Mama, Take Back Your Joy From AnxietySýnishorn

I’m going to assume, as a result of your anxiety, you feel like you’re the world’s worst mom ever sometimes. Really doesn’t take much to assume that fact. We all feel like #WorstMomEver at some point. (Okay, every day.)

And that’s exactly what Satan wants you to believe.

He wants you to cling to the idea that your anxiety makes you a horrible mom, wife, friend, daughter, and overall human being. He wants you to think every night of all the ways you failed as a mom that day. He wants you to believe you’re ruining your kids. He wants you to keep fixating on what makes you feel like a bad mom, to the point that you forget what makes you a great mom.

Satan. Is. A. Liar.

In John 8:44, Jesus (speaking about Satan) says, “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Don’t believe the father of lies.

Here’s your reminder because you need to hear it: You’re a great mom!

Write it down on a sticky note for the front of the fridge because you need to remember it. You cannot, and I do mean, cannot, let Satan get to you with the lie that because you have anxiety, you are a failure and a horrible mama. Don’t let him win. Don’t let your anxiety define your job performance as a mother either.

The prophet Elijah knew something about it all becoming too much for him. In 1 Kings 19, after the massacre of false prophets of Baal, Elijah found his life being threatened. He ran because of fear and failure. He journeyed into the wilderness, and I’m sure he felt lonely in all he was trying to accomplish, like he was the only real prophet left. I’m sure he felt inadequate. I’m sure he felt overwhelmed by it all. But just as he was praying to God to take his life (another example of depression here), how do you suppose God responded?

An angel appeared, fed him, and allowed him to rest.

The angel then appeared a second time and fed Elijah again. Elijah then encounters God who gave him further instructions on what to do next.

God comforted Elijah in his feelings of fear and failure.

God could’ve said, “Hey, get over this and move on because I need you to do what I’ve called you to do.” No, He didn’t respond like that. He didn’t dismiss Elijah’s feelings as being silly or tell Elijah he needed to suck it up and stop worrying so much. God comforted him in his fear and cared for him. He provided for him, and after Elijah recovered and felt better, God sent him back to work. As you can see from Elijah, God will meet us in our overwhelmed state and give us the help we need to keep going.

So what can we do when our anxiety is making us feel irritable and snappy?

I have a few suggestions.

Mommy needs a time-­out. When we’re in a moment of feeling on edge and our anxiety is making us irritable, a simple time-­out may help, and taking a little breather from our kids can help us to calm ourselves down.

Breathe—­literally. It helps. Take a deep inhale and whisper or think, “When I am afraid . . .” and then exhale, “I put my trust in You.” We can recite any passage of Scripture that speaks to us, but breathing techniques are scientifically proven to calm anxiety.

Pray, of course. Now that we’ve gotten ourselves to a secluded time-­out spot and we’ve taken a breather, we’re going to pray this prayer.

Dear God, hey. It’s me, anxious mama over here. I’m having a hard time right now with my anxiety. Can You help me? My kids are getting on my nerves, and I can feel my anxiety ramping up. My heart is racing, and it feels like it’s going to pound right out of my chest. Please, Lord, help me. Help me to give my kids the same grace You give me every day. Please help me rest this anxious heart of mine and slow down this anxious mind. Thank You for being my strength when the days are hard and my kids are difficult. I pray You help me not be so hard on myself, too! I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

And finally, when we’ve had a hard day, turn to a friend for some encouragement. I’ll be said friend for the purpose of this moment.

Give yourself a little bit of grace, Mama. You are doing God’s work, and you’re doing it with anxiety. You may have snapped today or had a bad day, but I know you’ll get back up and try again tomorrow. Take a deep breath when the anxiety sets in, say a little prayer, and get back to it. You’ve got this, my friend.

This YouVersion plan is an excerpt from the book Mama’s Got Anxiety by Courtney Devich. If you’ve enjoyed the plan, visit CourtneyDevich.com to learn more about the book and continue your journey to reclaiming your joy.