Facing AnxietySample

CONTROL WHAT YOU CAN

One of the worst parts of intense anxiety is how out of control everything can feel. It’s like being on a roller-coaster, blindfolded, and the harness thing isn’t working so you’re just hanging on for dear life, wondering when the ride will be over (and quite possibly, there’s that annoying bear with a flamethrower in the seat behind you). It can feel like everything is happening to you, and you have no control over your life whatsoever. It’s a pretty helpless feeling!

Now, we already covered on Day 2 that God is ultimately in control of everything, and it should help bring some comfort knowing that God is good, that He wants us to give Him our anxiety (which you'll read about again today), and that He is actually taking care of things (even if we can’t always see it). But, another part of God’s goodness is that He has given us a certain amount of control in our lives. He gave us free will, and He allows us to make choices and to run the show in certain areas of life. And while our ultimate goal should be to do whatever God wants us to do in life, in a lot of cases – as long as we aren’t choosing sin or something that hurts us or someone else – what God wants us to do is to make a choice…to be in control. 

Here’s how this affects our anxiety: when we feel like everything is totally out of control and we’re helpless to fix it, it can be extremely helpful to stop and focus on all the things that you are actually in control of. Even reminding yourself that you are choosing to do the simplest things can help you feel less out of control in life. “I’m choosing to get out of bed this morning. I’m choosing to go to school. I’m choosing to eat this sandwich for lunch.” I know that sounds like little, insignificant things, but if you went through your day actively reminding yourself of all the little choices you’re making – all the things you’re actually controlling – it will help stop that out of control, roller coaster feeling that comes with anxiety. So, today, try and pay attention to all the choices you make – all the things you’re controlling – and remind yourself in the moment that you are actively making that choice. It may seem kind of weird, but give it a try – I’m pretty sure you’ll be surprised at how helpful it can be to get control of your anxiety.