Do you ever struggle with anxiety? Do you have a hard time sleeping because of anxious thoughts? I know I do; I think we all do at times. God, who created us, knows that we struggle with it. David wrote about it in the Psalms.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Psalm 139:23 NLT
God’s Answer for Anxiety
God understood that we have anxious thoughts, but He didn’t leave us without an answer. He gave us a solution for when we feel anxious.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6,7
God understood our tendency to worry, so he told us what to do. He told us to pray about it and talk to Him about it, and then thank God for all he has done for us. Then He told us what the result would be—peace. The older I get, the more I realize what a gift peace is! That’s it. The answer to our anxious thoughts—pray about it and be grateful.
That sounds great, but how do we do this practically speaking. Here are five ways to push away anxiety.
1. Go for a walk.
Sometimes, when anxiety feels like it’s crippling me, I get out the door and go for a walk. I talk to God and tell Him what’s on my heart. Then I listen. And sometimes, that’s it. And then, maybe I’ll put on my audiobook or some music; but the anxiety starts to recede. I feel like I can face the day again.
2. Listen to uplifting music that puts your focus back on God.
Listening to music that points my attention to God helps soothe my spirit and brings peace and calm. It says the words for me that I can’t say right now through the language of music.
3. Read the Bible before bed.
One of the most anxious times is at night when we go to bed. I’m not sure why it is, but nighttime is the worst for anxiety. To help with that, I read a Psalm every night before I go to bed and pick a verse to think about as I drift off to sleep. I can’t tell you what a difference it makes!
4. Talk it Out
There is something about talking out your anxiety. There is power in the darkness, but when we bring light to the darkness, shadows dissipate. When we talk out loud to God, we hear the words we’re saying. I don’t know the science behind it, but it makes a difference. Talking out loud to God brings a deep peace.
5. Gratitude
Practice being thankful. There is a direct coorelation between gratitude and worry. It’s impossible to be thankful and worried at the same time. Try it. It doesn’t work. Find ways to incorporate more gratitude into your day. I do this each morning in my Faithfully Stepping Journal. It’s also fun to create a gratitude journal; we did this at the beginning of the year.
The next time you feel anxious thoughts taking over, try one of these ideas.
More Encouragement
For more encouragement, check out my post, 3 Steps to Releasing Worry and Fear.
