Read time: 4 minutes Forward This is the start of my senior year when I was the solo lead for my small group. Journal October 10th, 2016 Lord, today I was very anxious I’m so afraid of leading small group I’m afraid that its only me and I’m not believing your sovereignty I literally thought about small group unproductively for hours. It didn’t help and left me feeling like there were more questions than answers. I didn’t want to stop worrying, I liked thinking about all the things I needed to do. I didn’t have peace about it. Lord, I’m so tired because of it and I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING. Father, I need to combat anxiety and worry. Please help me to trust you in peace and wholeness Matthew 6:31-32 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ReflectionWorry is a state of mental distress, unease, or anxiety caused by anticipating problems, potential dangers, or unpleasant situations. It involves dwelling on thoughts of what might go wrong and often features feelings of helplessness or fear. (Merriam-Webster) A dash of anxiety or fear may be helpful in some scenarios to get work done. You know that initial whoosh of fear for an upcoming meeting or assignment you haven’t prepared for yet. It’s intention is to help you get it done.In excess, worry can drain you. When we start to chronically worry it literally can affect us physically. When a stressful trigger occurs, it produces a flurry of neurochemicals (The whoosh in your stomach). This is the sympathetic nervous system releasing hormones like cortisol. Cortisol and other hormones trigger blood sugar levels and triglycerides (fats) to be used for fuel (Web-MD). Your body is gearing up for a fight. In worry, we hold onto the stressor and do not let it go. This shows up as headaches, inability to concentrate, irritability, fatigue, fast heart rate or shortness of breath. It’s very interesting for me to be “tired” or fatigued after all this worrying about my small group. I did not physically do anything, I literally mentally wore myself out. We actually do not have a choice on what our body does in reaction to stressful events. What we do have control over is the actions we take in response to the stressors. Here are five examples of things we can do to help prevent worry in our life. Exercise DailyThat pent up energy or build up of stress needs an outlet. Go for a walk, go to the gym. Anything small, even if its 15 minutes, whatever you can do to get a win. Eat a Healthy DietEveryone has their own makeup for what foods are healthiest. What may work for one man it may not for the other. Generally, whole foods, natural not processed. Vegetables, whole grains, protein, legumes, nuts, fruits, fish. Processed foods can inflame your gut and lead to worsening brain fog and discomfort. Do not underestimate how important this is for stress. Caffeination We are a caffeine-nation. This increases our levels of adrenaline and cortisol which will naturally just lead you to a more fight or flight nervous system. Being mindful of how much your consuming can be helpful. Mentally Matthew 6:33-34But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. We must remind ourselves to think first about God’s kingdom and how our decisions impact His will for our lives. What is Jesus saying? Can we never anticipate the next day and prepare for it? Or plan for a vacation? Jesus is not saying to stop taking care of your future self. He is saying, worry is destructive and deep down we know when we absolutely do not believe something is going to go well. However, if we earnestly seek Gods kingdom, were not supposed to stress. There is a still small trust that we are walking in the right direction, and that God has my back. Get your worries outLimit yourself to 10-15 minutes of writing out all your worries in a journal.Then let it go and stop holding onto it. How much does worrying truly HELP your situation? We have to realize at a certain point worry is detrimental and I have to trust and have faith that I have done what I can, and now God controls the rest. Do what is in your control, but then let it go. Questions How do you respond to stressful events in your life?Which box spoke to you the most? Exercise? Diet? Caffeine? Your thinking? Challenge Take a deep breath. Think of one thing you seem to be worrying about. We all have that one thing.Now, sit with it for a moment.Imagine you putting those worries into a package, and giving it to God’s big hands.He’s now holding the weight of that package.What are you feeling?Take a deep breath.Go about your day. Fill out this short survey to help me measure interest and improve the newsletter. Thanks for reading Journals of a Madman! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit parry6lb.substack.com