The Anxious Photographer

It took me years to notice how much more regulated I was when I had a camera in my hands.

I didn't set out to use photography as a coping tool or anything like it for my mental health. I did it because I enjoyed it. It felt slightly creative and artistic without me needing to have any skills in drawing or painting.

As a bonus, it also gave me something to do in social situations when my anxiety increased.

Using a camera doesn't help me hide from my life or what is happening around me. I think it does something else. I think it encourages me to be more aware. It's a mindfulness practice for me, because to compose images I need to be curious, open, and responsive.

Eventually I figured some of this out and recognized that when anxiety was giving me a hard time, I could turn to my camera and it brought a sense of order to things. I got in the zone and started concentrating on what I could perceive rather than what the persecutor in my head was telling me.

That's where this ebook started. The Anxious Photographer is a collection of prompts that I turn to when anxiety spins up. Sometimes I ride it out with other tools I've learned over the years (primarily stuff I've picked up from my therapist), and sometimes I like to grab my phone, open the camera app, and give myself a breather by engaging with some of these prompts.

This doesn't solve problems. I'm not a mental health professional and I don't make any claims that this will work for you the way it does for me. I like to advocate for a full toolbox, though, and if carrying around this one more thing can help you sometimes, I'd say that's a good thing.

Plus, you'll practice your photography.

Be gentle with yourself, lovely.