Combating Anxiety with the Power of Intentional Moments

I’m thrilled to share the wise words of my friend Nichole Suvar with you today! Nichole and I met in the world of online writers, and every time I read her words, they touch my heart deeply. Today, I’m honored to share a post from Nichole about combating anxiety with the power of small, intentional moments.

Nichole recently released a new book called Numbering Our Days, and this book is helping me slow down, consider my thoughts, and make the most of my moments in light of eternity. It’s exactly what I needed in this season.

This wonderful book contains 49 short devotions challenging us to overcome anxiety and embrace intention by discerning between the temporal and eternal and refocusing our attention on the Lord. At the end of each devotion, Nichole offers the following three challenges:

1. Recognize the temporal.

2. Reconnect to the eternal.

3. Refocus your intention.

Who doesn’t need this at the start of every day?

I’m loving this book! (I’m linking to it at the end of today’s post)

And now, here’s a short devotion from Nichole!

A Lesson From Moses in Psalm 90

For the past 3 decades, I have struggled with anxiety.

It wasn’t until just a few years ago that I finally received a diagnosis and could tackle the disorder head-on. It would be great to say that having a diagnosis and getting treatment cured my anxiety – that I never worried about another thing again. But, I have come to believe that this is like the thorn that Paul was talking about in 2 Corinthians – this is what keeps me coming back to Jesus.

Every morning, I want to pick all these cares back up, worry about the outcomes, and do all the hard work to make them what I think they are supposed to be. But every morning, I have to give them back over to Him. So, in a full-circle kind of way, anxiety brings me closer to Jesus. Just like a recovering alcoholic will always be tempted to go back to drink, the recovering anxious will always be tempted to pick it all back up and take it on themselves. Even if you don’t have a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder, it’s likely that you can identify with this cycle of anxiety in some form or another.

From this daily relinquishing is born the process of living an intentional life.

We can be intentional with laying down our anxiety, and when we do, we can thrive. If being intentional in this area is a good thing, what other areas of our lives can we be more intentional with?

In my latest book, Numbering Our Days: Combating Anxiety in the Power of Small Intentional Moments, I address the issue of anxiety and the role it plays in our lives. There are 49 devotions of daily reading intended to provoke thought. Each anecdote is meant to give you a jumping-off point to what you can do in your own life in order to live with intention. It will start as a conscious decision, a day-to-day choice to be intentional. But as you get more in the habit of choosing daily intentions, it can become a part of your life.

Continue reading more from Nichole right here, or go ahead and check out her book right here!