In the Renewed Man program, one of the keys we talk about that unlocks long term recovery from addiction is "Dealing with Anxiety and Stress." Here's teaching from one of the week's lessons on how to do this:

“How would your life be different if you stopped worrying about things you can’t control and started focusing on the things you can? Let today be the day…You free yourself from fruitless worry, seize the day and take effective action on things you can change.”  ― Steve Maraboli

Very little of what we fear actually happens, which means that most of our fears cause us to worry unnecessarily. Doesn’t it make sense to learn how to better cope with our anxiety?

I love the saying. “If you can’t do anything about it, why worry? And if you can do something about it, why worry?” This has helped me deal with many struggles over the years of recovery.

So many of the things we worry about are things we can’t do anything to change anyway. So why not just let go of the worry, and deal with problems if — and only if — they come up? 

I think it was Mark Twain who said: “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”

On the other hand, if there ARE things we can do about a given situation, nothing will help ease the anxiety we have more effectively than taking action. 

It’s hard to worry when you’re taking action about something. This is not to suggest that we take action for action’s sake, or that we charge forward without thinking or planning ahead. The point is, if there are steps — courses of action — we can take to deal with a situation that is causing us to worry, stop worrying and do them!

If you can’t do anything about it, why worry? And if you can do something about it, why worry?

The following strategies can help. But of course, if you fear for your safety, get help right away.

1. Accept that fear is a normal and temporary way of feeling.
2. Face your fears each day (using the strategies outlined below) without resorting to buffering behavior to numb your feelings.
3. Remind yourself that worrying about things you can’t control is a waste of time.
4. Hand your fears over to God, using Philippians 4:6-7 as your guide for how to do this.
5. Use the serenity prayer to let go of stress and worry. Keep thinking and praying about each situation in order to discern what is within your realm of control, and what you can simply let go of worrying about.
6. If, after reflecting on your problem along the lines talked about above, you can think of some action you can take that will bring resolution -- or at least make some positive gains -- to whatever you're worrying about ... find a way to take some action on it today. Even if it's something small, take some action.
7. Keep working on the activities in this program, especially when your motivation is low.
8. Spend some time in fun, healthy activities every day to take your mind off your problems.

NEXT ACTION:

Today’s recovery action is to list and describe your worst fear … and then use the strategies talked about above to face it. List one or two of your top fears right now. How can you use the strategies listed in the article above to begin to relax and let go of these fears that are inhibiting your life? What one thing can you do today? Right now?