DEALING WITH PANIC

Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you (I Peter 5:7).

These days it is easy to panic.  With the financial situation being what it is, many are losing their retirement savings at a time when they are old and not able to work.  Unemployment is much higher than the government reports so many are in very difficult situations.  I could go on and on, but my point is that many people find themselves in situations beyond their control and that is one of the factors that leads to panic.  (Panic Attacks Can They Be Stopped? ; John C. Thomas, Christian Counseling Today; Vol. 16 no. 2).

Another factor that leads to panic is simply genetic disposition; it's just in the genes.  Dr. Thomas, mentions it in his article.  A quick internet search seems to verify it.  In studies of identical twins, forty percent of the time if one twin develops panic disorder, the other will develop it in short order (about.com).  Genetic disposition is a cornerstone of Dr. Murray Bowen's family evaluation, too.  He believed that anxiety is genetically transmitted.  There is a theory among medical researchers that an imbalance of neurotransmitters, serotonin, norepinepherine and gammaminobutyric acid, play a large role in this.

So what is one to do?  It seems hopeless.  1. Read the Bible, pray, meditate, fellowship with healthy Christian people and do not neglect worship. 

2.  Do not allow yourself to be shamed because you have panic attacks--God still loves you.  A number of pastors have called anxiety and panic sins because if one trusts the Lord enough there is no room for anxiety.  What is important to remember here is that God is here in the time of panic and he still cares for us.

3.  One of the strategies for dealing with panic is to embrace it. I have read from several different sources about this technique:  When in the midst of an attack, actually speak to it saying, "Is this all you've got?  Give me some more!  Because of Jesus I can take all that you can give me!"  One of the factors that give panic attacks their power is the fear of having another one.  If that fear is taken away then the number of incidents will dramatically decrease. 

4.  As always, diet and exercise are factors too, eating and drinking nutritiously, staying fit and getting adequate rest.

5. Though this might be a bit repetitious, enjoy God, He cares for you!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom