What do I do with Anxiety?

I was recently speaking with a co-worker and they were obsessing over a situation surrounding their child, while (in my view) the situation was important, it did not warrant the toll it was taking on them.  Anxiety is such a powerful word and emotion, it can make you feel as if your personal space is the size of a fifty cent piece that has a piece of furniture being lowered onto it.

The internal pressure can be overwhelming to the point where we believe our doom is eminent.  This is in spite of the fact that often times at the moment we are feeling this way, everything is ok.  We are in essence trying to predict the future and this will always cause some sort of biological reaction.  I'm sure some of the things I am saying is nothing new, so then why do so many individuals suffer from anxiety?

I wish I knew the answer to that question and can not pretend that I do.  What I can offer is an observation that I have noticed.  I have noticed that when we are unable to control our anxiety we try to control everything else around the situation.  In essence, it appears that we try to manage our anxiety by gripping tighter when we should be loosening our grip and trying to apply various tools to deal with anxiety.

So what are some ways to deal with this (this is not an all conclusive list):

1. Focus on the present and block out any negative/hopeless thoughts
2. Focus on the positive
3. Be proactive and do your best to devise a plan to handle the situation
4. Accept uncertainty and know you can not control all outcomes
5. Get out/exercise
6. Rest and eat healthy
7. Pray/meditate
8. Seek help
9. Search the internet for solutions that work for you

Matt 6:34 says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things." (NKJV)

Matthew 6 has several goodies - hit the link embedded in "Mathew 6".

Blessings,
-d