anxiety

Acquainted with grief

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He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief…

Isaiah 53:3

I heard this verse last month at church and thought, “Wow, that describes my life in 2022.” You may recently become acquainted with grief too. I have an elderly friend whose husband passed away suddenly, a former student who lost a much anticipated pregnancy, a brother whose wife died, a sister and a friend who battled cancer, and I experienced the loss of a close relationship.

Through the grief, how did you cope? I leaned on my faith, books and close friends every day.

acquainted with grief
Journeying Through Grief booklets

Luckily, I was in a Bible study small group of about ten women who met weekly throughout the year. These “sisters” listened patiently and prayed for me. Norma even sent me personal notes and three Journeying Through Grief booklets by pastor and clinical psychologist Dr. Kenneth C. Haugk. Norma is a Stephen Minister volunteer at my church. Her timely personal notes and booklets brought me healing and strength.

The author’s note inside the first book reads, “You’ve received this book because someone cares about you. The person who gave it to you knows you’ve lost someone very dear to you. When you lose someone you love, you lose part of yourself. And that can hurt–deeply. I hope you will allow me to walk alongside you through your grief journey….”

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Dirt therapy – does it work?

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We can never have enough of nature.

–Henry David Thoreau

Last fall, I found myself in an unfamiliar and stressful family situation. This situation made me feel extremely anxious and literally scared. I was afraid I might lose my job due to debilitating anxiety. After a couple of weeks of trying to tackle the feelings alone, I called my primary care physician and a therapist. Asking for help is not something I usually do, but I did not like how I was feeling.

I received a prescription for anxiety medication from my doctor and began weekly virtual counseling sessions. Both the medication and the therapy have helped tremendously, but I believe designing and creating xeriscaping in my yard this summer also helped. As a long time gardener and landscaper, I believe dirt therapy may help people who suffer from anxiety or other mental health issues.

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“Worry is like a rocking chair…

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it will give you something to do but it won’t get you anywhere.” The tile of this post is the same as the title of Chapter 8 in the insightful book I am reading. This year, one of my personal growth goals is to work on becoming more content and worry less. I came across the book Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow, ordered it and began reading.

This morning I read Chapter 8 about worry and anxiety. In it Dillow explains, “When we worry, we’re saying, ‘God can’t.'” In these trying times of social isolation and worry about our jobs, our families, and our bank accounts, we could all use a bit of Dillow’s wisdom. She provides an example in her book of a “visual aid” that helped her deal with worry and anxiety:

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