Feeling Jittery? Here are Four Ideas to Calm Your Heart
My first day back from vacation, I felt unexpectedly nervous.
Like, jittery nervous.
My family is still away from home so I went to a local Starbucks to spend my first morning back at work. And for reasons I still do not understand, I felt anxiety swell in my heart.
I wish I knew why.
That day coincided with the first day for someone I hired; perhaps I was nervous about his onboarding process. Or maybe I was worried about what emails awaited me, what critical messages I had missed, how far behind I would be upon reentry.
I really don’t know.
When is the last time you felt jittery like this?
It’s not a fun place to be.
One thing I’m learning, though, is that I can spend a lot of time trying to identify the specific source of my anxiety, as if I could simply talk myself out of being nervous about a new hire or unread emails or whatever.
So what can we do in that moment of inexplicable nervousness?
Here are four ideas that helped me that day, and may help you the next time your anxiety is getting the best of you.
Acknowledge God’s presence and love
I sat in Starbucks, closed my eyes, and affirmed the reality that God is present with me, right now, amid the din of conversations and the thrash of blenders.
God is here. Right here.
And his presence is good, because he is love. He likes me, likes to be around me, is ever with me for my good, for my joy.
Deep breaths, sentence prayers, listening for the voice of Jesus reassuring me, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Write what you’re feeling
I’ve gotten into the habit of asking myself “What am I feeling?” instead of “How am I feeling?”
It’s a way for me to acknowledge the presence of many and sometimes conflicting emotions in my heart.
This doesn’t have to be a full journal entry. For me a simple bullet point list helps me sort out the chaos inside.
Write what you’re thankful for
This seems a pretty simple exercise, but I have to admit, when I’m anxious (or angry, or arrogant) I have a hard time coming up with anything.
So to help stir my gratitude, I’ll ask myself, “What do I have right now that I did not work for, that I did nothing to gain?”
It might be as simple as the wifi in Starbucks or Kimberly’s peach cobbler or the finale of Better Caul Saul (which was so good!). Or it might be the profound, life-changing gifts God has given to me.
Whatever it is, jot it down.
Write how you’re sensing God’s presence
This goes back to the first point above. I’ve thought about putting this earlier in my list, but I like making myself recall my sense of God’s presence and love, even if only a couple of minutes have passed.
How am I sensing God’s presence right now?
My answers might not make sense to anyone else. Sometimes they don’t even make sense to me.
So, for example, in answer to this question yesterday I wrote, “The still point at the center of this place.” Billy Collins’ poem about Grand Central Terminal must’ve inspired the thought.
But the very fact that God is here and that God has shared the knowledge of his presence with me is something I want to record.
These four ideas are not a cure-all. Anxiety still bubbled deep within. There is no pretty bow to tie at the end of this story.
But I was able to move forward—open my laptop, answer email, onboard a new hire, catch up on what’s going on—with my anxiety andin the presence of a God who loves me more than I believe.