Easing anxiety in 4 ways

In the book, “Think and Grow Rich“, Napoleon Hill wrote,

“Thoughts are things, and powerful things at that….”

It makes you wonder, doesn’t it?  Sociology has a term called a self-fulfilling prophecy.  It is when what you are convinced of in your mind influences your behavior subconsciously creating the thing you imagined. Indeed thoughts can become things.

According to the World Health Organization, 300 million people in the world suffer from depression and 260 million people live with anxiety disorders.  To put it in perspective, that’s a little over the population of North Korea.  With stats like these, I’m sure you would agree that it’s valuable looking for ways to ease anxiety.

1.  Start a gratitude journal

I remember when my therapist suggested journaling to me.  It sounded good when she explained the benefits of getting my thoughts on paper, but when I was alone with my mind, it would either just go blank or I’d get distracted.  So what I found much easier is writing what I was grateful for.  I started with one thing a day and it soon became easier jotting down the simplest of things that brought a smile to my face or peace in my mind.

2.  Police your thoughts

Kain Ramsey a CBT practitioner and qualified psychologist gave an illustration of policing your thoughts.  In other words, don’t allow any thought to take up residence in your mind until you’ve questioned the legality and rationality of that thought.  The Bible puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 10:5 AMP,

[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

Paul wrote that we are to take every thought captive into the obedience of Christ.

3.  Change your words

Joyce Meyer, a Tele-Evangelist who has written over 100 books, taught in her book Victory in your Mind, Mouth, Moods, and Attitudes, that there is a correlation between your words and thoughts.  Speaking while the thought is plaguing your mind interrupts that thought immediately.  Your mind is waiting to hear what your mouth says.  The natural cycle is negative thoughts, produces negative words, so it would take a tremendous amount of discipline to say something which contradicts the thoughts in your mind. 

I remember when I was going through a season where sickness seemed so normal I wondered what new battle I’d have to fight when I’d wake up.  It was easy to tell people how miserable I was feeling.  I felt justified in my thoughts and I was being honest with myself, but it didn’t help my situation.  It was only when I stopped agreeing with the negativity in my mind with my mouth did I feel courage-building. 

Joshua 1:8 says, This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be [d]successful.

4.  Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a word not many Christians hear enough of.  For me, I associated it with some yoga meditation which is not the kind of spiritual state I desired to be in.  It was ignorant of me to think that in retrospect, when all it is, is allowing your mind to be present in whatever you’re doing. 

When you in a state of fear, panic or anxiety, you anticipate what may or may not happen. Constantly casting your imagination to a time that has not come yet based on something that has passed, you miss out on the present.  Mindfulness gives you the gift of enjoying the present.  It’s using your 5 senses to enjoy the sound, taste, touch and look and smell of something.  It’s listening to identify the instruments in a song or looking for details in a picture to describe a story.  It could also mean feeling the texture of the material of your clothes and identify each weft.  Try it!  You would be amazed at how effective it is.

There are more ways of dealing with anxiety, but these are the ones stated here brought me almost immediate results.  Whatever you decide to start with, I suggest you be easy on yourself.  Don’t beat yourself up if you find yourself in a negative funk.  Think about what you’re thinking about and if it doesn’t bring you one step closer to peace and joy, CHOOSE TO THINK DIFFERENTLY.  Like anything you do for 21 days, negative thinking is a habit that will require a very high level of commitment to break.  If you’ve been anxious all your life, then you shouldn’t expect it to be easy to change.  What I can promise is how amazing it would feel when you start gaining the control of your life you let go of, moment by moment, hour by hour and day by day.