1. Obey God. God commands us not to be anxious. (Matt. 6:25-34; Phil.4:6; I Tim. 6:6) 2. Pray (Phil. 4:6) 3. Realize that God can guard our hearts and minds as we obey Him. (Phil.4:7) 4. Meditate on positive thoughts. (Phil.4:8) There is no better place to find positive thoughts than in the Bible. Stop, relax; anxiety is a signal to relax, so relax. Anxiety is usually a signal to become more anxious, but by a simple technique of behavior modification the brain can be conditioned to use anxiety as a signal to relax.(Psalm 34:4; 86:15; Proverbs 1:33; 3:25,26; Isaiah 40:28-31; Matthew 6:33, 34; 11:28-30; John 10:27, 28; 14:27; II Corinthians 11:3; Hebrews 4:15; I John 3:20; 4:10) 5. Focus on godly behavior. (Phil.4:9) Anxious individuals need to avoid sin (Prov. 4:15) and join small fellowship groups. (Hebrews 10:24, 25) 6. Divert attention from self to others(Phil. 4:10; 2:3, 4) As an individual gets his mind off his own problems by helping others, his anxiety often decreases. 7. Work on being content (Phil. 4:11; I Tim. 6:6). 8. Realize there is a twofold responsibility (ours and Christs) in doing anything. (Phil.4:13). An individual can overcome anxiety through Christ. 9. Realize God will supply our needs but not always our wants. (Phil.4:19) 10. Realize that the grace of God is with you (Phil. 4:23; II Cor. 9:8)\ Common sense suggestions to also help decrease anxiety 1. Get adequate exercise. 2. Get adequate sleep. 3. Do what you can to deal with the fear or problem causing the anxiety. Examine different alternatives or possible solutions and try one. 4. Talk with a close friend at least once a week about your frustrations. 5. Get adequate recreation-two to three times a week. 6. Live one day at a time. (Matt. 6:34) 7. Imagine the worst that could possibly happen. Then more realistic possibilities wont look so bad. 8. Divert attention from self to others. As individuals get their minds off their own problems by helping others, their anxiety often decreases. 9. Do not put things off. 10. Set a time limit on your worries. Set aside a definite period of time each day in which to focus on a given problem. If the issue surfaces any other time, say, "I cannot consider that issue right now. I will consider it later during the designated time period, but I refuse to consider it at this moment." By doing so you set free much of the mental energy that would otherwise be wasted in worry. 11. Listen to Christian music (I Sam. 16:23). Markell 1982; Collins 1973; Minirth & Meier 1978 |