Anxiety

Anxiety is a natural human emotion that all of us experience at some time, but when we experience excessive anxiety it can be very unhealthy. This intense anxiety is unhealthy for both our body and our mind and should be avoided. Of course some things are easier said than done, but there are some basic steps we can take to avoid anxiety or at least deal with anxiety. There are numerous books that address this issue and I'm not a psychologist or physician, but I can tell you what helps me personally when I'm anxious. Anxiety is generally the result of eagerness, distress, or uneasiness about the future. Let's tackle each one of these causes.

Eagerness can cause anxiety. Eagerness is another natural human emotion that we all experience and can often lead to excitement and joy. In fact, we are called to eagerly await the second coming of Jesus. We often eagerly await big celebrations whether it be a birthday, holiday, wedding, anniversary or other big life event. It is natural for us to be eager and anxious for such things and we shouldn't have to hold back these feelings of eagerness. Only when our eagerness affects our lives so much that it prevents us from functioning in a normal manner in our daily lives should be become alarmed. It should be noted however that eagerness can lead to anxiety, and anxiety will not do us any good. The best response to eagerness is patience.

Anxiety often leads us to a feeling of distress. When we are distressed we are in severe mental and sometimes even physical pain. We often feel hopelessness and constant misfortune. Obviously this is not healthy, but not only is it not healthy but it affects every aspect of our life. Nobody lives a stress free life. We all experience stresses in our lives and how we deal with these stresses is the difference between one who overcomes and one who is overcome. Any time we reach the point of distress we must pause and clear our minds. Take a minute and pray. If you don't have a minute, take 10 seconds. If you have time, rest and take a nap. Often times I go to sleep with a hundred stresses on my mind and wake up free from all stress. Prayer, rest, and sleep are three things that work for me.

Uneasiness about the future is silliness, but we all worry about the future. Planning for our future is smart, but worrying about our future is fruitless. We don't know what will happen in the future any more than a dog would know. We can help shape the future by our actions today, but we can not predict the outcome. We should never worry about things that are out of our control and concentrate on improving ourselves and focusing on things we can control. We can control our emotions and we can prevent anxiety. God does not want us to suffer from anxiety. Fear not for the Lord is listening. He knows our stresses, our pains, and our struggles. Remember that God does not abandon his people. Worry is for fools. Yes I worry so I guess I am a fool, but honestly when I look back I see it gained me nothing. Everything works out in the end and if you have faith in God there is no reason to worry. Trust in God and there will be no reason for anxiety.