Wave of Worry + Overcoming The Panic
Mike McGee
Mugsy - Director of Stores & Operations; The Post - Founding Member, Collegiate Swimmer
Quick story this week after a weird and reflection-filled day yesterday.?
Worrying has been a weakness of mine for years, mainly about things I can’t control. My worry lately has tended to lead to mind racing and anxious thoughts. Sometimes it’s a feeling that triggers this, a weird chest pain of sorts, while other times it’s a mindless thought that seems to trip me up for a period of time.
I started the day with a new habit: out of bed by 5:15 am and straight into some quiet time reading my Bible. Our infant woke up around 4 am, so we clocked in just over 6 hours of sleep. I threw back a good 16oz of coffee for some pre-workout fuel.
The workout for the day was a fun one: a morning run over the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston with the Dad Day Run Crew. Since hills in Charleston don’t exist (with the exception of this bridge), my quads were feeling it. Post-run the group hit up a coffee shop and for some reason, 16oz earlier wasn’t enough, so I threw back an espresso and a burrito before heading into the office…big mistake.
The caffeine cocktail, a harder than expected workout, and lack of sleep made for the perfect storm. Heading into the office I felt this very light yet annoying tighten in my chest, I felt my appetite all but disappear, and my mind was off to the races.
A hectic morning of quick meetings and a full inbox of emails only added to the flurry of thoughts going through my head. The distraction of the racing thoughts led to worry about what I was feeling, and from there the monkey mind spiral began.?
Talking about the tidal wave of these thoughts is both therapeutic and feels a little crazy. To the outside world, I probably seemed completely normal, if maybe only a little more quiet than usual. The whole episode lasted a little over an hour as I jumped in and out of meetings and emails while fending off thought after thought. But then I did something I’d never done before - I texted my wife and asked her to pray for me. I said I had a sudden overwhelming feeling and I needed some help shaking it. Boy did she deliver…
She immediately sent a reassuring text and a Bible verse that was just what I needed. I started to feel the pace of my mind slow.?
As I left the office later in the day, I realized I’d been out of my vitamin routine since right after the holidays. I swung into our local co-op and grabbed my go-to’s for when my thoughts seem to be out of wack:?
I threw them back and wrapped up the day in my home office. From that point on the day could not have been more different than that brief period, the waves seemed to dissipate.?
Whether it was the caffeine, lack of sleep, some bad mental habits, or just a weird 90 minutes of the day, it doesn’t really matter. What does matter are these two lessons:
领英推荐
Job 14:5NIV
“A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.”
Luke 12:22-23, 25?
“Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?”
God has a plan, he has determined our days for us, we cannot exceed the months he has in store for us.?
Jesus said multiple times “do not worry” - for who can prolong their life by spending time in worry, mind racing as if somehow that will add hours to our lives and solve our problems.?
My goal this year is to TRUST. Trust in what God has in store, not what I have planned. Sure I’ve got goals, Mugsy’s got some big ones and some fun ones in store. I have a few things I’d like to do as well, but the “goal setting” this year has been way more surrender and way less structure.?
Yesterday was a good test of that trust. I give it a C- . The vitamins are definitely an unlock, go watch a few videos on anxiety and magnesium/vitamin D. Sleep is a luxury with kids and a newborn, so I can’t really control that too much. Caffeine will definitely be limited. Prayer will definitely be increased and more frequent.?
I’ll end with this, another great passage that helps me with these one-off weird moments and find a way to trust in Him:
1 Peter 5:10
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have struggled a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
Game On!