Calming Our Anxious Souls in the Midst of a Pandemic

This post is by Caris Snider.

Everywhere you look, it’s all around you. 

Fear

Panic

Dread

Worry

Doubt

Anxiety. . .it is crippling our world and stealing our lives. 

In the midst of this pandemic, isolation has become king. People don’t know what to do nor do they know who to turn to. Their normal routine and activities have been stolen. The change came abruptly in every nook and cranny of our world. 

What should we do now? How do we respond?

Now is the time we pause. There is beauty in the midst of all of this mess. By taking in the stillness, we can see God moving and working in our lives. Maybe He is wanting us to see life differently so we will live it with intentionality. 

Here are three ways we can shift to calm our anxious souls and embrace a new way of living:

1. Lean on His Presence: Psalms 94:19 tells us that when anxiety is great within, His consolation, or comfort, brings us joy. During this season, we can learn to turn to Him first when fear creeps in with untruth. These lies can stir up so much uncertainty in our mind and heart. God’s presence brings truth. We can hold onto His Truth because circumstances will not change it. 
2. Attitude of Gratitude: Having an attitude of gratitude allows you to focus on the good going on all around you. By becoming on purpose about what you have to be thankful for, it physically keeps your brain from going to an anxious place. It cannot do both simultaneously. Once again we can turn to God’s Word to get guidance on where our thoughts should go. Instead of thinking on “What If’s”, we can think on “What Is”. Philippians 4:8 tells us to think on What IS pure, noble, true, excellent, and praise-worthy. Practicing gratefulness will give you a better outlook. You begin to see things through the lens of hope. 
3. Cast It: On average, we have 60,000-80,000 thoughts a day. Close to 80% of those thoughts are negative and 95% of the thoughts we have are repetitive. That is a lot of negative going on! It’s time we learn from our fishermen friends. When these dreadful thoughts come our way, we need to cast. Throw them away. A helpful way to practice casting is by using a notebook or sticky pad. When those crummy thoughts come, write them down as fast as you can. Rip that page or sticky note up into tiny pieces and throw it away! Cast it into the abyss of your trash can friend! Once you do this, you then need to replace those weeds you just pulled up with seeds of life. If we don’t put something different there, our old thought pattern will come back with a vengeance. Get into God’s Word. We know here we can find uplifting and life changing scriptures to cling to and believe. 

By doing these three things, you will experience freedom from anxiety. It will no longer steal your purpose and rob you of your joy. Changing your habit of thought from lousy and hopeless to pleasant and hopeful, gives you a new outlook on life. You will now move from barely surviving, to powerfully thriving!

Caris Snider is a Christian Communicator who shares the hope of God through speaking, writing, and leading worship. Her passion for the Lord comes forth as she shares from her experiences of overcoming anxiety, depression, fear, and shame. Caris desires to help women of all generations to see their value and worth through the eyes of the Lord. It is important to her to give a voice to the voiceless and help those who feel alone. Caris wants everyone to find the freedom to go after their purpose and calling on their lives because no one else can accomplish what God created them to do! To contact Caris about her ministry and the opportunity to partner together, go to: carissnider.com

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash