![]() Anxiety There are so many symptoms… stiff muscles, panic attacks, tension, upset stomach, obsessions, sweating, social withdrawal, avoiding certain places or routes, nightmares, shortness of breath, fight or flight, inability to sleep, weight gain or loss. Anxiety may be due to stress in a relationship, pressure at work, travel, having a baby, school, financial issues, the loss of a loved one, illness, or even the side effect of medication. Anxiety can cause us to self medicate with alcohol, excess sleep… thus us slipping into depression. There are so many reasons anxiety may make its presence in your life. ...Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you 1 Peter 5:6-7 We don't have to live with anxiety in our lives. God doesn't wish anxiety on us and when it threatens to derail us we can release it to Him. It's easy to become overwhelmed by trials in our lives. But if we commit to taking each day one at a time it will ease our anxieties. It's often when we feel things will never change, never improve that we become overwhelmed. But life has the ability to improve within a few hours, a day, weeks, months. No trial is forever, this too shall pass. We may feel more relaxed, more at peace facing our anxiety and even when it does rear it's head we can know it's temporary. We don't have to live at the mercy of anxiety! We all have the ability to turn to God and hand over whatever is causing us to be anxious to Him. Receive His peace Telling God our worries and trusting He will gladly take care of them, we can rest assured He will listen. Admitting we are going through a struggle with anxiety through prayer can help. God may not take away our anxiety but we can lean on Him in our struggle. One of the biggest triggers of anxiety is the unknown. God knows this. Wondering, worrying how things will turn out. We have been instructed not to fear. But by worrying we are desperately trying to wield control over our days, our future and how we believe things should be. Often doctors use the same drugs used for depression to treat symptoms of anxiety. Unfortunately, medication may not work for everyone and understandably many people would prefer a drug free solution. Another form of treatment would be cognitive behavioral therapy. Although there is a success rate with cognitive therapy it takes time. There are many practical solutions to dealing with anxiety that we can implement in our lives along with prayer and turning to God for comfort. 7 Tips For Helping Anxiety: 1. Sleep. Taking care of our bodies and health is vital. Getting adequate sleep will certainly minimize anxiety. Lavender scented products can be soothing and aid with relaxation. 2. Expect the best. Expecting the worst creates undue anxiety. We can change our internal dialogue to be positive. It's a process and won't happen overnight but each little improvement helps. Reminding ourselves to take one day at a time, that God is in control helps along with deep breathing exercises. 3. Set limits. We can't do it all. We are all human. Life is not perfect and no one in it is. Trying to be supermom and a "Yes" person will only wear us out. Keeping a balance in our life is vital. It's perfectly okay to say "No". When we overcommit it's us and our family members who pay the price. We know some people will take a mile if we give them an inch. But if someone gives you grief over you setting loving limits it's a reflection of them not you. 4. Music. Christian music can be very uplifting, relaxing and comforting. When we hear words of praise, hope and joy we are energized by the love we have for Jesus and how much Jesus loves us. 5. Adding fun to our lives. Maybe it's lunch with a friend, a phone call with a loved one, playing outside with the kids. Whatever it is, when we take the time to connect with the people in our lives we are happier and healthier. 6. Exercise. Everyone is different and what works for one may not work for another. Sometimes just taking a walk around the neighborhood or hitting the trails for a jog will do wonders for anxiety. Cardio workouts have been proven in the medical field to help combat anxiety. Cardio is being proven to show quicker results and improvement in mood is often noticeable after just one workout. Yoga can help as well. Anxiety levels are often reduced after just a few workouts to a couple weeks. Generalized Anxiety is the most common form of anxiety and easiest to treat but cardio has recently been found to aid in even some of the more severe cases of anxiety such as Panic Disorder, OCD and Social phobias. But we don't have to live our life feeling trapped and at the mercy of anxiety. 7. Talk to someone. Whether its a friend or a trusted family member, having someone to talk to is often helpful. We should always go to God first with our struggle but God also puts people in our lives for a reason. Sometimes He uses them to help us, whether it be a doctor or a friend. Many people are suffering silently with anxiety behind closed doors. You aren't alone! If you are feeling overwhelmed by anxiety and its interfering with your ability to live your life, know that there are therapists who are trained to help with managing anxiety. Regardless of how we treat our anxiety, finding its root cause is important. We don't have to let anxiety run our lives. We can know that the more we try to control our life's outcome the more anxiety will grow. We can choose be vigilant in what we are watering and giving life to. Anxiety is a weed in our garden of life. We can pray and ask God to help us plant flowers instead. Matthew 6:30-34 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't He more surely care for you? You have so little faith! "So don't worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. © gps-gracepowerstrength.blogspot.com ~ 2012 image “Panic Computer Key Showing Anxiety Stress And Hysteria” by Stuart Miles via FreeDigitalPhotos.net To My Readers: Thank you for reading, commenting and sharing! ![]() This one is for… The little girls who feel alone. The teenage girls who feel less than. The single girls. The married woman. The widowed. The girl who doesn't have friends. The married woman who feels alone. The abused woman. The postpartum mom. The bullied girl. The girl who is cutting. The teenager with an eating disorder. The girl who feels shame. The woman who lacks confidence. The woman who is a people pleaser. The teenage girl with depression. The betrayed woman. The self doubting mother. The anxious girl. The woman who was raped. The woman who regrets. The girl who had an abortion. The teenager addicted to drugs. The girl who ran away. The girl without parents. The woman who fears. The girl who was molested. The woman who wants to end it all. For all of you and so many many more.... know YOU ARE LOVED! God loves you! Believe it, it's true. You are worthy, you are loved by Him! He sees your struggle and your pain. He is right there beside you. Lift your head up high and know you are the daughter of a King! © gps-gracepowerstrength.blogspot.com ~ 2012 image: Young Girl Holding Bouquet” by Just2shutter via FreeDigitalPhotos.net To My Readers: Thank you for reading, commenting & sharing! ![]() Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” - 1 Corinthians 15:33 We are in a constant battle. A constant battle with the devil. It is unfortunate but a reality. We must suit up and cloak ourselves in armor to fight spiritual warfare. We have many weapons of destruction we can use against the devil and one of them is knowing God's truth. Knowing God's word and having a personal relationship with Him is one of the most important ways to protect yourself. When you know God's truth you are less likely to fall into the tricks and traps of the devil's lies. It's imperative we believe, we have faith in God and we can achieve this by changing our internal dialogue we have with ourselves. Instead of telling ourselves: "Gee, I hope God has this. I sure hope He's going to pull through for me." We can assert our faith and say "I KNOW God has a great plan for me and He will help me see this through!" We can change "I hope" to... "I KNOW!" The more you tell yourself this and believe it the more amazing things you will experience in your life. You will be less tempted by sin, less negative, less doubting. We CAN win this battle but sometimes it's not just us that is fighting the devil. What if someone else is bringing the devil into your life picture? What if your spouse has a friend who is negatively influencing his or her life thus also yours? I have upon talking to other's found this to be a somewhat common issue in marriages and in families. Each person's social circle that they choose for themselves is a reflection of who they are. Unlike family, an individual's friends are of their choosing. They are the "family" they choose for themselves. Friends reflect our true character, our morals, our values and our spiritual life. So what happens when a spouse has a friend who completely goes against the grain of what YOUR expectations and values are for your marriage and family? It's a serious problem. It is indeed a threat to your marriage. To your entire family. If your spouse has a male friend who believes it is perfectly acceptable to engage in illicit sex, who drinks and drives, who uses women as objects to satisfy himself sexually, who goes to strip clubs, spends money excessively, who doesn't hold marriage as a sacred union then what are the chances your marriage will survive? It's not any different for the woman who has a female friend who thinks it's perfectly fine to cheat, use her sexuality to climb the corporate ladder and turn to alcohol to solve her problems. This is why it is so incredibly important to wear a suit of armor. We must do everything we can to protect ourselves, our marriages and our families. It is up to the spouse to be the strong one and take a stand. Assert yourself and tell your spouse "I value you and our marriage too much to let the devil come between us. I will do everything in my power and faith through God to protect our marriage." Sever the friendship that is tainting your life, your marriage and your family. When we marry we make a life long covenant with our spouse not our friends. A constant negative influence of sin and how you handle it with God's help will eventually contribute to whether your marriage and yes, even your family will break or make it. It takes a very strong person to do that. You may argue that standing alone is very hard when taking the easy route may be preferable. But remember, you are never ever really alone. God is right there beside you. Jesus shed his blood for you! He's ready to hand you every weapon you need to fight back and stand in triumph. We don't have to hope for a win. We know we will. © gps-gracepowerstrength.blogspot.com ~ 2012 image: “Soldier Man Back” by mania room via FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
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