Anxious me, and maybe you?

I can be an anxious person. About anything and everything, really. Sometimes my heart starts beating fast and I begin to feel nauseous even before I’ve considered what it is that I am anxious about! First step, acknowledgement.

But August was a month full of peace and joy, and for that I am so thankful. I’ve tried a couple of things for the past 60 or so days that have helped more than I expected. They are not revolutionary or complex – they are simple adjustments that have brought a healthly dose of clam to my chaos.

1. I stopped buying things. Like everything except food and gas. This goal started from a desire to be more mindful with my money – to invest with intention. But then I accidentally became more content…with everything, not just material things. When I am stressed or nervous, buying pretty things is a great distraction. But I guess the problem with all great distractions is that they fade… bringing us full circle. Since “moderate” has never been a super active word in my life’s vocabulary, I just cut “things buying” out completely. The resulting contentment has been the best purchase of the year ;). Will keep you posted on how I ease back into acquiring some new work clothes… unless hemless slacks and pilled cardigans are coming back in, anyone?
2. I started taking care of myself. Talking breakfast EVERY MORNING (what? what?). Prioritizing working out EVERY WEEK. Beginning new medical tests and functional treatments where “fear of the unknown” previously paralyzed me. And saying “no” when I’m too tired (okay, still working on this). Point is, you matter and there’s a reason “self-care” books are so popular. If you need some scriptural encouragement, I love 1 Kings 19:7. There’s a lot of context here, but the relevant verse is simply, “The angel of the Lord came back [to Elijah when fleeing Horeb] a second time and touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.'” To live out our day-to-day callings effectively and to have strength for our lifelong journeys, we need to take care of ourselves. The mundane should matter to us (and guess what, it matters to God too!)…N.T. Wright, Tish Harrison Warren, and many others speak so much truth to this topic.
3. I started sitting for moments, and more moments, on end. Preferably in the sun, or with the windows open. Sometimes I read, other times I listen to music. Most times I just sit in silence. Just now I realized that I haven’t watched a show or a movie in weeks – not that those are bad, but I think there is a wealth of rest for weary hearts and minds when we are willing embrace being still. Side note on prayer: I used to think that the whole point was to talk to God and “fill Him in” on my needs/wants. To be honest, I struggled to see the point when presumedly He knows anything/everything I could ever hope to say. Recently, I’ve found a lot of peace in listening rather than talking. I know it’s not everything, but I think it’s something and something related to the whole finding peace in silence/meditating thing…?

That’s it. Three super simple things. Of course, there’s no formula – and what I struggle with is different from many. But at the core, I think there’s some truth in simplifying, taking care, and quieting for everyone.

What do you do to make still your restlessness?