Whether we know it or not, we all have coping strategies. We have a tool kit to open in times of anxiety. Some tools are healthy, others counterproductive. An important step in assembling good tools is identifying the bad ones. Examine the list below, and place a check next to the tools you use.
When I am anxious, I do the following:
• try to relax
• seek advice and assurance from a trusted friend
• take prescription medication
• suppress my feelings
• busy myself with activities unrelated to my problem (e.g., wash clothes, mow the grass)
• get angry
• have a smoke
• pray, meditate, read Scripture
• try to understand the source of my worry
• other
Evaluate your list. Are your coping methods, by and large, good ones? Or does your response to anxiety create even more problems? Reduce your list to the tools that actually help you resolve the problem. Share your revised list with someone you trust, and ask that person to pray with you about a new strategy.
VERSE FOR REFLECTION
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17)
PRAY IT THROUGH
Lord,
Grant me the wisdom to remember that you are not the source of anxiety. Rather, help me remember that resting in you provides relief from all worry. Give me the courage to choose what is good and pure, even when it is hard or inconvenient.
In your holy name, amen.