SUPER POWERful Mind: 5 Ways to Battle Anxiety

At times our little guy can be the bravest person in the room….  Yesterday morning a wasp flew in through the back door of our home.  We were outside having water play and there was one pesky wasp drinking the water overflow.  As soon as I opened the door, it took the opportunity to intrude our home!  My initial response was to remain calm: I didn’t want to scare our toddler, and I didn’t want to upset the wasp, our intruder.  I kept the door opened as he flew around the playroom, which is right by the back door.  I said aloud, “Lord, please just let him fly back out.”  I told the little guy to stay in the backyard until I could get the wasp out, he responded with a supportive, “It’s ok mommy, you can do this!”, shortly followed by, “You’re doing a great job mommy!”  After about 2 minutes of waiting, I felt led to grab the wasp spray from the garage, I waited until it landed on the ceiling and shot it with the spray.  I missed, but it scared him and guess where he flew… right out the door!  Once it was over, I rejoiced and cheered out to our son, “Mommy got the wasp out!”  He came inside and said, “Mommy I was so scared. Good job getting that wasp out.”  Even though my 3-year-old was afraid, he pushed past his fear, to support and encourage me through mine.  Goodness, I love this little boy!

FEAR IS AN INTRUDER:

Just like this wasp, fear can be an unwelcomed intruder in our lives.  Confession time, I have fears, just like you mommas.  As a mom, I’ve been fearful of my child being harmed or treated unfairly.  As a wife, I’ve been fearful of my marriage failing.  As a daughter, I’ve been fearful of my mom not having what she needs as she grows older.  Fear is a part of the human experience and one of the most natural things that we can encounter.  So, research shows that there is a certain amount of fear that is healthy (For example, we’ve developed a fear of wasps for our protection, plus those things are simply horrid, ha!), but what happens when it begins to greatly interfere with our lives?  Fear can grow and lead to stress and anxiety.  The American Psychological Association explains that there is a difference between the two.  Stress is caused by outward triggers, such as marital challenges, or issues with your coworkers, while anxiety, is caused by continuous worry and stress, and it remains outside of the presence of the stressor (Alvord & Halfond, 2019).  To bring this full circle, I was stressed during the wasp battle, and I’m now anxious anytime the back door is opened for too long.

5 WAYS TO BATTLE ANXIETY:

In life there is sure to be trouble (the Bible teaches this), so how can we push past these troubles to ensure they aren’t stifling?  It starts in the mind; our thoughts control our feelings, and our feelings control our actions (research Cognitive Behavioral Therapy if you’re a mental health nerd like me). The good news is that we have the power to control our thoughts because our mind is powerful. In fact, it’s SUPER POWERful. 

Here are 5 ways to battle anxiety:

1) Identify the Cause: Take an assessment of the root of your anxiety and address it.  Chances are your anxiety didn’t materialize from nowhere, seek spiritual counsel, talk to a friend, or a professional to help identify what is causing your anxiety.

2) Let Go of What You Can’t Control: I can’t control my son’s temper tantrums, but I can be mindful of what causes them and control my response to them.  It’s impossible to control everything in the world around us, we have to be ok with this.

3)Challenge Your Thoughts: When I was breastfeeding our son, I had an issue with milk production, because of this we had to supplement with formula from his first week of life.  This led to anxiety and irrational thoughts about my inadequacy as a mom. With the help of my husband, mom, and family and friends, I was able to replace these with more rational thoughts.

4)Know Who You Are: You weren’t placed in this world by accident; God specifically made you with a purpose and plan in mind. Own that fact!  I’m so encouraged by knowing that God, thought enough of little ol’ me to perfectly craft me into his plans.  I’m a child of God … I don’t know about you, but I find comfort in knowing that I can reach up to my heavenly father to tell Him all about my fears and He will be my strength.

5)Redirect: Distraction can be golden!  Have your little ones ever been fighting over a toy and you redirected one of them with the introduction of a different toy?  Works similarly with our thoughts.  We can redirect our minds with something that requires a focus of our attention (like planning a baby shower) or something that brings us joy.

THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE:

Let’s hone into those thoughts because they are the root of our anxiety.  Check out the challenge in my post, What’s In a Name? Claiming a Positive Self-Image for guidance on replacing irrational (or alarming) thoughts with reassuring (or rational) thoughts.

APPLICABLE BIBLE VERSES:

Romans 12:2, 2 Timothy 1: 7, Jeremiah 29:11

Mommas, I have to be honest, I struggled writing this week due to my own personal life challenges and the anxiety that surrounds them.  However, this has been therapeutic for me because it reminded me of who I am as a child of God, provided a redirection, and helped me to be mindful of my spheres of control and influence.  Anxiety occurs in our lives, and that’s ok, we just can’t allow it to defeat our minds. Thank you for chatting with me this week, if you’re reading this please drop a smiley face in the comments just to spread some joy today.  Join me next week as we share REAL LIFE, FROM ONE MOM TO ANOTHER.

References:

Alvord, M., PhD, & Halfond, R., PhD. (2019). What’s the difference between stress and anxiety? American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/topics/stress-anxiety-difference