Tag: free from anxiety

For People Who Need Faith – A Free eBook Awaits

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Dear friends,

Firstly, I hope this finds you healthy.

The last two years have been wall-to-wall fear, fear that is almost impossible to get away from. But for peace of mind, we must.

The last six months of the pandemic, I found the worst. The constant fear daily took its toll and affected me greatly. Always a person that would encourage and motivate others, I became a person that needed to be inspired.

If it wasn’t for a close friend’s phone calls, I was on the verge of a mental breakdown. My mental health was at an all-time low. So many people had a different view of what was happening, and the constant negativity got the better of me.

Fast forward to now.

There is no point trying to sugar-coat current events; they are still not looking good. But that does not mean we must allow ourselves to be sucked into the narrative the mainstream media want us to believe.

The world news at the moment can be summed up in one word. FEAR. And with so much fear, people are fearful for the future.

Now, feeling fearful is perfectly natural, but if you are not careful, FEAR can take over you’re thinking to the point that you speak fear over your life and the lives of others.

Many people look to us for guidance, and we must be strong for those people knowing that God is in control. But unfortunately, it is so easy to lose sight of this FACT.

It’s so easy to get lost watching the news, reading the latest stories on social media, and speaking with people about the current state of the world. But, sadly, all this will do is erode your faith, making you doubtful and fearful for your future.

In my new book, For People Who Need Faith, I would like to share with you methods to increase your faith and keep it at its highest level so you are prepared for any problem or difficulty that comes your way. Share stories that will inspire you, motivate you, and encourage you. And recommend simple prayers that will give you comfort in times of worry or distress.

Faith is like a seed. Without the right conditions, the seed will not grow. It is up to us to feed our faith; the more we do, the stronger our faith will become.

Give a little space for God today, and notice how your fears subside.

Forever in my prayers,
Rev J Martin

To download book click on image below

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Find Peace of Mind And Inner Calm in Tough Times — Free Relaxation Audio Download

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It is a very stressful time for everyone at the moment. Some people are more stressed than others. Many have lost their businesses; millions around the world have already lost their jobs.

Usually, a person that likes to keep up with current events I have stopped watching the news altogether as its just a wall of fear.

We all know that we need to relax, but this is easier said than done.

Many months ago, I was working on a project that, for one reason or another didn’t get finished. The main idea was to do an audio cd for relaxation but only one track got finished

Listening back today, on the first listen, I was very judgmental thinking it was narrated too slow, but on the second listen, I decided rather than judge the delivery. I would follow the instructions so pressed replay.

Until I listened to the piece, I knew I was a little stressed by the lockdown. It’s only natural. But It was only listening back did I realised just how much stress I was holding in my body.

By the end of the audio, my mind was more peaceful than it has been in months. It’s hard to describe. Often stress can build up so slowly that we can be unaware that it there.

Daily Rituals

It’s more important than ever to take time daily to do something that relaxes you. It could be taking a warm bath, listening to some soothing music or walking along a beach listening to the water crash on the shore. Whatever works for you.

We all need time to relax, time to release all the tension and stress that can build up. Otherwise, you can become withdrawn, indecisive or inflexible. Stress can make you feel angrier or more aggressive than usual, which can affect the way you interact with your close family and friends.

As we all have experienced stress for a prolonged period in the last three months, you may notice your sleep and memory are affected, your eating habits may have changed, or you may feel less inclined to exercise.

Stress is often overlooked but just as important to treat as any other ailment.

If you have a spare 5 minutes, I highly recommend that you give the audio below a listen, and let be know any changes that you felt in the comments.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy your weekend.

Feeling Anxious? 3 Ways To Clear Your Head from Anxiety Today!

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Over the last 6-8 weekS, I have started to feel my anxiety levels rise. That heaviness in my chest that keeps me awake at night. It happened so gradually I barely noticed it at first.

When the feelings hit me, it was too late. I knew what caused it, reading one too many articles trying to make sense of current events.

What started as a problem in China has escalated out of control. It’s all that people seem to be talking about where ever I go. Then on top of that, I found myself doing my own research.

It was getting too much for me. I needed a break.

Then my friend called me, I usually would answer straight away, but I had a feeling to let it ring out which I found strange. Moments later, a message came through with a link to an article about the outbreak.

Only reading the first lines, I knew that the article was what he wanted to talk about. Within minutes I texted back saying that at this time I couldn’t have another conversation. He completely understood.

People are fearful and starting to panic. ‘I was starting to panic.”

At that moment, I knew I had to make some changes. It took me a few days to find out what was fuelling the fear, the top three I would like to share today.

 

Consuming To Much Content

Firstly, I limited the amount of news I was watching. Yes, it’s necessary to be informed of what is going on around you and be up-to-date, but if you are checking your news feed, etc. every hour then you are consuming a lot of fear.

This point also extends to friends and the people that you follow on social media. Each one of our responses to fear is different. What I found was, some people keep it to themselves as they didn’t want to annoy or upset me.

Some people had to tell me what they had just read. And some people had their own opinion on what is going on, and research information that supports that viewpoint. Then needed to fill me in on all the data.

The last two group of people I know have the best of intentions, but if you are a person like myself that is affected by fear, then a constant stream of uncertainty and negativity can produce anxiety.

Having had panic attacks in the past, I have to be careful.

If you have problems with anxiety, my advice is limit time on social media. Facebook is probably the worst, as a lot of fake news floats around on that platform; there are a lot of fabricated stories out there.

The worse kind of people are the people that feed off other peoples fear. Striking more fear into people’s hearts at this already stressful time is disgraceful, in my opinion.

 

Feed Your Mind

The media, in all its forms, are doing an excellent job at pumping fear out into the world, giving us all the worse case scenarios, and of course, the public need to be aware, so the second point I would like to make is, ‘FEED YOUR OWN MIND.’

When I took note, I noticed that I was spending more time listening to news and talking about the problem, rather than spending most of my time feeding my mind with Gods word.

In moments of uncertainty it’s so easy to be consumed by fear.

So I highly recommend making reading scripture, and prayer the main focus of your day.  Start your day by reading or listening to anything that puts your mind in a positive state.

Even a few words can change anxiety to faith.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6 is very powerful and an excellent way to centre your mind if you feel anxiety build up in your heart. Psalm 91 is probably one of the best scriptures for times like this, which is much longer so not as easily said throughout the day.

Feeding your mind can even extend to favourite film, comedies, documentaries, anything that changes the negative narrative that is going around everywhere at the moment.

Wash & Blow Dry

The last is probably the most obvious, but it’s that important that it can not be said enough times. Wash your hands as often as possible. It’s only when I became aware of how often I touched my face, mouth, and eyes throughout the day did I realise how important this step is.

Something that I have been doing is wearing gloves when Im out doing shopping, etc. It’s just added protection as you are less likely to rub your eyes or nose when you are wearing gloves. Just something that I have always found.

When I applied the above methods, my anxiety levels dropped within a couple of days. Reading Psalm 91 a few times throughout the day calms my mind, and Proverbs 3:5-6 is something that I can say repeatedly if I do find myself getting anxious.

If you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed at any point over the next days and weeks, I suggest that you give these three methods a go to calm your body and mind.

When you are in control of your feelings and emotions, there is excellent relief. 

Consume nourishing content to build you up and make you stronger. Feed your mind with faith and stay away from fear. Staying safe doing what you can to avoid contact with the virus.

I wish yourself, family, and friends happiness and health.

Take care.

Can You Set A Goal to be Free From Worry and Anxiety?

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a-life-free-from-anxiety-

Anyone that has experienced worry or anxiety may never think of setting it as a goal to be free from it, but this is what in my opinion you must do.

I once heard a quote from Jim Rohn, a famous motivational speaker, which had a deep impact on me. “Don’t set a goal to be successful just to be successful, set a goal to be successful for the person that it will make off you to achieve it.”

So don’t set a goal to be free from worry and anxiety, just to be free from worry and anxiety. Set a goal to be free from worry and anxiety for the growth in character that you will experience. So that you first hand understand the shift that takes place.

You can’t just wish anxiety away; you must actively work towards achieving that goal. All fear has a source, and if you run from it or deny it, then you will never overcome it.

Wall of Fear

Fear is the main obstacle in life, and it comes in many forms. Fear is what pushes most people back, keeping them locked in a place they cannot escape. But, if you don’t push yourself through what you fear, you will never fulfil your true potential.

One of my favourite quotes is by Marianne Williamson, who once said,

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.”

Deep down within us, we know what we are capable of. We have unique talents and abilities, but rather than share them with the world; we hide behind our fears.

Fears grow because we feed them. For example, Let say you are afraid of social situations; you feel intense anxiety or fear of being judged, negatively evaluated, or rejected.

That may cause you to avoid social situations, but this will only cause fear or anxiety to get worse. Remember, ‘you are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.’

A few years ago, I suffered intense anxiety which shook me to my core. Until that point, I thought anxiety was something that could be overcome easily, but I was mistaken.

There were moments I thought I might never recover, but I never gave a voice to them fearful thoughts. I spoke words of faith. Saying things like, ‘I will do whatever it takes to overcome this anxiety.’ There is power in the spoken word.

Rather than let fear win, I set a goal to do whatever it took to overcome the anxiety. That decision brought me on a journey of discovery.

In the end, it took a combination of methods to overcome. It took discipline to apply the techniques instead of just panicking. But it was worth it. My search led me to ETF tapping, a technique that helped me greatly.

Within two weeks, the anxiety had subsided noticeably, giving me the feeling that I was in control. Within a couple of months, the intense fear was gone.

The experience changed me; it made me more grateful for everything. I became more humble and less stressed. All the little things that annoyed me in the past seemed insignificant.

I learnt so much. I learnt the power of a walk in nature, the birds singing and the sound of a stream.

I wouldn’t wish what I went through on my worst enemy but it made me a better person, it increased my faith, my compassion, and it made me more patient with others.

Facing your fears is not easy; I will tell you straight. Sometimes prayer alone will not work; you will need to put action behind your faith. You will need to consistently and persistently do what is necessary.

The good news is… when you face your fears, the real reward is the person that you will become. A more influential, healthier, wiser person that is more connected to the world around you. Someone more compassionate, empathic and loving towards others. Someone that is a step closer to God.

Decide to face a fear today and witness the difference that it will make.

Philippians 4: 6-7 NIV
Do not be anxious about anything , but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, presents your requests to GOD, And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

How to Stop Worrying and Clear Your Head From Anxious Thoughts

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worry cover edit

I was brought up in a family that would worry about day to day problems. So, I thought that’s what worry was. Thinking about whether someone was ok or whether a family member would get to their destination safely.

It’s not until a few years ago did I find out how bad worry could get. It all started the moment that I decided to stand up for myself.

Normally a people pleaser I started to say no, as I felt that certain people were taking advantage of my good nature. That simple action started a series of events that took me to my knees.

If someone would have told me the results of standing up for myself, I may never have. Doing what others wanted me to do would have been such an easier option.

Some people, I have discovered, only want you for what you give them. Their friendships are based on a set of conditions.

When you break them condition’s they will make your life very uncomfortable. Certain people tried their best to push me back into the person I was. The people pleaser that never said no, and always did what I was told.

Bullying and emotional abuse is what followed. Not the terms I would have used at the time but terms that my doctor and councillor gave for what the people were doing to me.

At first, I worried whether I had done something wrong, so I decided that keeping out of their way was the best thing to do, but this seemed to fuel the problem.

Of course, I was annoyed and upset but I didn’t think what was happening would lead to anything serious. Then I started to have a pain in my throat and chest. I went to the doctor about it, who said it was stress and to take it easy for a while. So, I did.

When I returned to my regular life it started again, I became afraid of meeting the people giving me so much hostility, so much so that one day I took a mild panic attack.

I returned to my doctor, explaining the situation. He said that what I was describing was bullying. Not until that point did, I regard what was happening as bullying. Now looking back, I was in denial. I never thought that close friends would bully me, but they did.

Getting myself out of that situation was only the beginning. Something had clicked within me. Usually a confident, happy, life loving person, I began to feel anxious, disconnected, and vulnerable.

Every moment of the day was filled with fearful thoughts, I was overflowed with insecurities, and self-doubt. Physically I felt a tightness in my chest most of the day. I was having trouble sleeping and my body was too anxious to enjoy food.

Day after day the feelings were relentless and exhausting. I was trapped on a never-ending emotional rollercoaster and couldn’t find any peace.

Anxiety makes you feel that there is something wrong when there isn’t. It eats away at your confidence and affects every area of your life. I was scared of my own thoughts and bodily sensations, constantly on red alert for the next panic attack.

I spent my days trying to gain back some control by monitoring my feelings and avoiding situations that made me feel anxious.

The turning point came when I decided that I didn’t want to live with anxiety anymore. That decision took me on a quest of discovery. It helped me gain the discipline to do what was necessary to make a recovery.

For me, my anxiety manifested itself because I needed to make certain changes in my life that I didn’t have the courage to make on my own. I was surrounded by people and circumstances that were not good for my mental health. My growth was limited.

What started out as a negative experience turned out to be a positive one. The negative people needed to be removed for me to reach the next level of my destiny.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. It may seem like you will never overcome your relentless worry or crippling anxiety, but I would like you to know today that you can. But you can’t sit inactive

It is pleasant to daydream, wouldn’t it be amazing to be without worry or anxiety, but to make your daydreams come true you have to start walking in their direction. You have to take action.

You have to take the first step, and then the second, the third, and all the steps that separate you from your goal. This is valid for every improvement you would like to make, small or big, relating to your job, health, finance, self-improvement or spirituality.

Make that step today and download my book on Amazon by clicking on the image below.

htsw-RJM 2

 

Can You Use Your Eyes and Ears to Stop Worry and Anxiety?

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Brilliant Colors Of Nature HD Desktop Background

On my morning run rather than seeing the world around me, I noticed that I was lost within my mind thinking of all the things that I needed to do. Small worries.

Then an idea came to me to pick a color and look for it in nature. So I chose blue. Of course, the first thing that stood out was the sky, but as I looked around, there wasn’t much blue anywhere.

My mind started to notice blueish colors. I was never the greatest at mixing paint in art class, but I could see hints of blue in flowers, and I started to count the greys on walls, and a farmers shed as it was the closest to blue I could find.

Coming up to a STOP sign, I changed my colour to red. Rust on garden gates started to sparkle in the sun.

It was several minutes before I became aware that I was playing a game as I was so lost in the world around me. Then came the old thoughts that had vanished for that short time.

I haven’t been updating my blog regularly. I fell away as I’ve been focusing on a new book that will be available on Kindle next Thursday, which is about worry and anxiety.

So when this idea came to me, I wanted to give a little value to my followers. As a lot of people today are worried and anxious.

My motto has always been, if I only help one person, then my mission in life is complete.

So if you’re worried or anxious about anything and your finding, there is no escape. Take a walk in nature and look for colors, count how many shades you can see. Or listen to the world around you and count how many different sounds you can hear.

Just a few ideas that can break the racing thoughts that can flood our mind when we are worried about a problem or situation that we can’t change.

Enjoy the remainder of your week.

God bless you, your family and friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How To Free Yourself From Anxiety With 7 Easy Steps

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Several years ago due to having stressful situations in my work life, social life, and personal life I developed terrible anxiety, which led to panic attacks — resulting in loss of sleep, problems with eating, which in turn affected my overall health.

I went from a very social person to someone that hardly left the house. At one point I thought I would never recover which only fueled my anxiety.

Today I would like to share the top 7 ways I used to overcome my anxiety.

BREATHE

1. Remember to Breathe

Pay attention to your breathing. Most people take their breathing for granted. Breath is by far the most important of all the steps, as we breathe in a completely different way when anxious than we do when calm.

So if you breathe in a way that calms the body, nature will do the rest.

When we are anxious our ‘fight or flight response’ is triggered — originally named for its ability to enable us to fight, or run away when faced with danger physically.

Fight or flight was essential for our ancestors, but now it’s activated in situations where neither response is appropriate, like in traffic or during a stressful day at work.

Symptoms include dry mouth, fast breathing, heart pounding, tense muscles, and slow digestion. These symptoms create more anxiety which leads to an anxiety loop. Anyone that has had anxiety knows how quickly this anxiety loop can lead to a panic attack.

Remember to breathe

When you begin to feel anxious, do some diaphragmatic breathing. When people are anxious, they take shallow breaths reducing the oxygen intake. Diaphragmatic breathing takes in maximum oxygen which signals to the body that the threat is gone so it will return to normal functioning

To check if your doing it properly simply put a hand on your chest and stomach while breathing. When you breathe in your stomach should rise, as if filling up with air, and when you breathe out the stomach will fall.

Move-your-body

2. Move Your Body In Any Way You Can

Walking, running, riding a bike, dancing, swimming or Zumba. Step two is also linked to breathing but has the added effect of taking your mind off your problem or worry. Step two may lead to more of step three.

3. Sleep You know You Need It

Studies show that sleep loss is associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety—but it’s not completely clear if anxiety keeps you up at night or if dealing with insomnia increases your risk for anxiety. Either way, the vicious cycle can put your brain on edge.

4. Avoid Caffeine

Caffeine can exacerbate anxiety as it acts as a central nervous system stimulant. It is making your body more aware of the feelings of anxiety. Plus, caffeine keeps the body awake which can affect sleep, which is essential to help overcome anxiety.

gratitude-journal-main-1

5. Keep a Gratitude Journal

Simply keeping a gratitude journal—regularly writing brief reflections on moments for which we’re thankful—can significantly increase well-being and life satisfaction.

6. Expand Your Social Support

Social support is a core component in managing stress and coping with anxiety. So, reach out, call someone you haven’t talked to in a while. It is all about connection.

7. Stay away from drugs or alcohol

Perhaps they work in the short term, but they often do the opposite in the long term.especially with panic attacks. Talk your doctor if you feel you cannot stop using.

 

Summary

Having suffered from anxiety myself, I highly recommend diaphragmatic breathing, more exercise, more sleep, and less caffeine.

The main lesson I learnt in my recovery was patience.

We all want instant results, but like learning to drive a car, you don’t just jump in and drive. You take lessons and the more lessons you take, the better you get.

Similarly when you want to recover from anxiety, after a few days using the above tips you might not see that much change, but after a few weeks, if you record your progress in your gratitude journal, you will see a massive difference.

I wish you all the best on your journey.

Thanks for reading.

If this post has inspired you in any way, please share. You may help someone in the deepest of despair.