Anxiety

PHOTO CAPTION: This little one is not anxious about anything because she knows her grandpa’s got her. Never forget, your heavenly Father has you firmly in His grasp.

According to statistics, (KFF/CNN survey analysis of US Census Bureau data) it is estimated that approximately 4 out of 10 adults report feeling anxious or depressed. Although, that number has slightly decreased since 2021, the numbers are still high. Among young people, the percentage is even greater. I am encouraged that the numbers have decreased slightly since 2021, probably because of the strong emphasis on mental health. Still the question arises, “What can we do about anxiety? What do we do when we have depression, anxiety, worry, or stressful situations that arise?”

Let’s face it, no matter how healthy you are mentally and physically, at some point in life, you will encounter stressful situations, and you may respond with negative feelings. After all, you are human. I am not a mental health counselor, nor am I a doctor. I am not going to try to give you advice or counsel from those realms. If you are feeling overwhelmed, suicidal, having panic attacks or can’t function because of anxiety, please do seek professional help. However, as a woman of faith, a Jesus-follower and someone who deeply believes God is with us, I want to share with you some of the things that have helped me in my moments of anxiety, because, yes, I have had anxious moments in my life.

First of all, Seek help. I would reiterate, if you need professional help or even think you might need professional help, please seek it out. If not from a professional. at least talk your situation over with a trusted friend or family member. It’s even better if that person is also a person who professes faith. They can then pray with you, listen to you and give you godly wisdom.

Several years ago when I was going through some physical issues resulting in surgery, I talked with both a physical doctor and also met with a counselor. Most of my anxiety and depression at that time was cleared up when my physical problems were addressed, but as I was walking through the situation, the counselor helped me in so many ways. She validated my feelings and helped me to regain hope as I struggled through physical pain and emotional upheaval due to a hormonal I’m balance. Regardless of the cause or my emotional status, it was very helpful to meet with a mental health professional.

Second – Dig deep into God’s Word. Immerse yourself in His Word and His love for you, because He does love you. You are not too messed up, too weird or have too big of a problem for Him. I immersed myself in God’s Word when undergoing my surgery and during my recovery period afterwards. His Word literally became alive to me. It was my life. I sang it throughout the day, read it at night and memorized verses that spoke to my heart. You may say, “But I don’t know how to do that.” That’s okay. Try meeting with a Bible study group or get someone to mentor you in your reading. Attend church regularly. Use a simplified Bible version such as the NIV – New International Version, or the ERV – Easy to Read Version. There are many resources that can help you with reading your Bible. Download the YouVersion Bible Ap on your phone. Just start somewhere and ask God to help you understand and apply it to your life situation. When you do find a verse that speaks to you, memorize it. Write it on a notecard and carry it with you everywhere to look at throughout the day. I am including a few verses in the sidebar that have spoken to me.

Third – Pray! I can’t say this enough. Pray, pray, pray! Maybe this should be our first response. When my kids were younger, they were involved in a school musical. One of the songs stuck with me, “First You Pray” (From the musical “Fat, Fat Jehoshaphat” by kathiehillmusic.com) It went something like this, “First you pray, first you pray, the moment you see a problem on its way. Most of the time, it’s last on your mind, but first you need to pray.” There is power in prayer, in personal prayer, prayer with friends, corporate prayer. There is power in prayer!

Recently my 90 year old mom, had a stroke and is in the hospital. This has been a stressful situation for all of us, especially my mom. I have prayed much and relied on God, but I’m not the only one praying. I have others praying with me. Guess what? My mom is praying too. She entered the hospital praying. When she wasn’t even able to communicate, she still could pray. How do I know? Because the doctors said, “She prays well.”

Fourth – Worship & focus on the positive. Worship has been such a comfort to me throughout my life. I think every time I have went through a crisis, God has given me a song. Sometimes a song will be on continuous play throughout my brain. Listening to positive music is powerful. Music connects with our emotions in a way that perhaps nothing else can.

Focus on the positive by noticing small victories or beautiful things throughout your day. A beautiful sunset, a friend that calls, a good news story that you hear or read about, all of these can be sources of encouragement and joy.. With my mom, I am thankful that her speech was clearer yesterday than it was in the past. I am also thankful for her caregivers and that she is eating.

You may say, “But you don’t know what I’m going through. I don’t have many friends and I don’t know even what to do right now.” That’s okay. Take one tiny step forward. Ask God for help, tell Him how you feel and seek help. When you do these things, you will notice a change. It may be slow-going, but you will regain hope. Sometimes hope comes through medication and that’s okay too. God works through many different ways. One thing I know, He has helped me every time I have called out to Him. Do I have all the answers? Definitely not! Do I know how I am going to navigate this new storm in my life? Not yet. I do know that God does and I can leave the details in His capable hands. I will do what I need to do for this moment and trust Him for the next moment. I pray that you connect with God and feel His strength and love in the midst of your anxiety. Don’t give up, rather give God your struggles – every single one of them. Blessings my friend!

PARENT PRAYER:
God, I don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring, but you do. I don’t know how to navigate the things that I am facing right now, but you do. I ask for your wisdom and strength and provision. I ask these things for myself and for my family. Teach us, Lord to look fully to you and trust you with all of our tomorrows. I can only live in today. Today, I am facing things that are way to big for me. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I invite you into today and tomorrow. I know that you are with us in every situation we face and you never ask us to face these things alone. Oh Lord, you have been a refuge for me throughout my life. All my life you have been faithful. I have found that I can depend on you no matter what. How I long for this next generation, my kids, my grandkids and others coming up to know that they too can depend on you. You never leave us or forsake us. Others may leave us, a teacher or a trusted friend may leave or even worse betray us, but you God, never will. You call us to live in daily communion with you and to bring to you all our anxieties and so we do. We bring these things to you, knowing that you are able to do great and amazing things – “exceedingly, abundantly above all we ask or think.” So, Lord, we are asking. We are asking for your grace, your strength and more than anything else for your presence and peace. Replace our anxieties with your peace that passes all understanding. Amen

A COUPLE OF OTHER IDEAS THAT HAVE HELPED ME
* Journaling – writing down my concerns, my prayers and what I think God is saying to me has been extremely helpful for me. It helps to get your feelings down on paper.

* Be grateful! Gratitude lifts our focus off of ourselves and gets our minds off of our problems for a moment. It helps us realize that do have good things to be thankful for.

* Help someone else when you can. You may be so deep in the muck of a situation that you really can’t help anyone else right now, but if you can, it will life your spirits and perhaps you will make a new friend. At least offer a smile to someone else.

VERSES TO FOCUS ON WHEN ANXIETY COMES
* Phil. 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” PRAY!

* Phil. 4:8 “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” What are you thinking about? What are you allowing your mind to dwell on?

* Psalm 121:1-2 “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth”This verse was especially meaningful to me during the days after my surgery.

* Job 19:25 “I know that my Redeemer lives,” I’m not completely sure why this verse meant so much to me during a stressful situation except that it reminded me that God was with me. He was my Redeemer, no matter what happened. He is alive and I can count on Him.

PLEASE NOTE: I’m sorry, this week’s blog is all for you moms and dads. If you have older kids, then they might enjoy it, but I do not have a kid’s section this week. Next week, I will be back on track with a kid’s section.