Dealing with anxiety

“For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Tim 1:7)

My daughter-in-law has been struggling with anxiety, especially about keeping up with social media. She is constantly looking at her phone and can’t leave it alone, afraid of missing something important.

She has had anxiety attacks because of this concern and can’t seem to detach from the phone and social media in general. She worries about whether someone can reach her in an emergency.

I tried to reassure her that there will always be a way for people to find her—just as in the past when we did not have cell phones!

During the last few weeks, I have been praying diligently for her, and when October’s Word of Life came out, I immediately thought it was something that could help her. “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Tim 1:7)

Although she is not a particularly religious person, when we were together, I told her I was praying for her and told her about the Word of Life, in particular the part about “self-discipline”—just as a gentle nudge reminding her of the power of God within her and that she isn’t alone in this struggle!

A week or so later when I saw her, she immediately told me, “Well, something is happening!” She said she had deleted Instagram and the Amazon app off of her phone! This is huge!

I could see that she is more relaxed and so much happier. I told her I noticed the difference in her. In fact, even her sense of humor which she always had, is back.

I am so grateful that I was able to find the right words to show her a new way—and for any new challenges yet to come, that I may continue to support her!