DISMANTLING ANXIETY

Things are not usually as bad as they appear. Or what were you thinking? That bad things will not happen? That's a myth! In life, both bad and good things will happen to everybody. The only thing you can do sometimes is to minimise the effect of negative occurrences by your choices, but to always avoid it is not attainable, at least not in this world.

So, it is useless to be anxious. " Be anxious for nothing......" the bible says ( Philippians 4:6), because the impact of negative situations on you is made worse by anxiety. Anxiety will help you complicate issues, by making them unsolvable.

In life most times, you could be very concerned about certain things, of course this could open up your creativity. But I am talking about the very extreme sense of concern that takes away your peace.

There are certain things that could help you against becoming a helpless victim of anxiety:

CATASTROPHIZING - This is the technical term for manufacturing worst case scenarios according to Bill Hybels. Do not always be afraid to think of the worst that could happen. What some people will call " The what if..........thinking". You could lose your job, have an accident, become sick or even die, lose your spouse e t c. Just ask yourself the worst that could happen to you and answer the questions regularly. This to a very large extent would prepare your heart to face your future or the unknown with great courage.

YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GUARANTEE/ PREDICT THE ACTIONS OF OTHERS - The fact that you will be or are careful is not a guarantee that others will be. you might be a very careful driver, maybe in your house. But by the time you drive out of your house, that's all you can control, other drivers might not be as careful as you are. You might have prepared so hard for an exam, but there will not always be a guarantee that the examiner will be in the right state of mind when your papers are being marked. So, making allowances for others could save you all that anxiety

IN LIFE STUFF DO HAPPEN - You will certainly not be able to always explain certain things. This is what man calls '' The acts of God''. How do you explain a lightening bolt that would kill people or a high blast of thunder that brings down an entire house on the people in it? How do you explain the fact that, you get to work on a Monday morning to discover that you have to go home because your services is no longer required even though you have given your best to the company?

NOTHING IS WORTH DYING FOR - Until the day your time is up, it's not necessary to die for anything. Most of the things that are making you lose sleep now, might eventually come to you with time. I could remember how difficult it was getting maths sums right in Secondary school ( high school). At a point, I thought my life would not go beyond that level, but today, I have gone far beyond that. Heartbreak, job loss, insults, disappointments are just usual events that does not warrant you losing sleep. Your boss will not always be pleased with your work no matter how much you try. So, just do your best and leave the rest.

YOU ARE NOT GOD - Only one person is limitless and has the power to do anything and everything. That person is God, and you can never be Him. Even God Himself will not please everybody even though He has the power to. You can't please everybody. You will not always do everything right.

You must make up your mind to enjoy life to the full and be happy no matter the situation that comes your way. We used to move from place to place before cars were invented, then how come you are putting yourself under so much pressure because you have not bought a car?
You must choose to be at peace with yourself, all men and God. This is a choice no body can make for you. Cheers