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In these trying times, the number 1 issue I hear people talking about is anxiety.
As I type this, the wold is enduing the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries are on lockdown, children are being sent home to homeschool, and trying to find necessities at the store is more stressful than it should. As I talk to people about their feelings around this, I hear the same sentences over and over again.
“I’m scared.”
I’m stressed.”
“I feel out of control.”
These are the cries of just about everyone in the world! If you were talking to people just a couple months ago, the word “anxiety” seemed like a clinical term that affected a few. Unfortunately, anxiety is a close enemy to just about anyone now.
There are so many things moms need in this tough time, but I think the biggest thing we need right now is peace of mind. How on earth can we go from anxious to at peace?
Why am I so anxious?
Anxiety doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s not like we woke up this morning and thought, “Wow! Today is a great day to freak out about everything!” Absolutely NOBODY actually does that!
I’ve spent a lot of time trying to understand anxiety. I’ve struggled with anxiety almost my entire life. I know full and well that anxiety can develop with imbalanced chemicals in the brain, but all of that still begins with something else:
A lack of control.
Think about it…have there been moments in you life when you felt like you had ZERO control over anything? When those moments happened, did you feel like the world was crashing down around you? Did you clamor for control in the midst of the chaos?
No wonder we’re all so worried!
We spend so much time dwelling on what we can’t control that we forget about a major point…
there is SO MUCH that we are IN CONTROL of!
Related: Overcoming Mom Guilt
The ONE thing you can do to calm anxiety!
Since a lot of anxiety stems from feeling out of control, it is important for you to discover what is exactly out of your control.
Let me give you some examples of things you CAN’T control:
- Losing your job
- Losing a loved one
- Someone’s negative opinion
- Sickness
- Bad weather
- The choices someone else makes
- Your past
- The way you look
NONE of those things I listed above are things YOU have control over! These circumstances just happen, yet we spend so much time stressing out and spinning our anxious wheels over them!
After you list what is out of your control, list the things that ARE in your control.
Here’s some examples of things are you CAN control:
- Your attitude
- How you spend your time
- How you treat the people around you
- How you spend your money
- The boundaries you set for yourself
- The way you think about yourself
- Your faith
As you list the things that you can control, you’ll probably realize that even though there’s things that are out of control, there is MORE that you can control!
The Calm and Control Anxiety Workbook (psssst….it’s free!)
Ever since my battle with postpartum depression, I have been using this strategy to help curb my anxiety. I started with post-it notes first. I used one color to list the things I could control, and another for the things I couldn’t. As I continued with this strategy, I started seeing that there are MANY ways to work through this anxiety calming strategy.
I want to give YOU access to my “Calm and Control Anxiety Workbook.” It is so simple to get! All you gotta do is click the picture below, sign up, and you will receive access to my workbook.
The best part is, IT’S FREE!!
I think EVERYONE should be able to live an overwhelm-free life! My prayer with this is that you will begin to see that there is so much more FOR you than there is AGAINST you!
But wait! There’s someone who is in control of EVERYTHING!
Human beings for all of eternity have been trying to gain control. Even from the Garden of Eden, mankind has felt the need to be in control of their life. The problem with a controlling mindset is that when we try to gain all the control, we actually end up losing more control than gaining.
It is SO IMPORTANT to remember when identifying the things you can and can’t control that there is someone who is in control of everything.
Jesus is in control of ALL THINGS!
Yes, He even controls the things that are bad, and He has a plan to use those things for good. Just look at the story of Job in the Bible. The absolute worst happened to him. He lost his family, his livelihood, his home, he lost just about everything he loved! Yet in the story he still chooses to lean on God, who is in control of it all. In the end, he ended up with more than what he lost.
Jesus wants you to focus on what you CAN control, and let Him worry about the things you can’t control!
Don’t forget to sign up for the “Calm and Control Anxiety” workbook! If this workbook has helped you, PLEASE comment and let me know!
