A 12 Step Program for Worriers

I was on the phone with my mamma.....the conversation follows along these lines:

Mamma opens with her usual, "How are you?"

I respond, "I am worrying about all sorts of things.'

She replies, "You do that a lot."

Me, "Yep.  If there were awards in worrying, I might win something."

I worry.  I think it's a part of me.  I am not sure.  I've been told when I worry it's because I don't have enough faith (I don't think that's it).  I've been told when I worry, it's because I don't trust  God enough (I don't think that's it, but there could be some kernel of truth to this).  I've been told when I worry that I don't know how to have fun and live in the moment (this can be true at times).  I've also been told that when I worry it's because I am a control freak (this is probably 100% true).

I've always worried.  I come from a long line of worriers.  I think it's a part of how God made me, but it does make me pause.  I know worry contributes to my stress life, which isn't good, but worry also makes me very organized, usually prepared with a plan, and ready to take on any scenario that's thrown at me.

But I confess that worry sometimes gets the better part of me.  Much like it gets to the better part of many people.  Worry is the part of us that wants to be able to control every eventuality, when that is simply impossible.

Worry can be an addiction, which led me to think about the 12 Step Program of Alcoholics Anonymous .  I am not sure anyone does addiction support better than AA.  At a minimum, it is the most worldly know support system for alcoholics and their families.  Which led me to take a deeper look at their 12 Step Program (Alcoholics Anonymous, 1981).  I think the 12 Step Program applies to many aspects of life and the things we struggle with each day.  As a world champion worrier, I took the 12 Step Program and applied it to my worries.  I share it with you so that you too, can have a path towards managing your worry when it spins out of control:

1. We admit we are powerless to worry--our lives feel out of control.
   
2. We need to believe that a Power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity.
   
3. We need to make a decision to turn our worry and lives over to the care of God.
   
4. We need to search inside of ourselves to understand what makes us worry. 
   
5. We need to admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the nature of our worry.
   
6. We need to be ready to release our worry to God.
   
7. We need to ask God to forgive us when we continue to worry. Sometimes, worry just happens.
   
8. We need to make a list of all those things we worry about, and put them away.
   
9. We need to ask forgiveness of those who are impacted by our worry. 
   
10. We need to be continually self-aware so that when worry starts to take control of our lives, we promptly redirect it.
    
11. We need to breathe, ground ourselves in the present through our five senses, and practice prayer and meditation to improve our relationship with God to help us with those things we worry. 
    
12. As we begin to master our worry, we will share these skills with others and continues to practice acts of prayer, breathe, presence, and meditation in all our affairs, putting the worry aside.
    
    If you worry like me, you'll continue to worry no matter what.  It's a constant process of identifying the worry, redirecting myself to the present, engaging my five senses to ground me, breathing through the moments when the worry takes control, and praying fiercely for God to be in control.  I visualize some days like a mountain climb...we go up the worry mountain, and then practice patterns of behavior that let us go back down to the valley of calm and peace.
    
    The good thing about worry, is that there are things you can do, much like any of our behaviors.  we just have to practice disciplines that support the change we seek.  I'll probably always worry, but at least now, I have ways of ensuring it doesn't drive me too crazy, and now you have 12 steps to help you too.
    
    ~~Anna
    

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things: Anna's Christmas Gift Guide

Well, if Oprah can do it, why can't I?  I decided to put together a list of my favorite things that may be good stocking stuffers for your loved ones, or even just a nice gift focused on health and wellness as we head towards the New Year.  NONE of these posts are sponsored.  My opinions are my own, but these truly are a few of my favorite things!


If you recall from my blog post, "The Crazy Things You Do When you Have Cancer" I have been on a mission to find healthy products that do not make me feel like I am giving myself cancer from the every day things I do in life.  Now, there are a ton of reasons why cancer happens, and no, I don't believe my face lotion is giving me cancer, BUT, I do believe in minimizing the body's exposure to chemicals.  The less stress you put on your body with toxins and chemicals, the better job it will do in fighting diseases.  Hence, I have no regret moving to healthier versions of my every day products.

First off, don't try to sell me your face care regimen.  For two years, I've used "Say Yes to Carrots" Daily Facial Scrub and Cerve`'s Daily Moisturizer.  I still get compliments that I do not look my 41 years, so I think I will stick with it.  I do wish Cerve` was slightly more organic, but it works great and it is affordable.   They also produce a day lotion with SPF that is great in the summertime if you are outside a lot. Did I mention affordable? I _might_ spend $20 bucks on these two products and they work.  Keep it simple: Cheap and it works?  Get it.

Finally, in this picture, is Native deodorant.  This all natural, no parabens, no sulfites, no weirdness deod is awesome.  Yes, I am telling you my deodorant on social media.  No, I am not embarrassed about it.  Well, at least not too embarrassed, because seriously, it has taken me TWO YEARS to find this stuff.  I have cycled through so many natural deodorants in a quest to find something that does not make me feel like I am absorbing chemical after chemical in my armpits and this is it. It works longer than a couple of hours, smells great, it does not itch, and it's healthy.  Amazing stuff.  It isn't cheap ($12), but it's worth it.

My next favorite item is mascara.  If you recall, I might have let a bit of crazy out in that blog post indicating a worry that my mascara might kill me.  All dramatics aside, in my healthy quest, I found Pacifica Organic Mineral based mascara.  This stuff is the bomb.  On the rare occasion I wear mascara, this stuff is it. (My apologies for the upside down picture, my computer is NOT being friendly today.) I like this stuff so much, I gave it to my niece for Christmas this year (I hope she isn't reading my blog right now).


Next, get your loved one a Fit Bit or other fitness device.  There is nothing more motivating towards a life of fitness than a tracker that tells you how far you've gone in your physical efforts in one day.  The app for the phone can let you track your workouts, steps, calorie intake, sleep and mood.  I cannot think of any other technical device I like better.  Pair it with Christ Walk: A 40 Day Spiritual Fitness Program and you are giving the gift of health and wellness.






The benefits of Green Tea are so well documented, I am not even going to get into it here.  You can look up the research yourself, but some studies indicate that two cups of green tea a day can help your body fight cancer itself.  I am not quite up to two cups a day, because at heart I am a coffee drinker (you can see my coffee pot in the background), BUT, the antioxidants in Green Team are super stars.  It took me FOREVER to find a Green Tea I liked, and here is the result. Tea Republic Honey Ginseng Green Tea.  Smooth, and well... green....this tea has hints of honey and goes down without me feeling like I am drinking tea made of twigs.  My goal each day is to replace a cup of coffee with a cup of tea.  So far, so good. Take that cancer cells!







Next up for consideration is to switch all your plasticware for glassware.  This was one of the first things I did when I got sick, and I have no regrets.  I have not figure out how to replace ALL the plastic in our house, but storing your food in glass versus plastic is a GREAT start.  Believe it or not, those plastics can degrade into your food which gets added to the toxic overload on your body.  It just is not worth it.  Plus, if you microwave food in plastic containers, it degrades the plastic further.  Why take a chance?  Switch to glassware.  The tops stay on great, and it's better for the environment.  The baby whales will thank you.

You may have seen me tweet or Instagram the next gift idea:  A subscription to FaithBox. FaithBox is a monthly subscription that includes a month worth of devotionals and several gifts from organizations that use their profits to support those in need.  For the last six months, FaithBox has sent items that support Haiti, Food Banks, Employment support, Human Trafficking, Child Abuse, Sexual Assault, African ministries and others.  The donations go to feed the poor, clothe the homeless, provide healthcare and shelter to those in need.  I cannot think of a better way to enjoy a little splurge each month than with something that not only builds me spiritually, but also helps others in the process.

Finally, no gift giving guide of mine would be complete without an appeal to give the gift of my own books!  We've got "Sally the Comet" for your youngsters seeking to explore space; "Christ Walk Kids" for those tweens and teens seeking spirituality in the every day; and "Christ Walk: A 40 Day Spiritual Fitness Program" for those seeking to combine spiritual and physical practice.  Give the gift of Health, and give one of my books to your loved ones as a gift!