"Anxiety's Like a Rocking Chair."

. . . "It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you very far." Jodi Picoult, Sing You Home

To anyone who has known me for a while, you know I'm an anxious person.  I've dealt with some level of anxiety from the time I was in high school. 

This morning, I attended a Relief Society women's meeting.  During the meeting, the speaker talked about what we should do when we are fearful or overwhelmed.  She talked about Mary and Martha in the New Testament.  Martha gets a bit of a bad rep for her words, but I think we are often like Martha. "But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me." We are invited to remember the Lord always, but we distract ourselves with to-do lists and sometimes complain that we feel alone in our struggle. The Savior told Martha: "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful."  It was a wonderful reminder to me that my worries are known and recognized by a loving Heavenly Father and that He asks me to remember to prioritize the gospel in my life.  The speaker went on to say that not only are our worries known, but that we can be supported through our worries by relying on the teachings of the gospel.  We all have moments when we feel like we are sinking, but if we let faith replace our fear, we will be able to keep going. Sometimes, part of that answer is getting extra help through therapy, counseling, and medication. Nobody should feel ashamed for needing this help, either. It's another blessing from our Heavenly Father to assist us in functioning at our potential so that we can serve others, too.