Anxiety Relief

I haven’t seen the commercial for years, but the tune was a catchy one. “Plop! Plop! Fizz! Fizz! Oh! What a relief it is!” The solution to the plague of indigestion and whatever may have caused it came in the form of two white tablets that would bubble and bubble and then take your grief away. How I wish that this was true for all ailments of anxiety!

If we had to be honest with ourselves, and why wouldn’t we be, we all struggle with anxiety from time to time, and sometimes, more frequently and intensely than others. The feeling is all too familiar. It may start as an unsettled feeling in the heart, and before long, permeates the whole body causing a sensation of fullness in the gut, throbbing in the head, and jittering of the limbs, or at least some variation of that. Our pulse quickens and our heart beats scatter like the marks of a seismograph right before an earthquake. I hate the feeling, and I suspect that you do, too.

The thing is not so much that we struggle with it, but what do we do with it? Oh, in time, each of us has developed all sorts of solutions to the feeling of anxiety. We want to shed it, get rid of it, escape it – and we’ll do just about anything to do it. We tend to look for extremes in order to try and get the sticky, icky cling-on of anxiety off of us. We’ll overeat, overreact or over-drink. We’ll exercise too much or adapt the position of a couch potato. We’ll shop, drink too much coffee, indulge in massive amounts of chocolate or crawl up under the covers and try to hibernate till warmer, sunnier days. We over talk our anxiety, running to the door (or phone) of anyone who will listen, or we pull our heads in to our shells and camp out there. We may watch too much TV, spend too much time on the Internet, or engage in risk taking behavior.

I believe that God knows what we are prone to do. He knows our make-up and all of its weaknesses, but He gives us a solution. He says that we are to not be anxious and to cast our cares upon Him. He knows that we tend to get relief from our anxieties through lots of things, and let’s face it, we do. We want to cast them on other things, beside Him, and guess what? It does not work, and in truth, it causes more anxiety. The things we are tempted to try add to our anxieties not relieve them. Try as we will, as soon as we turn around they are stuck to us again like a piece of lint that will not go away, on a dry, static-y winter day.

We need to stop and acknowledge the unhealthy things that we tend to do when we are anxious. When we are unable to see and own our weaknesses, then they are more likely to have control over us. Identifying and acknowledging the sneaky bandits is the first step – or is it? No, wait a minute … I’m thinking not, what the Lord would say is to “seek Him.” Don’t put all these other things first. Seek Him and live (Amos 5:4).

Yes, dear reader, as I process through these thoughts on anxiety today, I would say that this is it. Looking for relief from your anxiety? Seek the Creator of the Universe who loves you with a relentless, unfailing love, first. Ask Him to come in and calm your anxious spirit and give you peace. Then, ask Him to reveal to you where you run and try to hide and find your comfort – a false comfort. Ask Him to show you healthy ways for you to relieve your stress, activities and thoughts that will not harm you, nor hurt you but will help you. Ask Him for perspective, His perspective, on what is going on in your life. He is our “Wonderful Counselor” the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) who will be your All in all.

The Fog of Worry

The white lines of the road seemed to dash past me on my left, as I drove down the highway. I could not see much of anything else. The dense morning fog saturated the air. Only mere shadows of things were visible, making it hard to determine road signs and familiar markers. I knew they were all out there, I just couldn't see them, and perspective faded away. Within miles the fog dissipated and my ability to see in to the distance was restored. The colors were again clear and vivid. I could see down the road and be prepared for bumps in the road, exits and even, potential detours that just moments before had been challenging to predict.

So it is with worry and anxiety. I can get stuck in the fog of it. I don’t really intend to, it just seems like it creeps up on me, and I creep in to it. Quickly, I feel the confined claustrophobia of worry. My perspective fades. I miss out on the vivid scenery around me. The colors of life are less bright, and my ability to be prepared for bumps in the road and the ways I need to go are inhibited by an overwhelming sense of worry.

Worry – it can be over one big thing or made up of a gazillion (is that even a word you may ask? The dictionary actually says it is and defines it as “an extremely large, indeterminate number”) little drops of matter that form a mask, a film, a screen. It inhibits our vision of God and of our circumstances. It overtakes us and blocks our ability to trust and rest and be restored by the Lord.

God knows that we are prone to it – it is the mistrust in us that messes with our minds and hearts. He encourages us, though, to not worry. He has it all covered – our worry need not do the covering. We will not add a single hour to our day by doing so (Matthew 6:25-34) and it will only result in anxiety, not productivity or peace.

Dear reader, when we find ourselves overcome by worry, we need to turn our attentions to God through His Word and in prayer, trusting in Him. It is a challenge. There are really big things that do bring us concern; life is full of uncertainties and responsibilities. Trust them to the Lord, ask Him what you should do and what you need to place in to His tender care. Over time, you will see that He does make all things clearer. He will lift the fog and will lead you, prepare you and gently care for you.

PS -- Lest anyone thinks I do not struggle, I really need to heed my own advice today. So, off I go to cooperate with God in clearing the fog ...