Do you ever feel so overcome by “all the things” that you feel as if you could just crater from fear?

In our family, we call it “the swirl:” the tornado of “to-do’s” and worries that sends debris and chaos our way, spinning us into a frenzy where we cannot tell up from down.

You’ve experienced it before. It’s late at night, you wake up to get some water, and you lay back down hoping to return to blissful sleep. But there’s just one problem–now your mind is awake and it’s thinking…too much.

“Did I lock all the doors?”

“Is my water bill on auto-pay or do I pay it manually?”

“Is Ryan mad at me about that text earlier?”

Now you’re up, staring at the ceiling and sweating about some current fear or future worry. Instead of counting sheep, you’re tallying the things you’re afraid might happen.

Fear and anxiety can ruin the most peaceful situations. Fear is a response to a more imminent threat, whereas anxiety can be a general fear of future threats (real or perceived).

How can you resist “the swirl” of worries and OVERCOME fear and anxiety?

1) Breathe – Matthew 28:18-20, “I am with you always….” Surrender to the reality that no matter what comes your way–sickness, theft, famine, etc.–the Lord is and will always be WITH you. If you’re feeling particularly overcome, try breathing in and saying, “Immanuel;” then breath out and with your exhale pray, “God with us.”

2) Plan – the swirl gets its power from being ambiguously overwhelming. Sit down, write out EVERYTHING you’re anxious about (or that you have to do), and just get it all out of your head. You’ll be shocked at how the swirl slows down and even stops when you put what’s in your head on paper or in an iPhone note.

3) Prioritize – take that list of things you wrote out and prioritize based on: High, Medium, or Low priority; urgency; and what you can do alone vs. what you’ll need help with. Then, start with the “High” priority items that are most urgent, which you can do. Track your progress and celebrate each item completed. ​

As you breathe, plan, and prioritize, you face the swirl instead of letting it be an unknown monster under your bed. And much like a bully, the swirl loses its power when you stand up to it.

Stand up to your anxieties and fears today; do it with the Lord by your side. You were made for more. You were made to overcome because Jesus has overcome the most dreadful of all outcomes: death itself. Take action today, invite the Holy Spirit into your swirl, and watch as you overcome fear and anxiety!