“Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27, NIV)
I recently had our athletic department’s sport psychologist speak with our women’s golf team. Given the pandemic, he chose to speak with them about mental health, and anxiety in particular.
He talked about what anxiety means (worry or feeling of uneasiness) and what a panic attack (sudden feeling of acute and disabling anxiety) is. When he asked how many of them had experienced even the slightest of symptoms that come with a panic attack, all hands raised. Next, he asked what symptoms they experienced; shaky hands and shortness of breath were commonly said. Then he asked, “How many times have you lost consciousness from being nervous?” Followed by, “I know this is silly, but how many times have you died?” The answers were zero and zero. He made note that unless you have some underlying health conditions, it is extremely unlikely that death or loss of consciousness will occur from anxiety or even a panic attack.
What did he suggest? Try and create the feelings of anxiety while practicing—don’t run away from the feelings but try and simulate them when training. We can acknowledge what we are feeling, have others tell us everything is going to be OK, breathe, or meditate. But we can play with what we are experiencing and do so at a high level.
I can still remember reading Kimberly Kim’s interview after she became the youngest winner of the US Women’s Amateur at 14. She said that her hands were shaking on every shot and she could not line up the ball on the tee, making it hard to hold the club.
It is not as if we blindly pray, as we know we are speaking to the Creator of the universe, the Almighty.Our pre-frontal cortex knows life or death is not in the balance, but that little amygdala has flipped the lid and logical thinking goes out the window at times. What can we do?
One of my favorite things is when science confirms what God had designed from the very beginning. Take Sabbath, for example. In recent years, all sorts of scientific studies have shown a person is healthier when they take one day off a week from work. As a Christ follower, I smile and think that is the way God made us!
Back to the question of what we can do when we worry. Lately, I’ve been reading how scientists are seeing positive effects on those who pray. Again, we are instructed to pray as Jesus, our example, did. It is not as if we blindly pray, as we know we are speaking to the Creator of the universe, the Almighty. I could argue that the present pandemic is as much, if not more, spiritual than physical.
My assurance today is that, despite the fall and the real anxiety that we feel, God’s word is still true: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). We can always pray for the peace we need.
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Aimee Neff
July 23, 2020
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.