Does anyone else struggle with anxiety? I've always been a "worrier", but never so badly that I requested medication for my anxiety. Lately though, it's really been out of control. I worry constantly, about everything. I think its because there are a few areas of my life right now that are slightly up in the air and out of my control. I am a planner, and I like to be in control, so that stresses me out. Not to mention, I've been having these crazy nightmares lately about death of loved ones that just feel so real.
Yesterday, I wrote out Philippians 4:6 from The Message on a notecard and I've been carrying it around with me. The verse says, "Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."
The verse is a good reminder, and I HAVE been trying to pray whenever a worry pops into my head rather than to dwell on the worry. It reminds me a little bit of something that I learned one summer while I visited my aunt at a Buddhist temple that she was staying out. The monks were talking about how to meditate, and they talked about how they handle a thought that comes into their mind while they're meditating. They encouraged beginners to say to themselves something like, "I have a thought, but I choose not to acknowledge it now."
So how about you blog readers? Do you feel like you worry excessively or have anxiety? What do you do about it?
Monday, May 25, 2009
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I'm the same way. I worry a lot, and so does my Mom. So, I think I took after her. I pray about the problem and just ask God to help me get through it. I have also started really trying to talk about it. I've found if I say it out loud, it really isn't as bad as it seems.
ReplyDeleteYes, and I'm on drugs now. w00t.
ReplyDeleteI am usually a worrier too. Big time. I don't like not knowing what is going to happen. And I have written that verse down and carried it in my pocket for spells too!
ReplyDeleteI like the Buddists' thoughts- in yoga my teacher taught us a little different. She said when trying to clear your mind, and other thoughts or worries come in- acknowledge them, name them (say "i see you worry") and then disregard it. That sounds really weird- sorry.
This is a daily on going struggle with me as you know and I really have never been able to go to sleep most my life without some kind of anxiety. IT REALLY SUCKS! I am sorry you are feeling it. When I can't get the worrying to stop I pray or I say these words over and over until I fall asleep. (God is with me, I am not afraid) It might sound stupid but you have to intervene on your thinking. I still haven't master it. I am here for you.
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