anxiety

  • Defeating Anxiety By Counting Your Blessings

    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!  

    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 that  and saw that I sent it out exactly 2 years ago today!  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!  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 🙂  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. Crystal Twaddell

    This weekend, we Canadians will celebrate Thanksgiving.  Our houses will be filled with the delicious aromas of turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potato mash and pumpkin pie.  I’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.  This year I’ve stepped it up a notch and again began Counting My Blessings each morning.  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.  He says, “Do 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.”  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.  Recent studies have given fact to Paul’s theory on defeating anxiety with thanksgiving.

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

    “has the power to reshape your  neural pathways….
    help you exercise more, sleep better and be happier…
    So gratitude had a direct effect on 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 you’re better off, and you get a good night’s sleep.”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

    “their deepest thoughts and feelings about stressful experiences”.

    The third group

    “wrote letters expressing gratitude to others”

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

    “reported significantly better mental health“ by four weeks and still at twelve weeks.2

    God’s ways make sense.  He knows what works.
    So, start defeating anxiety in your life by daily Counting Your Blessings.

    Prayer

    Father…I’m thankful for Your Word.  It speaks right into my life with the same relevance to me as the people in Paul’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

    Start defeating anxiety in your life by daily Counting Your Blessings Click To Tweet

    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, you’ll love my latest Soul H2O Devotional book: 40 Thirst Quenching Devotions for Women. 

    1.  

    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
    #Dare2Share

    Post in the Comment Section below and bolster the faith of someone else!

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  • Repeats

    This was the first Soul H2O Devotion ever written.  It was first sent out in email and then posted on the blog when it was started in the fall of 2013, before I started adding #musicpic songs and Drawing From The Well verses to help you dive in a little deeper into the subject of the devotion to quench your spiritual thirst! Since then I’ve had the website rebranded a few times and sadly, lost the original graphics and comments but I hope it will still bring you the same encouragement it did at the beginning.


    DO NOT WORRY… DO NOT WORRY… DO NOT WORRY
    ~Matthew 6:25, 32, 34

    REPEATSLately, I keep going back to the Devotional in my Water In The Desert book called “DON’T BE AFRAID”.  The verses you lookup are so repetitive…and I mean that in a good way!  I am overwhelmed at how many times God encourages us in His Word to “not worry”, “don’t be afraid”, “do not fear”, “do not fret”. 

    In one short passage alone Jesus bluntly tells us “Do not worry” three times!

    Do Not Worry… On Repeat

    To paraphrase Joshua 23:3, God is saying,

    “You’ve seen what I’ve done for you and how I’ve been the one on your side!”

    Then, He starts to remind the people how He was there for them and what He did for them.  God is our father and all too often we act like little children who need to be reminded of what our dad does for us.  We need that spiritual “cold shower” to wake us up and remind us that God is with us, so…we don’t need to worry! 

    When I want to get my kids to understand something or not forget something, I repeat myself.  The more important, or the more bothered I am with them for not listening will determine how many times I repeat myself!  Do you get the spiritual similarities?  Our heavenly father does the same!  As you study The Word, listen to our father’s REPEATS.  Be encouraged to trust and not worry…He’s on the job!

    Prayer

    Father, Help me to be aware of who you are and all you’ve done for me.  May I not take it for granted or minimize all you do.  Please help me to focus on your greatness and your goodness so that I don’t worry, but live in confidence! In Jesus Name, Amen

    (Inspired by WATER IN THE DESERT; Section 2-WATER PARTING; Don’t Be Afraid Devotion).  
     

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