Ruth ThorogoodThis #soulh2o devo is coming as a result of my recording with my adventerous friend Ruth Thorogood!

I’m so thankful for this girl!ย ย 

Recording the Thanksgiving episode with her got me thinking about my need to get back into the habit of Counting My Blessings in an effort to defeating anxiety in my life.

I vaguely remembered writing a devo about thatย ย and saw that I sent it out exactly 2 yearsย ago today!ย  How crazy is that! As I read it, I felt so strongly that I needed to resend out this devotion instead of the one I had written for this week. I thought if I had a hard time remembering it and I wrote it, that it would be pretty-much new to you too!ย  I’m late getting it out again but hoping I have things regulated with all the new on my plate since starting the Soul H2O Radio show real soon ๐Ÿ™‚ย  Girls, I’m loving it and hope you are too.

Praying you have a blessed Thanksgiving weekend!


Defeating Anxiety By Counting My Blessings

This post was featured on Crystal Twaddell’s FRESH MARKET FRIDAY Linkup.ย Crystal Twaddell

This weekend, we Canadians will celebrate Thanksgiving.ย  Our houses will be filled with the delicious aromas of turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potato mash and pumpkin pie.ย  Iโ€™m responsible for bringing the Green Bean Casserole and my Thankfulness Journal.

COLLECTING THANKFULNESS

Years before I tried to get people to share what they were thankful for around the table and that never worked, so I bought the book and began collecting the gratitude of my family and friends at Thanksgiving dinner.ย  This year Iโ€™ve stepped it up a notch and again began Counting My Blessings each morning.ย  This practice always helps change my outlook on life.

Philippians 4: 6-8In Philippians chapter four, Paul is writing to help people struggling with anxiety.ย  He says, โ€œDo not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.โ€ย  He then teaches how to keep this kind of peace in verse 8 by keeping our thoughts fixed on things worthy of praise.

Science & Scripture

I love when science backs up Scripture.ย  Recent studies have given fact to Paulโ€™s theory on defeating anxiety with thanksgiving.

In a Psychology Today magazine article called The Grateful Brain; The neuroscience of giving thanksโ€, Alex Korb, PhD tells how practicing thankfulness

โ€œhas the power to reshape your ย neural pathwaysโ€ฆ.
help you exercise more, sleep better and be happierโ€ฆ
So gratitude had a direct effect onย depression symptoms
(the more gratitude, the less depression)
and an indirect effect on anxiety
(increased gratitude led to improved sleep, which led to lower anxiety).
Either way, with gratitude youโ€™re better off, and you get a good nightโ€™s sleep.โ€1

In a scientific study of 293 adults with mental health issues, people were put into three groups. The first group received counselling. The second group went to counselling, but also had to journal about

โ€œtheir deepest thoughts and feelings about stressful experiencesโ€.

The third group

โ€œwrote letters expressing gratitude to othersโ€

along with counselling sessions. This last group incorporated gratitude writing in their health regimen

โ€œreported significantly better mental healthโ€œ by four weeks and still at twelve weeks.2

Godโ€™s ways make sense.ย  He knows what works.
So, start defeating anxiety in your life by daily Counting Your Blessings.

Prayer

Father…Iโ€™m thankful for Your Word.ย  It speaks right into my life with the same relevance to me as the people in Paulโ€™s day. Defeat anxiety in my life as I express Thanksgiving to You and those around me. Let me experience Your peace when I focus my thoughts on Counting My Blessings and not my losses. In Jesus Name…Amen

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If you think you may be struggling with clinical depression or anxiety, check out my MENTAL HEALTH page for some guidance and links to great resources.

Soul H2O bookIf you liked the refreshing in this #SoulH2O devotion, youโ€™ll love my latestย Soul H2O Devotional book: 40 Thirst Quenching Devotions for Women.ย 

  1. ย 

Drawing from the well

  1. 1. Philippians 4:6-8
  2. 2. Psalm 103:2
  3. 3. Ephesians 5:20
  4. 4. Psalm 118:1
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Sherry Stahl