Change How You Think About Anxiety
Struggling with anxiety? If a person feels worried and stressed, they will often reach for food, alcohol, porn, drugs, shopping, or something else to help soothe and calm them. If left unchecked, anxiety can make someone turn to addiction to cope.
But there is a tool called a thought record that can reduce anxiety. A thought record can help people identify automatic negative thoughts and check to see if their thinking falls into one of the many distortions that increase stress, such as catastrophizing. How it works is that a person will write down an alternative balanced thought which states the truth.
For example, let’s say a person thinks that if they try to go to a Life Recovery Group to connect with others, it will be terrible. This would be an example of catastrophizing because they’ve already determined how something will be a disaster beforehand. (more…)
What’s the key to overcoming addiction and anxiety? Acceptance! Let’s say someone is trying to self-medicate from anxiety using drugs, alcohol, or something else. They must accept that addiction is not the answer for their anxiety and get into recovery. Dr. Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, put it this way, “Acceptance is the answer to all my problems today.”
Is anger a sin? No, anger itself is not wrong. The Bible says, “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:26-27, NIV). Although anger is not a sin, it’s a signal that calls you to action. It alerts you that something is wrong, and it gives you a desire to respond. Sometimes our response results in a sinful reaction. You’ll need to first look at the root cause of your anger.
A panic attack is a sudden overwhelming fear that comes without warning. Your heart begins to pound, and the room spins. Sound familiar? If you struggle with panic attacks, it can be a terrifying experience that feels like a heart attack. Even worse, it can paralyze your entire life with fear, wondering when your next panic attack might be. To help you, here are a few ways to deal with panic attacks.
“When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm.” – Luke 8:24