When Anxiety Strikes

So I'm sitting in the car outside of a shopping plaza. Trying to do adulting stuff like budgeting and the chance I have if Which Wich will let me use a two month expired birthday coupon for free sandwich. Yes, my budgeting is that real.  (I signed up for all the restaurants that offer free birthday meals and somehow I let this one slip. smh. ) So as I am pondering upon this seemingly important life decision, I get distracted by a parody video on Facebook of Elmo being fired because of government defunding of the PBS network. Oh. My. Gosh. Talk about an emotional 3mins. Then I scroll down to a Business Insider article about how professional Millennials are spending their money. Clearly, I could use some help so I double tap for more insight. Beyond the poorly written article, I noticed a few characteristics these "professionals" shared right away. More than half  of the respondents were in my same profession, I was older than all of them and presumably more experienced with respect to specific niches, and ALL of them were making double to what I currently am.  Given the already emotional train I was riding thanks to Elmo, I was beyond BLOWN to see how much my "colleagues" were earning compared to myself. Then it happened.

Increased Adrenaline. Rush of Thoughts. Overwhelmed. Questions. Blame. Shame. Anxiety. 

Literally, in only 30 seconds, I made a mental rundown of x, y, z and everything I could and should be doing to place myself in a better position to earn more money.  Upset that I have to even consider asking to use an expired coupon just to get a free $8 sandwich. Then debating if I should turn on my Uber button to make some quick dollars instead of my intent to work on my blog. 

Breathe.

I stopped to do what I always do when I am wasting time or trying to escape thoughts. Get on social media. (I know, prayer needs to move up on list.) But, I had not done my social post for @TheChristianPerspective yet and scrolled across the perfect post from @SeekHimDaily. 

Easier said than done, right? The same advice I post to @TheChristianPerspective I have to take myself. So, let's break it down and make it practical.

Exhale.

1. When our thoughts begin to get a little out of whack and morale is low, stop them in their tracks. Take time to figure what triggered the emotion.  2 Corinthians 10:5

2. Worry Less.  Remember in times like these, seek God. Talk to God aloud, write it out, worship. We need to push ourselves to recognize God's presence. He's here. Matthew 6:33-34

3. Smile More. Get humble and be patient. A lot of times we get anxious about what we already prayed for.   Ephesians 4:2.

4. Pray Often.  Don't be anxious. Pray. This time not for what you already prayed for, but for the piece of it we are still keeping hold on. Yes, that part. God wants that.   Philippians 4:6-7.

In case you're wondering, Which Wich did not accept the expired coupon and so I opted for a milkshake instead. The morale of the story is, when I focus on God, God focuses in on me. And focusing on God entails working on my assigned contributions to the Kingdom and allowing Him to work it out. Everything. Not just the small parts or big parts, but ALL of the parts.