myself that I was unaware of when I do a tarot or oracle card reading. These are things such as unconscious desires or feelings that I attributed to something other than the main cause.

Upon doing a reading, I can discover these things. Awareness brings insight. I am able to figure out what I want to do about my feelings or desires once I learn more about where they are truly coming from. This might sounds strange if you are unfamiliar with tarot and oracle readings, but it’s how it has worked for me.

For example, I may discover that the sadness I had attributed to moving may actually be deeper than that and more about one phase of my life ending and another beginning, not just the move itself.

Once I know that, I am able to find ways to move forward and process my emotions a lot better since I know more about where they are coming from.

Guidance from the cards on self-care

I also feel as though I receive a guidance from the cards on what type of self-care I need to be engaging in more. This can be from oracle card decks that recommend a specific self-care action to try in that moment, such as meditation.

However, it can also be more of a general reading from the cards about needing to bring more calm into your life. From the images on the card, I may interpret indirectly that I should try meditation as a way to bring more calm into my life.

The cards are, in my opinion, reflecting what you desire or know inside of you that you truly need.

How I Can Help You

I am so excited to announce that I am now offering paid 3 card self-care oracle card readings in my Etsy shop!

If this post resonated with you, I would highly recommend checking it out!

I am only taking a limited number of reading requests per week due to the time and energy that goes into producing a quality reading. For now, that number is 15 reading requests per week, so if you would like one of them, let me know!

I also offer custom readings upon request! If you are interested in a specific type of tarot or oracle card reading other than the general 3 card self-care oracle card reading, please reach out to me by email at danna@musingsbydanna.com or DM me on Instagram @musingsbydanna.

To connect with like-minded individuals who also are interested in tarot and oracle cards, join my new Facebook group here.

And don’t forget to sign up for my tarot and oracle specific newsletter here to receive a coupon for 10% off your first reading in my Etsy shop or when you order a custom reading!

Until next time,

Danna

Anxiety can feel completely overwhelming at times. Today, I am here to share with you my top 5 distractions for anxiety.

When to use distractions

But first, it’s important to talk about when to use distractions. It’s not a good permanent solution for anxiety because if you keep distracting from the problem, you never deal with it.

However, there are also times when you may feel too overwhelmed to deal with what’s causing the anxiety. Or, you may not be in a situation where you can immediately deal with it. In this case, distractions for anxiety are an appropriate course of action.

My top 5 distractions for anxiety

Now for the good part. Let’s talk about some of the best ways I know to distract yourself from anxiety.

1. Meditation

Meditation is a great way to distract yourself from anxiety. It can really help you focus on your breath. This can be hard when you’re feeling anxious, but is one of the best ways to deactivate fight or flight so you can really relax.

I recommend using the app Insight Timer if you are looking for guided meditations. There is a paid version but the free one works just fine. Some people also like Headspace, but there are more free guided meditations on Insight Timer.

2. Art

Art projects definitely distract me from my anxiety. Once I am focused on the art project, everything else seems to fade away from my attention. I become immersed in the world of creation.

It doesn’t even have to be good. It just has to be something to get you out of that anxious feeling.

If you’re looking for ideas of types of art to do, you could draw, paint, collage, or even start an art journal.

3. Count backward from 300 by sevens

This is maybe not the most fun distraction, but it does keep your mind focused on something other than the anxiety.

It can be very useful, especially when you are in a place where your usual distractions are not available to you. For example, you could use this in public settings more easily than the other distractions.

4. Joyful movement

Are there any forms of movement or exercise that bring you joy? For me, this is going on a walk with my dog. I also enjoy hiking, although I haven’t gone lately.

For some people, it may be swimming or running. It could be playing volleyball or going surfing. Any kind of movement that is actually enjoyable for you counts.

Exercise produces endorphins, which can make you feel better. It can also help burn off the extra stress hormones. While I don’t encourage unhealthy amounts of exercise, I do think there are benefits to moving your body in a joyful way.

5. Cuddle a pet or stuffed animal.

Physically touching something, especially something soft, can help ease feelings of anxiety. Cuddling also releases hormones that make you feel better.

My dog, Lily, will perform deep pressure therapy when my anxiety gets too high to help me calm down by essentially putting pressure on me until my heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing are under control again.

But even if you don’t have a dog trained to do something specialized like that, spending time with your pet can still be quite helpful.

Final thoughts on anxiety distractions

Distractions are very useful in the moment when facing intense anxiety. However, I would also advise you to take the time to sit with your feelings when it is safe to do so.

This will allow you some time to explore where these feelings are coming from. It will also allow you to search for more permanent solutions so that you don’t need to use distractions so often.

I hope that you found this post to be useful! As always, I welcome any feedback.