Hi, Christian with anxiety. We’re friends! Maybe we don’t know each other, but we totally have the same struggle and the same God watching over us. (So we’re definitely friends.) I don’t know if I’ve ever written a post on a topic quite as difficult for me as this one. Because Christians aren’t supposed to have anxiety. We’ve all heard that the Bible says “fear not” 365 times, once for each day.
I am totally committed to providing my family healthy, yummy meals. (And in our relationship, food is my job. I’m happy with that. I love being the one who decides, unilaterally, what I’ll eat and what I’ll buy.)
But…everyone has those days when nothing is going right – you slept in, your kid’s been sick all day, your dishwasher overflowed and maybe the dryer started a fire.
I celebrated (well, I had cake anyhow, I use the word “celebrated” a little more loosely than I used to) my 30th birthday earlier this month, and it’s made me a bit reflective. It was a little harder that I expected… for a few minutes. Then I got myself together and reminded me that a birthday is a blessing, and a number is just a number.
Are you embarrassed to start talking about anxiety with friends and family? Maybe they know, but they brush it off like it’s not a big deal. Maybe you’ve been told one too many times that you’re being a bit ridiculous, or you’ve been called a hypochondriac or a conspiracy theorist or my favorite one – dramatic? Or something else that was a little hurtful (even if it was maybe a little truthful)?
I often (really – I do mean often) gather a box of stuff that I have decided I can part with and I feel so much lighter and happier when it’s out of the house. Seriously!
Why? Because once I was drowning in clutter. Too much stuff. And I will not ever go back to that.
How often do we spend money on frivolous things without even considering that they are frivolous? Writing 10 Things I Quit Buying (to Save Money) really made me think hard about that. It didn’t take me long to come up with ten things I STILL spend money on that are “wants” and not “needs”.
It struck me today that we are nearly half way through 2016. HALF WAY. I know we all say this all the time, but wasn’t New Years like, 2 weeks ago? And now I’ve planted flowers already? O my. And how have I done with my resolution to improve my general health? Well.
Claiming that anything is “life changing” is pretty cliche, I know. It’s the sort of statement we throw around, but it doesn’t really mean anything…
So I should really call this post something else, but I’m struggling to come up with anything less cliche that could actually convey just HOW MUCH this simple change in my habits has improved my life at home.
When I lived in Australia (which was quiet a few years ago now, so maybe things have changed…) the most popular bar snack you could order was potato wedges with sour cream and sweet chili sauce.
You’ll see exercise recommended OFTEN as a first course of treatment for depression. There is absolutely no question in anyone’s mind that exercise = endorphins = happy feeling. (Ok, there’s also no question that it’s not that easy, or depression wouldn’t exist, but there’s lots of evidence to suggest that it can move you in the right direction.)