Feeling a little anxious today? – Well years and years ago a comedian named Bob Newhart had the fix for Anxiety – JUST STOP IT!
Alas his “cure” was easy to understand but hard to implement. Anxiety has been around for generations. Do you remember the people’s response in the book of Joshua when the advance scouts came back with the report about the people who lived in the land Joshua was told by God to conquer? Anxiety, even fear and trembling, is nothing new, but it does seem to be changing, increasing and becoming less manageable. Anxiety is hard to avoid. Sometimes, it may even serve a purpose. Test anxiety kept me studying and therefore aided me in becoming a physician. But in the information age, anxiety needs to be tamed, because in excess, it can do a lot of harm.
How to JUST STOP IT? Here are a few thoughts.
IF YOU CAN …identify the sources of your anxiety. Once you have identified a trigger, you sometimes can make changes either to avoid or confront what is causing you stress. In some cases, it may be easy to avoid – for instance, if driving after dark causes stress because you don’t see well, you can change your schedule (to avoid) or see an eye doctor (to confront your vision problem)
In my case, I had a fear of heights. I decided to confront it by going parasailing. That was not a good idea. I still had my fear of heights and now had a fear of parasailing. Now, I control my exposure. I do not go parasailing!
Sometimes we just feel a generalized disquiet and are unable to pinpoint a reason. There are still some general principles to follow.
-ALLOW ENOUGH TIME FOR REST
-SCHEDULE REGULAR HEALTHY RECREATION
-EAT A HEALTHY DIET
-FIND WAYS TO LAUGH
-HELP RELIEVE SOMEONE ELSE’S STRESS
Proverbs 11:25 – Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.
-ADJUST YOUR GOALS
Perhaps break them into smaller pieces. If you are frustrated that your house is not clean, start with just one room. Baby steps can help relieve stress.
-AVOID EXCESSIVE NEWS.
Today’s news is not meant to inform as much as it is meant to inflame. If you want to stay up to date and informed, find a healthy source. One example is a podcast called The World and Everything in It. It is about 30 minutes long and gives you the big stories and occasional human-interest pieces.
-AVOID EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA
-INCREASE “IN PERSON” CONTACT WITH ACTUAL PEOPLE
Spend quality time with people you like or love or find interesting
-LEARN TO ENJOY THE QUIET
Go outside on a quiet, warm morning (or evening) and just listen
-ENJOY MUSIC
Life will always have its stresses, but it is important to learn to sing and dance
-MAKE A PRAYER LIST AND USE IT.
Sometimes our anxiety comes from something totally outside our control. If we cannot do anything about a situation, there is One who can. Go over your list with God daily, and again every time you start worrying about it. He can change things and He can change you. And unlike people, He does not mind us pestering Him
-MAKE A “GRATEFUL LIST.”
Years ago, I read a book that gave some advice that really helped me. It suggested that every day I list 5 things for which I was grateful. It is amazing what we take for granted. Summer, sunshine, gentle rain, a good book, the gift of sight, children’s laughter, the gift of hearing, running water, clean water, bird song. Start making your list, including all the little things that you enjoy.
-REMEMBER
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” That is James 1:17. And in this changing world, each of us have some good and perfect gifts in our life. Shifting our focus from what is wrong to what is going right can make all the difference!