Anxiety: Future Paced Fear

Anxiety is defined as future paced fear.

When I first heard that definition I breathed a sigh of relief because “I don’t have fear of the future”. I only have an unsettled feeling in the present.

My first thought was only about specific events. Such as a person who has stage fright. That’s easy to identify as future-paced fear because they are afraid of the stage they have to go on shortly.

Now I think I was wrong about myself. I think future paced fear goes way deeper than just those seemingly superficial specific events we are fearful of in the future.

I have really pondered the idea of future based fear in my own life and in the lives of others.

And I do have fear in the future: What if I’m stuck with my current life forever? What if Cael hates me as an adult? What if I can’t live the life I want in 10 years? And the list goes on and on and on and on.

But God says to give Him your future paced fear.
casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 

I always heard this in the past and it made me feel helpless. So I have to do nothing? That makes me more afraid.

However lately I have felt the Lord nudging me in the direction of taking action while trusting Him with the future. I am working on letting go of all attachments to the results, but maintaining the actions.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22

This concept of taking action without worrying about the results is weaved all throughout the Bible.

Jesus tells His disciples to spread the Good News, but if a town doesn’t want to hear it what are they to do? Worry? Be upset? Fuss? Sit in a corner and cry? NO! They are to dust off their feet and KEEP GOING.

and let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Yes anxiety can be made worse by physical conditions (toxins, nutrient deficiency, parasites), but the root of it is fear of the future.

The response to this fear is fight or flight or freeze. I find that I personally flow around these three states when in a moment (or season) of stress. 

If your anxiety drives progress then you are probably in a state of fight.

If it makes you want to run away and hide then it's flight.

If you just feel stuck then it's likely a  freeze response.

So, anxiety is impacting my life. What can I do?

1. Turn off your phone/social media/the news. Humans aren’t meant to know the business of millions of people. We have unprecedented access to the lives of others and the happenings around the world. And while you might not think it matters in your life because you’re not up at 3am worrying about something that’s happening across the world or about your cousin’s friend’s niece that you heard was sick with cancer on Facebook yesterday our subconscious takes all that in as evidence to support your fears. Wait to turn on your phone in the morning until you’ve had breakfast and/or turn it off an hour before bed.

1. Get clear on what you fear about the future. I wouldn’t go making a full list of all 100,000 what if scenarios you have ever thought of, but I would nail down the 2-3 heavy hitters. Give them to the Lord (here’s a journal that gets you space for just that: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1V9913V?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860), make a list of actions you can do to help move the situation in your favor, then take the actions.

My example of this is I was afraid to get old and broke down. So, I made a plan: Exercise 4-5 times a week, sleep at least 7 hours a night, and not eat gluten, eggs, or vegetable oil. Now I know I am doing my part and I can change the plan at any time, but I know I am taking action in the right direction. Could I still be bedridden at some point? Absolutely, but that part is up to God. I’m not gonna put myself there with my daily lifestyle choices. 

1. Reduce or mitigate EMFs. Turning off your phone not only reduces inputs of emotional stress into your life it also helps reduce physical stress from Electromagnetic fields. EMFs are signals that phones, towers, wifi, and other electronics use to work. Turning phones and wifi off at night can be very helpful. You can also mitigate the effects with products like the somevedic or lifetune.

2. Support your body with nutrients. Eat the rainbow. Drink bone broth if you can. Eat liver (or take it in pill form like I usually do). Use magnesium lotion or Epsom salt baths. Add high quality sea salt (like Real Salt) to your food and water. Take a high quality real food vitamin C supplement like PaleoValley.

1. Figure out your triggers (messy house that I can’t find my stuff in is a huge one for me) and work to reduce them as much as possible (if it’s reasonable and needs doing anyway like mine). Control your environment the best you can. Definitely not always possible, but having to deal with situations that trigger future fear 50% of the time is way better than 100% of the time.

1. Give yourself some white space to just be a human. This is something I never appreciated in the BC (before children) times. As moms we are often on someone else’s schedule all day and often all night. When your spouse is with your kids or they are asleep is a good time to just give yourself space to think your thoughts and pursue your interests (I’m writing this in the quiet of 8:30pm on a Saturday night). I know it can be tempting to use that time to catch up on mommy to-dos or to veg out with the TV or social media, but I would ask yourself if those things are really helping you destress and take action against your fears.

1. Pay attention to when your anxiety is worse. Is it worse around your period? Check into your drainage pathways (lymph, liver, and colon) and nutrient level (shoot me an email if you would like to do a scan to get a peek into what is stressing your body). Is your anxiety worse around the full moon? Check into parasites. Is it better outside? Think about mold and toxics in your inside air.

Is it really bad at work? Are you aligned with your work? Are you exposed to tons of EMFs and/or toxins at your job? All things to consider on take action against.

1. Exercise. Humans are made to move. Even just a 10 minutes walk and boost endorphins to reduce anxiety, boost mood, and increase mental clarity.

1. Eat plenty of good fats. Our brains and bodies NEED healthy fats from avocados, coconuts, fish, fish oils, olive oil,  grass fed beef, and grass fed dairy products. When the body has what it needs that reduces a stressor on the body. Less stressors mean less stress overall. 

2. Have calming phrases you say to yourself when you feel that fear creeping in. This can be a Bible verse or another phrase. “I have everything I need in this moment” “The Lord is working in this moment” “What can I control in this situation?” “What actions can I take to improve the situation” “Is what I am concerned about a real possibility. If yes, then what can I do about it?”

Anxiety can be a symptom of many imbalances in the mind, body, and soul. It should be handled with prayer, action, and lifestyle changes based on your unique situation. This blog shares what I have learned in my own research and experience. Informational purposes only. This is not medical advice. Consult a doctor for medical advice.