Tag: anxiety

One Sunrise at a Time

Posted on by thechristiantechnerd

As I sit down to write this, I can still feel the tension in my shoulders from all the stress I carried around like a badge of honor. I didn’t sleep well last night. My mind kept spinning with “what ifs”—what if this doesn’t work out? What if that falls through? What if I’m not enough? The future felt like this giant foggy unknown pressing in on me like a weight.

But then, the Holy Spirit gently whispered to my soul this morning as I opened my Bible to Matthew 6:34:

“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

And I felt that Word hit me like a wake-up call.

Jesus commanded us not to worry. Not suggested. Not advised. Commanded. That’s where I feel the rub—how often we act like worry is just a personality trait instead of a form of disobedience. We normalize anxiety and stress like they’re part of being human, but Jesus calls us to a higher standard. I felt convicted, not condemned. He doesn’t shame us for worrying, but He definitely doesn’t coddle our excuses either. That’s love. Real love.

It’s almost like I heard Him saying to me: “Daughter, I didn’t design you to carry the weight of tomorrow. I give you strength for TODAY. Walk in it.”

Later, I was drawn to Psalm 68:19, where it says:

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.”

Daily. Not weekly. Not monthly. Not “when it gets really bad.” DAILY. That means today. That means now. That means He’s not ignoring the things that keep me up at night or the pressures I pretend don’t bother me. He’s right here, ready to carry the weight I keep trying to muscle through alone. Why do I keep forgetting that?

I also reflected on Matthew 6:11, part of the Lord’s Prayer:

“Give us today our daily bread.”

Today’s. Not tomorrow’s. Not next month’s. Not “bread for when I’m married” or “bread for when the job comes through” or “bread for when everything makes sense.” TODAY’S bread. That’s what I’m supposed to pray for. That’s all I’m promised.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: sometimes I don’t want just today’s portion. I want to see the whole staircase. I want certainty. I want control. And God, in His mercy, denies me that because He’s more interested in my trust than my temporary peace of mind.

There’s a quote I came across today that punched me in the gut (in the best way):

“Do not let the worries of tomorrow affect your relationship with God today.”

That hit hard. Because how often do I do exactly that? How often do I let anxiety put distance between me and the One who’s holding it all together? I’ll skip prayer time because I’m “too overwhelmed,” not realizing the very thing I need is time in His presence.

So here’s what I did today: I put down my phone. I got on my knees. And I prayed this:


Lord Jesus, I surrender my illusions of control. I place today in Your hands, fully, completely, with trembling trust. Help me to stop dragging tomorrow’s troubles into today’s grace. Help me to see You clearly in the chaos, to believe You’re good even when I’m uncertain. Give me strength for today’s battle, joy for today’s blessings, and peace for today’s journey. You are my portion. You are enough. Teach me to live one day at a time, walking step by step with You. Amen.

I don’t have all the answers. But I don’t need to. That’s the beauty of this walk. I just need to hold His hand.

To anyone reading this, maybe you’re like me—overthinking, overfunctioning, overstressing. Hear me when I say this with love and a bit of holy boldness: Stop it. Jesus died for more than your eternal salvation; He died to give you abundant life today (John 10:10). Not someday. Not “when things calm down.” Today.

So, what’s stealing your joy today? What’s trying to rob your peace? Is it a deadline? A diagnosis? A disappointment? A delay? Bring it to Him. All of it. He can take it. He wants it.

You don’t have to fake peace. You can receive it.

You don’t have to carry the weight. He already did on Calvary.

You don’t have to know the whole plan. Just know the Planner.

I’m learning that living one day at a time isn’t about laziness or apathy—it’s about radical faith. It’s about saying, “God, I trust You with what I cannot see, and I will be faithful with what I can.”

And if all I do today is love Him well, lean on Him deeply, and walk with Him closely—then that is more than enough.

So, here’s to tomorrow… whenever it comes. But for now?
Today belongs to Jesus. And so do I.

God’s Answer To Anxiety

Posted on by thechristiantechnerd

An increasing number of people have been asking me about anxiety lately.

Anxiety has always been a concern.

But nowadays, more and more people feel like they can’t escape it.

They tell me it exhausts them.

And that it’s stopping them from doing the things they want.

Like socializing, driving, or simply living their day to day.

I don’t know what caused this uprise in anxiety.

Perhaps social media, inflation, or everything going on around college campuses with those protesters.

But I knew that if I searched for a way to support my fellow Christians, God would assist me with finding it.

I wanted to provide people with a natural way to eliminate anxiety. And keep it that way for years to come.

I initially thought about praying and meditation.

And while these things can be very helpful, most people in my Church were already doing these.

And despite their efforts, their anxiety wouldn’t go anywhere.

I couldn’t find anything and had almost given up on my search.

But on February 9, Stanford released a study about this very subject.

It was as if God had answered my prayers.

Researchers from Stanford tested something they referred to as “cyclic sighing.”

 Source: https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2023/02/09/cyclic-sighing-can-help-breathe-away-anxiety/?fbclid=IwAR0Ka-P1S2qNsPXhOlKzBrLRkrKaevtfqnDQfnWLaRVIqWSYOjQGlOYKwGc

Researchers from Stanford tested something they referred to as “cyclic sighing.”

The concept is very simple.

You take a deep breath through your nose.

Once you’ve fully filled your lungs, you pause for a moment. And then, you “sneak in” another smaller breath through your nose.

After that, you fully exhale the air through your mouth.

If you do that, you will quickly see that your heart beats slower, and you feel calmer.

Just one or two deep sighs are enough.

But if you suffer from anxiety, the scientists from Stanford recommend you do this for 5 minutes.

They actually had 111 healthy volunteers try this for a month.


And the results were incredible.

The participants felt happier and more peaceful.

That by itself should be enough to convince everyone to try this.

But the scientists also measured people’s heartbeat, as well as how quickly they breathed, which are signs of high anxiety.

And they found that the participants’ heartbeat and breathing were slower.

So Stanford had undeniable evidence that cyclic sighing works.

It’s more beneficial than meditation.

And you can do it quicker.

Isn’t that awesome?

If you know someone who has a lot of anxiety, why don’t you forward this post to them?

You will be doing them a massive favor.

Signs God Tells Christians to Step Back and Take a Break

Posted on by thechristiantechnerd

Dreading the Day:

A pattern of dreading the day is my first sign that it is time to step back and take a break. When I dread the day ahead I think to myself, “I don’t want to do it!”, “I can’t do it!”, or “It’s too much!” Life feels impossible and overwhelming. I feel unqualified, unequipped, or unprepared. I wish someone could take my place or I could just check-out.

But where does dread come from? The definition of dread is “to fear greatly” or “to feel extreme reluctance to meet or face.” It never occurred to me that fear could be the catalyst for my dread. However, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I feared the expectations set before me. I forgot Jesus’ words, “My grace is sufficient for you” (Matthew 12:9).

Procrastination:

Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.” Dread inevitably leads me to procrastination. I don’t start because I’m afraid I won’t do the task well enough or have time to finish it. This procrastination causes paralysis because the longer I wait to start, the more work builds up and feelings of dread continue. It’s a cycle that’s hard to break.

However, discipline helps me break the cycle. When I discipline my days by structuring them not only with times of work but also with times of rest, I don’t fear the day as much. For me, this “rest” includes getting up earlier than my family so that I have time to wake-up before the day gets started. It also includes daily prayer and Bible reading.

Inability to Focus:

A mind racing with to-do lists blocks my ability to focus. It’s hard for me to be present, I forget important information, and I can’t recall names of people easily. This is a sign that it’s time to take a break.

Proverbs 16:3 tells us, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” If I’m honest, I do not commit my work to the Lord often enough. I put on my agenda tasks that I think I need to get done instead of tasks that the Lord has laid on my heart to do.

To help with this I sometimes do a simple exercise in the morning of praying over each part of my day. This helps me to recognize what needs to get done versus what I want to get done. It also helps me to anticipate inevitable interruptions so that I do not become agitated by them as easily.

Irritability:

Another sign that tells me I need to step back and take a break is irritability. When I feel agitated in traffic, defensive on social media, or impatient with my kids I know that I need to make some changes. Once a counselor told me that these seemingly minor irritations are misdirected coping mechanisms. For example, in my road rage, I take my anger out on strangers with whom I can get away with it (They’re in their car, and I’m in mine, so there are no repercussions.) because it’s not productive to take my anger out on my calendar and it’s more complicated to take it out on someone in my life or address it with someone I’m actually angry with.

When I catch myself in these bouts of irritability, my first response is to be quiet. It’s when I start talking that the circumstance gets worse. “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back” (Proverbs 29:11). Often times all I need is 15 minutes to be alone. This can be just sitting or sitting and reading. However, it doesn’t include scrolling on my phone. That creates more irritability. When I build small rest times like this into my day, irritability subsides.

Not Meeting Deadlines:

Another consequence of procrastination is not meeting deadlines. These can be work deadlines or simply paying bills on time. Ephesians 5:16 reminds us to make the most of our time. I try to schedule into my day small steps that will help me meet a bigger deadline goal. I also ask myself if there’s something I can take off of my calendar in order to make time for rest.

Anxiety:

Lack of rest causes my mind to spiral into many questions and unknowns. My worry morphs from not getting my daily tasks done to real fears like my children getting sick. Anxiety is a sign that I need more margin in my life. It becomes necessary to step back and spend some time on my personal health. This looks like focusing on what I can do today to be healthy for tomorrow. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). That includes getting adequate sleep, drinking enough water, moving in some way physically, and eating healthfully.