Anxiety Elephants by Caris Snider

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The silent struggle. You never know when it will hit. It is lurking in the bushes waiting patiently for the most opportune time to attack. No one else can see this attack when it is launched, but you can feel the pain from the force it brings.

Your palms begin to sweat.

Your heart rate escalates to a rhythm you never knew existed.

Fear has paralyzed your body from moving one tiny inch.

Breathing is labored and shallow at each pounding blow.

Anxiety

Anxiety is at an all-time high in our world today. An estimated 264 million adults, ages 18 and up, are battling some form of this mental struggle. It is no respecter of person. Socioeconomic background doesn’t matter, and growing up with both parents is not a factor, nor being popular or isolated.

Anxiety Elephants, as I like to call them, will come after whomever they please. I know this because they came after me.

I was a stay-at-home mom, running a successful business and leading songs of worship with my husband at our local church when the Anxiety Elephants attacked my life.

This name, Anxiety Elephants, is the best way I can describe the feeling of an anxiety attack to someone who has not ever experienced this nightmare. Close your eyes, push down on your chest as hard as you can while holding your breath, and make every muscle in your body tense.

Picture elephants jumping up and down on you with all their might.

Imagine this feeling coming over your body unexpectedly.

This is the feeling of anxiety so many experience but do not know how to explain because it is unseen to everyone around them. Sixty seconds of this feels like an eternity … all the while they are trying to smile and pretend as if everything is fine.

The Anxiety Elephants have shamed so many of us into hiding, and they make us believe we are alone in our war. I believe it’s time we change that narrative and break the chains of silence that have been wrapped around our throats.

It’s time we come out of hiding.

I wrote the Anxiety Elephants 31-day Devotional to help others come out of the dark cloud they have been under for so long. I know the heavy burden of that fog, but I also know the power of the light of hope that can break through it.

This devotional has scripture for each day, part of my story, an action step for you to take, and a place to journal the thoughts running through your mind.

This book was birthed from a place of experience with Anxiety Elephants and triumph over them.

Hope

You can find hope through the pages of this devotional. I will be honest with you and tell you that I still have moments of attack with Anxiety Elephants. They do not come as often, and they are not as severe. Once I stopped living in silence and got help, my life began to change.

Maybe you are reading this and you are ready to get help … and hope. I want to offer you a few things that helped me that I also share in the book:

– 1 –

I spoke with my doctor.

She talked with me and began to help me to see that the anxiety (and the depression I also was dealing with) was a real medical issue. She helped me to see that if I were suffering from asthma, heart disease, diabetes, or any other health-related issue, I would need medication or whatever help was required to better my health. It took me some time, but we did find the right medication for me, which helped to bring balance back into my brain and hormones.

– 2 –

I began to see a counselor.

God put a wonderful counselor in my life in a way that only He could. She listened to me. She didn’t judge me. She let me cry and feel every emotion that I needed to feel. She gave me an open door to find the healing that I needed in order to deal with issues I had pushed down for many years. By sharing these hidden things with her, it was taking away the Anxiety Elephants’ ammunition to take me out.

– 3 –

I started journaling.

So, what is that? All you need is a notebook and a pen. This does not require any technology skills. Write down anxious thoughts coming in your head as fast as you can. Some will be ugly and scary, but read them out loud, as hard as that may be. This helps you to see that the nightmares in your head are not your reality.

Tear this page out and throw it away, and then replace the darkness in your mind with life-giving words. Find Bible verses that speak directly to your situation and your anxiety. Google scripture on anxiety, and you will be amazed at how many will come up.

Write down things you are thankful for, being as specific as possible. In doing so, you begin to change what you are thinking and focusing on, which allows you to shift your perspective.

– 4 –

I started talking about my Anxiety Elephants and helping others.

I know that feels opposite of what you want to do in those moments, but it’s the right thing to do.

When you begin to share your story, it changes the narrative on anxiety.

When you start helping others, it stops you from looking so far inward into that dark place, and you begin to look outward and see you aren’t alone. As you start helping others, peace comes in and you can breathe deeper.

– 5 –

The most important thing I did was to turn to my faith in Jesus Christ.

He reminded me that He had not left me or forsaken me. He reminded me that I was worth the help that I needed to receive. My faith kept hope alive inside me … at times, it was only a glimmer of hope, but that glimmer of hope is greater than any darkness that is out there.

He loves you too, friend, and wants you to get the help you need to begin thriving in your life the way He intended.

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Anxiety Elephants 31-Day Devotional

Anxiety Elephants 31-Day Devotional will go LIVE on Tuesday, December 17th, but the eBook is available now! You can purchase this book for you or as a gift for someone else on Amazon: Anxiety Elephants 31-Day Devotional by Caris Snider.

Please, share your thoughts and questions in the comment section below or fill out the contact form. We want to hear from you, friend!