Dear friend,
When I was younger, my parents made me go to bed (big surprise, right?). Instead of falling asleep, my brain would play through all the embarrassing things that had happened to me from my whole life like a really cringy movie. Or I would go over all the things I had to do in the morning, and dread the fact that I couldn’t do them all at once.
Anxiety is the most common mental illness in the United States. Over 3% (3 in 100, for us non-mathy people) of adults have been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (including myself).
Anxiety is not a comfortable feeling. But it is a feeling that is easy to get stuck in (hence the 3% statistic).
The good news is that anxiety is just creativity in reverse.
Anxious thoughts are creative thoughts.
Does that surprise you?
Creativity that has no outlet becomes the ghost of anxiety (like the Ghost of Christmas Future, but scarier).
When you are anxious, you imagine all the things that could happen (whether good or bad). Most of the time it’s about something you can’t control. Whatever it is that occupies you when you are anxious, it takes creativity.
I hope I don’t have to say it for you to know that anxiety is a good thing.
In fact, Jesus says to not be anxious several times. And yet so many people struggle with it (or get consumed by it.) Maybe it’s time to consider doing something productive with the creative brainpower, instead of letting ourselves waste it on worrying.
Focus on what you can do instead of what you can’t.
Go outside, and look at all the beautiful things God created and regularly takes care of (Matthew 6). Work on that project you’ve been meaning to finish for a year and a half. Write a bad poem. Draw a flower on the back of your bank statement. Read that book that you started but haven’t picked up in a month.
If you’ve run out of ideas for creative things to do, sign up for my creative prompts you can download below.
Do something with that energy your brain is wasting.
Sincerely,
R. J. Catlin
I’ve never considered this before, but will remember this the next time I’m feeling anxious!
I hope it’s helpful!