December 2002

A little over a year ago, our nation sustained a provocative, life-changing blow. The system we relied upon to transport tourists, tradesmen and travelers became the tool of terrorism. Our world changed and with it was created, along with heroism and renewed patriotism, an often unspoken common, unacknowledged and unsettling anxiety.

In the blink of an eye, we lost so many brothers and sisters--people unknown to the majority of Americans, but not unknown to God. The stock market has been on a shaky foundation since 9/11. Jobs have been lost or are insecure. Fear! My daughter flies with United Airlines and she has been hanging on. Insecurity! My friend is a trucker and his firm cut back and relocated, causing him to work out of the city, three hours from home. Stress! Another friend had to relocate to keep a lower paying job since her department was phased out. Anxiety! The world is unsafe.

Big business has been "cooking their books" and with the cooking many retirement funds went up in smoke. Like yesterday's burnt toast, big business corporations such as Enron and WorldCom have left a bad taste in the mouth of Mr. and Mrs. USA. Free enterprise and big business have the American people unsure of who is cooking what and where. Insecurity! Anxiety!

The Roman Catholic Church is reeling in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal that has reached into the souls of the children once entrusted to the clergy. Men and women now bespeak the horror of abuse at the hands of the beloved priests. The secretive antics of the pedophile priests and the denial and misplaced loyalty of the hierarchy have left many of the faithful crying as the lepers did, "Unclean, unclean!" Though faith in God may be strong, trust in the Church has been severely tarnished. Insecurity! Anxiety!

School violence, shooters, victims, blood, bullies, guns, pain, death! In my own hometown, at my son's high school, Santana High, a "little" boy named Andy Williams opened fire upon his classmates, killing two, wounding thirteen. This strikes terror in the lives of all children in school and their parents who entrust them to the educational system, whether public or private. In the school I service, the children, grades K to 8, want an armed guard. This is a Catholic school, but there is fear in our little ones. Fear in schools. How can they learn? What are they to learn? Insecurity! Fear! Anxiety!

Children stolen from their homes--out of their beds. Children molested, killed, never found. Parents frantic to know how to keep them safe. A little girl aged 6 asks her mother to check the windows and doors every night so no one will take her, so she won't end up like Danielle. We have to institute the Amber Alert to help the police catch the perpetrators of such heinous crimes. These children are learning that home is not safe! They are learning that school is not safe! They're learning that church is not safe! Insecurity! Fear! Stress! Worry! Anxiety!

Folks living in relatively nice neighborhoods discover graffiti and hear about the "gangs." They live with drive-by shootings and the neighbor two doors down who "shoots up" and peddles drugs on the side. Home intrusions are all too common these days. Drugs are so much a part of our society that the first question to parents who come to therapy seeking help with their teen is, "Do you think he/she is using?" Worry! Insecurity! Anxiety!

A doctor goes out in the middle of a surgery to the bank! A school principal lifts up a high school girl's dress to check for thong panties in front of a mixed group of students and onlookers. A couple of disenfranchised men shoot unsuspecting human targets and are labeled "The Beltway Snipers." Nothing has been mentioned yet about the plight of the elderly; the financial and physical uncertainty; the trauma of divorce; the sexual perversion; the residue of chemical addictions; or our thrown away children. Insecurity! Fear! Stress! Anxiety!

Yes, the Lord was right; today has enough troubles of its own.

We suffer emotionally and that can be translated into physical, relational and social ills. Doctors tell us that 80 to 95 percent of physical problems have their bases in emotional "dis-ease." The immune system can be lowered as a result of stress, worry, fear, insecurity and anxiety. When the immune system is not operating the way it was designed to, the body becomes an environment open to many opportunistic diseases and disorders. The emotional residue damages relationships in many ways. This emotional residue sticks to the persona of individuals and creates roles that have been described in many terms such as dependent, codependent, victim, wimp, bully, fearful and so forth. Our society has been described as an angry society, but it is more an anxious society.

Anxiety can show itself in many symptoms such as being keyed-up, on edge, ready to run. Anxious people often have trouble concentrating; the mind goes blank. There's also the phenomenon of feeling like a deer caught in the headlights. Easily fatigued, the anxiety-ridden individual frequently has disturbed sleep and muscle tenseness. Sometimes there is dizziness, hyperventilation or unprovoked irritability. These are only a few of the more common symptoms.

What to do? We feel the symptoms. We know the stressors. The effects are catastrophic physically, emotionally and financially given the expensive medical and psychological care today. The expense can be another stressor. There are answers.

Although we cannot change the world we live in, there are some things that we can do. Anxiety can be healed for many people by making some drastic changes in the way one thinks. Fear self-talk is generally at the root of most anxiety symptoms or panic attacks. "What if…" Thinking lends itself to causing your body to be in a fight or flight response state. "What if …happens?" We scare ourselves!

Change the fear talk. The habit is drawn to fear but President Roosevelt was correct when he said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Scripture tells us that God is our strength and our salvation. He says that He will not give us more than we can handle. He says that He is with us always, even to the end of the earth; that there is nothing to fear. These are promises and if I can trust them, I have nothing to fear. The crux is that the habit and my faulty human frailties do not trust even when I want to do so very much.

The real problem comes when an individual tries to control the situation or the outcome. The only real control we have in life is how we accept any given situation. Fear talk often includes the question, "Why?" This question keeps the mind going in circles. Better to spend that energy on solutions to whatever issue or problem you have. Getting busy with solutions will divert the fear talk and the anxiety is derailed. Physical exercise helps to change the focus and that, too, sidetracks the anxious feelings.

Sometimes, of course, the habit is so ingrained that outside help or therapy is needed. There are also times when anxiety is so debilitating that medical intervention is necessary. God uses all avenues to help heal His people.

You can do much for yourself, too. Commit to memory some Scripture verses. Use them for strength and as a reminder that you are not alone; read Matthew 6: 25–34 often. Establish a positive support system: people you feel safe with and can rely upon, people you can support and affirm. Engage in meditation, slowly at first, focusing upon the Lord and His strength and love for you. Cultivate solitude as a safe place to be. Listen to music that has a calming effect. Remember to breathe. If you've noticed, when you're feeling anxious your breathing is shallow. Breathe deeply and calmly. Try breathing in the Spirit and breathing out the fear. Use positive empowering self-talk. This kind of self-talk is often called an affirmation. Say things to yourself like:

"I am competent and confident."

"I am lovable."

"I am strong and able."

Make up your own. Use positive statements--start with "I AM…"; say that many times a day. You do not have to believe your affirmations, but you will come to believe them if you follow this course of action. Our feelings come from our thoughts and if your thoughts are positive and not fear-filled then your behavior can be free from the consuming worry about the troubles of today.


Patricia G. Medeiros, MS, MFT