I feel it. You feel it. We all feel the anxiety of what's going on in the world, in our economy, in our job situations, and life in general. These are scary times. But it shouldn't be surprising. The number one most common mental diagnosis every year running since I got my doctorate (almost 20 years ago) has been anxiety. The most prescibed medication is for some form of anxiety (Prozac, Ativan, Xanax, Valium, Benadryl and if you're really hyper, Ritalin).

The real fact is by now we should be realizing anxiety is a fact of life. Do you and I honestly think we will one day get to a place in our lives where all of the sudden 'poof', no more anxiety? The answer is 'yes'.  When you are D-E-A-D.

So what do we do?

Let me give you three or four suggestions and then something I read to help out:

1. Be fully present today. There are no promises of tomorrow.

2. You can't control everything. Control what you can. Know the difference.

3. See the unknown as an adventure. Embrace it. Normalize anxiety as something we all have to deal with.

4. Prepare if you can, but be flexible, cultivate self confidence.

5. Get rid of unhealthy thinking (jumping to conclusions, overgeneralizing, catastrophic thinking, disqualifying the positive).

6. Don't forget the big picture.

This came to me last week in a devotional piece from Chuck Swindoll (Great Days with Great Lives):

1. When I'm able, by faith to see God's plan in my location, my attitude will be right.

2. When I'm able, by faith to sense God's hand in my situation, my attitude will be right.

3. When I'm able, by faith to accept both location and situation, even if evil is present or _____________(and you add your own anxiety here) my attitude will be right.

I don't know about tomorrow but I know who holds my tomorrows.

rb