Last week, I tried to be pretty candid and share about my own struggle with anxiety and previously,

depression.

I must have been pretty spot on because my husband had shared this Tony Evans sermon on anxiety with me over the weekend.  No, I didn’t take offense to it because I’m learning part of us growing together as a couple is learning how to be real and raw with myself and recognize my flaws. (getting married will do that to you!) I guess I still need to go back and dig through part 1. And because I think you can’t have enough Tony Evans in your life, here’s another message on Slaying the Giants in your Life.

So, If the challenge last week was to know ourselves, I ask you the question: when the giants come, how do you cope?

Some of the things I do to keep myself from falling off the wagon include:

• writing – yep that’s how @bigpittstop got started!
• shut everything down – sometimes I just have to stop and walk away.  Its how I can take the deep breath, think about something else and just get my mind around all that is in front of me.
• get away – like physically move to a new location.  But, you know a vacation, windshield time or new scenery really do my heart good.  I can process, get real with myself and develop a better plan of attack.
• find a rock of a husband who just doesn’t get mixed up or messed up by the things that overwhelm me. Follow his lead, learn from his example and observe what makes him let things roll off his {proverbial} back.
• sometimes, I eat an oatmeal creme pie.  I’m sure it has something to do with that hidden magic ingredient in the creme and the cookie, but nothing can make me feel better like a fresh…gas station oatmeal creme pie.  I say gas station because I cannnot be trusted alone with a whole box! (being real with myself)
• clean – sometimes scrubbing away dirt does something.  Maybe its the cleaning products but it can be as simple as putting on a load of clothes or loading the dishwasher.  Some days are bad enough that its a throw on Beyonce and open the windows because nothing is getting left behind kind of scrub!
• fight for a cause (volunteer) – I LOVE volunteering.  And, I think one of the reasons is that I can redirect my energy and focus to making someone or something better.  When I take the things that are making me anxious and pour them in to a cause, I find that I’m channeling change in just a different way.
• windshield time – I do my best thinking in the car.  Open road. Sometimes silence. Sometimes podcast.  But, just the open road.  I do recommend if you are a dreamer and thinker like me that you find a way to write things down or better yet a dictation method so you keep yourself safe while driving.
• take a bath – I think its the same thing as cleaning.  Sometime you just need water to wash away the worries and sorrows.  You need to shut the door and hide in the bubbles. (in not under!) Close your eyes. Take in the quiet and just for a moment forget that anything else exists.  Then go to bed.  Don’t ruin the moment and get busy again.
• pray and read the Bible – its terrible but this often does get this spot, the last one on my list.  But its where my mind should go first.  The root of my anxiety, fear, worry or depression usually stems to a lack of feeling loved, respected or control. God’s Word, His love letter to me, reminds me that I’m loved more than I know, respected because I bear His image and don’t need to be in control because he is.  

That my friends is all I need. Sometimes is takes a combination or just one of the things above.  Its never the same prescription for me.  Different times of year make one or more of these more feasible or not at all.

What do you do to cope?  Do you have something you always do?  Is it a built strategy or just a default mode?  I’ve heard from several of you that you scoot back to this place too.  What can we do to redeem our feelings and work through this together?

This post is part of the #NWArkCares series by the
Northwest Arkansas Bloggers group. To view other posts, visit the Northwest
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