Anxiety: Your Mindset

Mindset. Something for the longest time I truly didn’t think had anything to do with my anxiety. I just feel this way, right? Wrong! Yes, can you be more prone to anxiety? Could your brain be wired differently? Potentially. But, that’s a different talk on a different day.

For me, personal development is something I’ve just in the last couple years have started to do. It all started with a book called, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. If you haven’t read this book, do! It’s helped in all areas of my life from business, to family and friends, and most importantly for my mental health. It truly just teaches you how to be a great human being even more than you already are!

But, that’s not the book I want to talk about. The one that “Got me” and made me think, “Oh man, I think I’m making my anxiety worse.” was a book called What You Say When You Talk to Yourself by Shad Helmstetter.

You see, this book talked a lot about what that little voice in your head is saying to yourself. You may believe that what you tell yourself has no effect on you, but it does. For example, one of my biggest anxieties is driving in bad conditions. Yes, I live in the midwest and I straight up almost lose it if I have to drive in downpouring rain or a snow storm. Now, some of you are probably being sweet and going, “Oh Faith, when it gets super nasty out I hate to drive in it too.” Well thank you, but in actuality, the roads could be just a touch past the mark of good conditions and I’m sweaty palms.

 

SHOUT OUT to my husband, Preston, for being straight up incredible when it comes to those panic attacks in the car. You deserve an award!

Before, when I wasn’t working on my anxiety, I’d just freak. No way was a driving in those conditions. Now, am I still a little nervous? Heck yes! I definitely have my teary-eyed moments! Yet, those moments are not near as often.

For example, this morning I had to drive to work in a horrible downpour of rain like windshield wipers going crazy kind of rain. Awhile ago that would have made me lose it. I’d be calling Preston half bawling. Today, no phone call! You see, I spent that entire car ride rocking out to The Greatest Showman Soundtrack. If you haven’t watched that show or listened to the soundtrack you are missing out on life. When the rain hit I turned down the volume and pep talked myself. “Faith, you got this. Faith, God’s protecting you. Faith, you are not afraid you love this weather…etc.” I forced myself to smile.

If people could see me through the window they’d probably laugh, but it worked. Yes, I was still tense. Yes, I definitely had to do a small breathing exercise to calm me down once I got to my destination, but I took that fear that the devil was placing in my head and talked it out of there.

At the end of the day, anxiety is placed in our heads by the devil to convince us that what the Lord has planned for our lives will never work. The Lord did not put you or me on this earth to be constantly tormented with worries about this life.

The next time you’re feeling anxious self-talk yourself. Know that you are of the royal priesthood and those little negative thoughts in your head are wrong. You got this so go rock your next meeting. Your next work day. Your next drive. Your next______. (You fill in the blank.) You can achieve anything you set your mind to!