What Your Mind Needs for Anxious MomentsSample

Confession: the Proverbs 31 woman used to intimidate me. In just a few verses, she gets up before dawn (you lost me right there), buys a field, makes clothes, runs a business, ensures her family is fed, and even laughs at the future while she’s doing it all.

Then I discovered that the Proverbs 31 woman isn’t a description of the original superwoman. Instead, it’s an alphabetic acrostic poem illustrating what it means to live with wisdom. This style of writing helped readers more easily memorize the words. The Proverbs 31 woman is about inspiration, not specific instructions. And what inspires me most about this woman is that she doesn’t get stuck in her head like I often do. She spins wool instead of worries, gets up early instead of getting worked up, and helps the needy instead of telling herself she isn’t enough.

She also uses a tactic those of us who struggle with anxiety can apply: she stays connected to the real world—what she can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste. Sometimes we dismiss these things as unspiritual, but they can actually be an essential part of managing our anxiety and being proactive.

Research has shown an effective way to calm ourselves and get out of our heads is the 5 Senses Technique.

First, notice 5 things you can see. Look around you. Try to pick out things you don’t usually notice.

Second, notice 4 things you can touch. Bring attention to the things you’re currently feeling, such as the texture of your clothing.

Third, notice 3 things you can hear. It could be the birds chirping outside or an appliance humming in the next room.

Fourth, notice 2 things you can smell. Catch a whiff of the pine trees outside or food cooking in the kitchen.

Finally, notice 1 thing you can taste. Take a sip of a drink, chew gum, or note the current taste in your mouth.

We tend to over-spiritualize the Proverbs 31 woman, turning her into an ideal we can never attain. We do the same when it comes to dealing with our anxiety. We put pressure on ourselves to find huge and holy solutions. But as the Proverbs 31 woman knew, sometimes it’s in the simple, ordinary moments of our lives that we experience God’s extraordinary presence when we need it most.

PRAYER: God, when I get stuck in my head, reconnect me with the present moment, which is where You always are with me. Help me to see, touch, hear, smell, and taste Your goodness all around me. Amen

REFLECT: Pause and do the exercise from today’s reading: 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste.