What’s the Matter? Banishing Anxiety Part 1

by Lydia Floren

I’ve been anxious lately. Wow. Just admitting that is powerful.  

It’s not always easy for me to recognize anxiety in myself. It creeps up on me. I don’t realize what is going on at first. I just know that instead of being hopeful and confident, I start to second guess myself. I have a harder time making decisions. My thoughts become muddled. I lose my sense of humor. I find myself withdrawing, easily annoyed–even a little paranoid. When it gets bad enough, I just want to stay in bed all day with the covers over my head. 

Any one of these symptoms of anxiety can be attributed to other things. I can act in similar ways when I am tired or hungry, or haven’t been spending time with God, or have experienced a disappointment or loss. But there is a unique constellation of clues – including a change in my outlook and even my personality –  that, when grouped together, help me to recognize my anxiety more readily.

What’s the matter?

Sometimes, others can also help me see it. One time, when I was at work, and I was being a real you-know-what, no one could do anything right. After huffing and fussing for an hour or two,  I walked up to the nurses station.  (I was probably taking a breath before I began my next rant.) But before I could say anything, Lori, one of my sweet nurses asked: “Dr. Floren, what is the matter? What is going on with you? You don’t seem like yourself today.” (Ha. No kidding.) I looked at her for a minute. And then my eyes welled up, and a tear trickled down my cheek. I sank down into a chair and put my head in my hands.  “I am so sorry,“ I said. “I am flying to Asheville tomorrow to be with my only sister as she gets her first dose of chemotherapy.”  

In order to banish anxiety, we have to realize it is there. Recognizing our anxiety, either through observing our behavior pattern or maybe the gentle prodding of a friend, is the first step toward dispelling it.

Are you irritable? Withdrawn? Restless? Not thinking clearly? Are your friends commenting that you are “not yourself?”  Maybe you need to ask yourself, “What’s the matter? Am I anxious about something?”

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Click below to read other posts in this series:

Part 2: “What Am I Afraid Of?”

Part 3: “Fight or Flight?”

Part 4: “Another Way”

Part 5: “Putting Things in Perspective”

Part 6: “Anxiety from a Doctor’s Perspective”