Hi again! Today I want to follow-up on my previous post “True Confessions of Anxiety from a Psychologist” and share what I’ve been learning. I hope these will be helpful to you. Let’s delve right in to the first 3 lessons!

1^st Lesson: There is power in support

For many of us, when we are anxious we slip into isolation, a pity party, a “what’s wrong with me” or “no one can understand me” mentality. Hopefully you’ve recognized that these things are not helpful. When we can allow ourselves to be vulnerable and reach out to people, share some of our secrets, and view ourselves as being worthy of love and support from other, we find out that we really are all in this mess together, and even that can help us feel less anxious. God created us to be relational people…to encourage each other as we walk through life. You’ll find encouragement as you reach out for support.

2^nd Lesson: There is power in focus

During times of anxiety it’s really easy to get overwhelmed by other things. The more we procrastinate on doing what’s important, the more anxious we feel. As our anxiety increases the more overwhelmed we become and the cycle repeats itself. The lesson here is that despite feeling anxious, see if you can just focus on one specific task for a specific period of time. Pick a task and set an alarm for 30 or 45 minutes. Even if you don’t finish the entire task by that time, you’ll feel better in having made progress.

3^rd Lesson: There is power in letting go and trusting God

Wow is this a hard one. One time I had someone tell me “God wants His job back!” LOL   I’ll admit…I like to be in control. Who doesn’t? But there are times when despite how much we want to control things, we just have to let go and trust God in the big and little things of the day. When we try to control things that are out of our control…anxiety will rear its ugly head. So put the old saying of “let go and let God” into practice. Sometimes this might mean letting go several times within an hour! Don’t beat yourself up for falling back into the desire to control things …just notice it and let it go….as many times as you need to.

Stayed tuned for my next post as I share with you the other things I’ve been learning from my anxiety. Until then, feel free to call me at 539-777-1129 or email me at Dr.Leedy@legacycounselingservice.com. Take care!

Dr. Leedy is a clinical psychologist and owner of Legacy Counseling Service in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. She helps people all over Oklahoma through face-to-face or online counseling adjust to problems with chronic illnesses, insomnia, pain, depression, and anxiety.