Most anxiety stems from the attempt at living a double life.
How does anxiety accomplish this? Webster defines anxiety as:
An apprehensive uneasiness or nervousness usually over an impending or anticipated ill; a state of being anxious.
If you are like me, the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “impending” is impending doom!
When it comes to anxiety, it’s not the event that plagues us the most, but the anticipation of that event – the impending part. We think whatever is about to happen is going to be the end of us. A quote from the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sums this up nicely,
“Worrying means you suffer twice.”
How we respond to this is where our double life enters in.
On one hand, we know we are physically tethered to reality, but on the other, we have minds that are prone to wander. We convince ourselves that if we play the “What if” game long enough, we can eventually outsmart or outrun our anxious thoughts. The problem with this thinking is that by the end of this game we are overwhelmed and exhausted – often leaving the brain or body with no energy to fight. Not being able to fight, we are left with two extremes: freezing (no forward movement), or fleeing (hiding from the real problem).
The clock is ticking.
Whatever is causing you to feel anxious cannot be put toward the back of your mind. Time is not on your side. The more time you spend anticipating, the more pressure and stress builds up. The sooner you take stress off your plate, the sooner you will experience less stress in your life. Anxiety pops up for a reason. It is there to remind us what matters to us. If it didn’t matter, then we wouldn’t think about it so much. This pressure can come in the form of having to tell someone a hard truth, a job change, having a baby, safety concerns regarding our children and/or loved ones, etc.
What can we do differently?
As scary as it might be on the front line, that’s where the fighting is.
There are two characters you can choose to go to battle with. The Agent or the Double Agent.
Agent:
· Think = Act
· Focuses on the solution instead of the problem
· Fights on your behalf
Double Agent:
· Overthink = Not sure what to do
· Overwhelmed = too many what if’s so he becomes overstimulated and fails to act. Then he feeds you fake news & has you chasing your tail.
· Freezes & Flees
It is important to use that sense of urgency that anxiety creates to your advantage. As soon as you think of what you need to do and you know it’s the right thing to do, do it as promptly as you can. Change can be very hard, so I suggest you start by practicing this with smaller matters.
As an example, you can start by implementing this when choosing where you want to eat. If it’s between two options, then go with the restaurant you thought of first. Deciding what movie to watch would work as well – watch the movie you thought of first. This will help build your confidence and trust in your ability to make decisions. My colleague, Ryan, shared with me that he likes to help people create priority lists. It could look something like this:
Priority List
Do laundry
Cut the grass
Hang out with a friend
Don’t allow priority two or three to jump the line. Doing laundry and cutting the grass need to get done first before hanging out with your friend. At the end of the day when all the variables are uncertain to you, you become the fixed point of certainty. Check the facts and follow where the evidence points. Start playing the “What is” game. What do you know to be true about yourself? That when you have fallen down in the past you have gotten back up and learned how to do difficult things.
You are still here. You are a survivor. You can do this.
Exciting News!
Due to high demand, we’re exploring the idea of bringing back our Sporting Clay Tournament! 🎯
If you’re interested in participating or supporting this event, we’d love to hear from you. Your feedback will help us make this event a success—thank you for your continued support!
🎅 Thank you to everyone who made Peace Partnership’s 5th Annual Christmas Raffle a tremendous success! 🎉
With over 240 tickets sold, we raised an incredible $15,500 in net profit to help more children, individuals, and families access the support they need. 💖
We’re deeply grateful to everyone who contributed—whether by donating fantastic prizes, purchasing raffle tickets, or sharing our cause with others. Your generosity and enthusiasm make a real difference.
A huge congratulations to all the lucky winners of this year’s amazing prizes! 🏆
Every ticket purchased helps us continue our mission of providing free and affordable counseling to families in need. Thank you for being part of this impactful journey! 💝
🎁 🎄 🎁 🎄 🎁 🎄
Thank you to Sonshine Sports Apparel, Reformation Painting, Brody's Dry Professional Carpet Cleaning, Nancy Wade, Carolyn Eldridge, Jill Getman, Angi Rigot, Steve Russell, Jacob Schweizer, John & Kimberly Shrader, Andre & Rose Fantasma, Anne Rauth, Doug Davenport, August Huber, Genesis Counseling, Kris Lowry, Phil Thomas, Dorsey Embrey, Joel & Ruthie Morris, Jacob Sanders, Andrew & Kari Mills, Randy Huber, Greg & Charlotte Shireman, Lee & Debbie Miller, Emily McNamara, Kelby Schroeder, Keith Dorrian, Tony Niehaus, Joe Huber, Tracy & Michelle Sloan, Hilary Tichota, Vision Church, Michelle Gibler, David & Holly Fox, Kevin Davis, Shawn Luchtel, Duane & Lisa Smith, Briana Collins, Rachel Tovey, Jay & Ronnee Schweizer, Denise Israel, Candice Berry, Alicia Arreguin, Lisa Wilson, Anonymous, Matthew Mills, Lakeshore Wealth Management, Shelley McCoskey, GenPower Electric, Will Roderick, DNA Homes, Sabrina Allen, Rex Worboys, Alanna Green, John & Vicki Hefner, Lisa Goble, Phillip Tanner, Tony Tubbs, and Seth Reising for your recent Christmas Raffle ticket purchases. Thank you for your generosity—your support truly changes lives!
As we close the chapter on 2024, we reflect with gratitude on a year filled with blessings. To everyone who has faithfully supported our mission of providing counseling to families in need—thank you! Your generosity empowers us to support more children in need, provide guidance to those battling anxiety, and strengthen relationships during times of conflict. We are deeply thankful for each of our December partners:
A heartfelt thank-you to Charles & Arletta McCrary for your annual gift. Your friendship, volunteer hours, and prayers are invaluable to our mission and mean so much to us.
We are sincerely grateful to Tracy & Michelle Sloan for your recent gift. Your support helps us provide essential care to children who might otherwise go without. Your generosity is a true blessing.
To our incredible year-end donors: Stuart & Janis Thompson, Mike & Carol Jackson, Greg & Teri Roy, Erin Dunn, Michael & Julie Hirons, High Street Baptist Church, Zarda Foods, Brent & Peggy Heid, Christin DeMoss, Dan Ripley State Farm Insurance Companies, Tom & Natalie Goe, Kyle & Tiffney Hoffman, Jondy & Heather Britton, and Mitch & Jenn Rappard—thank you for believing in our mission and helping us close 2024 on such a high note.
With heartfelt appreciation, we recognize the overwhelming generosity of Jeremiah 924, whose support has been a true testament to the spirit of giving. Your contributions have made a lasting impact on our mission and the lives we serve.
To all of our faithful monthly and recurring supporters — THANK YOU from our Peace Partnership team! – Stone AMP SEO, Jeff & Lacey Cherry, Zane & Melissa Morerod, Mark McDonald, Especially Jewelry, Jondy & Heather Britton, Matt & Kristy Newton, Mark & Cathy McGaughey, Greg & Jennifer Spears, Roger & Jennifer Madsen, Metcalf Auto Plaza, Mike & Jan McGraw, Willie & Adia Valdes, Shelly Schuman, Mike & Carol Jackson, Blue Springs Christian Church, Linda Hartman, Dave & Rosie Bourland, Clean Heart Maids, Rudy & Stacy Blahnik, Mike & Tracy Pruitt, Mike & Sandra King, Clayton & Pam Wooldridge, Dan & Gigi Rippee, Andre & Rose Fantasma, Kevin Quinn, Genesis Counseling, Scott & Lydia Hurley, Jon & Naomi Thompson, John Otradovec, Lance & Mandi Pollard, Larry Curtis, Tamara Stroud, Rick & Kathy Daulton, Aaron Linn, Joel & Ruthie Morris, Church at Coffee Creek, John & Vicki Hefner, Jenny Glasgow, Denise Israel, Phil & Jo Rydman, Teddy Koehler, Brandon & Vanessa Blanchard, Summit Springs Church, Jason & Val Schram, and Rick & Jan Britton.
We appreciate each and every one of you!
Would you like to grab coffee or a meal to hear more about our work in the community? Contact Naomi Thompson, our Director of Development, at: 816.272.0653 or naomi@peacecounseling.org. We want to get to know you and personally thank you for supporting our mission. To make a donation through our website, please click on the link below.
Have you or someone you know been helped by Peace Partnership or Genesis Counseling? If so, would you please consider paying it forward to help another find healing along their journey? We are asking anyone who is not currently partnering with us financially to consider donating $100/year for the next 3 years to help make a difference in someone else’s life. Collectively, we can help SO MANY PEOPLE! Please consider a gift today. Call the office for help getting your gift set up or choose a recurring donation on our website here. We are so grateful for your help changing lives!
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