By: Jana Greene
By: Jana Greene
What a strange experience this is for us all.
I don’t know about you, but I vacillate between being okay and not being okay, all day every day.
I will be trucking along in my day, trying to enjoy things that I have taken for granted and now fear I will lose, when my primitive brain is more than happy to remind me that something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong.
A sudden sinking feeling.
Heart palpitations.
Raw, unadulterated panic.
And then, eventually, I pray for peace that passes understanding. And I again laugh at funny memes, indulge myself in painting (or ice cream…) and rather calmly go about my day in this “new normal.”
This pattern cycles throughout the day, maybe a handful of times. Or maybe 100 times. It varies.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
I know I’m a a Christian, and as such, should “fear not.” If I had a dime for every post I’ve seen about FEAR NOT, I’d be a gazzilionaire. But I’d probably still fear, because I have anxiety disorder.
I have anxiety attacks, it isn’t so much my evolved brain that forgot to “fear not,” but the primal brain. Christ-followers have mental illness too. Rather than consider our faith weak, you should know that someone who battles depression and anxiety has HAD to keep the faith in ways you probably cannot imagine. Their faith was hard fought and won, war-torn, and durable. But at the end of the day, we still have to make the best of the genetics and brain chemicals we were dealt. Add life circumstances, and it can be overwhelming.
None of us have ever been through anything like this before. It’s weird, and it’s foreign, and it feels like a zombie movie.
How are your brains processing all this, friends? Do you have moments that the surreal-ness overwhelms you? What are some ways you handle anxiety?
This isn’t going away any time soon, and I love to know what makes people tick. How are you doing with isolation, being confined with family members, and your self care routine? We are all in this together. ❤️
Musings of a Gypsy Soul 
Fairing about the same as you… Ups , downs , panic attacks , not having a panic , 90.5 playing all day…. Sounds like my everyday life for me because I also suffer from anxiety so sometimes I feel like it’s just no big deal, I’ve made up much worse senerios in my head on normal sunny happy days.. lol. One day at a time over and over again.
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Yep, one day at a time, my friend. Love to you!
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Just taking it one moment at a time. If I look to far ahead, I will panic. If I look behind, I regret. If I just stay present in the moments of my day and practice gratitude, I can keep my sh*t together. You are right, though, this isn’t going away anytime soon. Yet, I find great comfort in the grace and peace that surrounds me.
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I’m So glad Papa is pouring out grace, peace, and comfort, Brother.
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Oh this was another gooder. Thank you for sharing, I can so relate to the million cycles of thought in a day. I have been doing less well as I try to stay just a little “informed”. However, throw on some tunes, sit down at a puzzle, drink a hot cup of coffee with double cream, (the simple pleasures) and experience the moment. We will get through this. 🥰
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YES, girl….double cream! And sugar. Now is not the time to be skimping on the little things. I agree…music and puzzles don’t hurt either! ❤️ God bless you.
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