Hey y’all happy summer!! We are already through the month of June which is CRAZY! I don’t know about you, but these last few months have been a roller coaster of events and emotions- as is every summer!

I know you probably want to get back to the pool or to your vacation, but I promise you’ll want to hear this.

Anxiety… Anxiety is ruthless. Anxiety is debilitating. Anxiety can ruin your life. Anxiety takes away who you are. Anxiety is a battle. But guess what.. anxiety is a battle that can be won!
Anxiety is something I have dealt with my entire life and I have had times where it hits me like a truck and turns my life upside down and times where I can swerve out of the way and miss it. I have battled the feelings of shame and embarrassment because I have anxiety.

However, I found over the years that most, yes, MOST people I talk to have anxiety or have experienced it one time or another. In fact, I took a poll on instagram to see how many of my followers have experienced anxiety before, and the results blew me away. 87% of people that responded said that they have anxiety or have experienced it before. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! I don’t know about you but that is a very validating feeling; to know that you are NOT alone when it comes to the struggle of anxiety.

At the beginning of June, I experienced a severe anxiety attack, to the point that I had to go to the hospital and get medicine that would help calm me down. This anxiety attack came out of the blue and I was so confused as to why it was happening. Over the course of a week, I lost 15lbs, my relationship was in trouble, and I was losing myself very fast. I knew that at this point I needed more than just desperate prayer; I needed professional counsel. I flew home to Colorado and met with my counselor and pastor, both amazing Godly role models in my life.
**Side note- when seeking professional help, it is important that you seek people that are believers, as their advice comes directly from the Lord, and His advice is the BEST!

After meeting with my counselor and pastor I learned so many amazing things about myself, the way I think, why I think that way, and that I was going to be okay.

I wanted to share a few of the things I learned with y’all in hopes that those of you stuck in the whirlwind of anxiety can find some relief!

1. Anxiety revolves around your thoughts, and YOU have control of your thoughts.When you are in what my pastor called “the tornado” of these anxiety provoking thoughts, you feel totally out of control. However, there are ways to stop your brain from getting stuck in the tornado by paying attention to the thoughts developing in your brain. When we pay attention to our thoughts before they take over, we are able to filter out the negative ones and only allow for our minds to have healthy thoughts floating around.
   Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”
   How you think is who you are going to be, so think positive my friends. Trust me, easier said than done.

2. When you feel a dangerous or anxiety provoking thought start to creep in, you can put into place the 3 C’s- Catch Check ChangeYou CATCH the negative thought and stop it. Then you CHECK why that thought started to creep in and where it came from. Finally, CHANGE the thought and find the truth and send it on its way.
3. Focus on the truth and not the lies.Our brains harbor these lies that we believe that lead us to anxiety. For example; I thought that because I wanted some me time in my relationship, that meant that my relationship was doomed and that something needed to change. The truth was: it is SO normal to need time to yourself in a relationship in order to remain healthy in who you are as an individual and that it was okay that I was feeling this way.
   These lies that we let ourselves believe, come straight from the devil, and y’all we have got to stop that! We need to focus on what God says is true and leave it at that.

   We do not attract the life that we want, but rather that which we are. The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors -Dr. Rob Carman
   

4. Desperately praying is not always the solutionWhen I was in the pit of my anxiety attack and the recovery, all I did was pray. I thought, if I just pray all day every day, then the Lord will bring me out of this pit and it’ll be okay. My pastor said to me, “Hannah, do you feel like you are simply just praying in circles at this point and nothing is happening?” He hit the nail on the head.
   Sometimes, the Lord can speak to us better when we seek Him in other ways. Meeting with professional counsel, your pastor, God-seeking friends, & journaling. The whole point of fighting against our anxiety is GETTING OUT OF OUR HEADS! So get out of your head and find God in His people and/or get your thoughts onto paper.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.I am someone who does not like letting people know that I’m struggling and asking for help! Oh man, forget asking for help, not happening.
   Well, news flash. Time for all of us to swallow our pride and ask the people that we care about and that care about us for help. We cannot do this life on our own, and that is why the Lord has placed certain people in our lives; for when we need them in times of need. It is OKAY to ask for help and lemme tell ya, it sure is beneficial.

Y’all, if anyone knows what you are going through it is me, and trust me, it is possible to conquer this beast and take back control of your life! It is not easy, however it is possible. Hang in there and know that you are going to be okay, you can fight it, and you are no less loved than those around you.

“People with their minds set on YOU, you keep completely whole, steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don’t quit. Depend on God and keep at it because the Lord God you have a sure thing” -Isaiah 26:3

God’s Timing Is Everything

Hey y’all! Sorry it has been a little while! As you all know life is crazy and gets in the way of things we wish we had more time for. A lot has happened while I’ve been out however. I quit my serving job and got hired as a kickboxing instructor, I finished my junior year of college (senior year here we come!) and I fell in love. All of these things were things I had anticipated happening for awhile but had to wait until the timing was right because, Timing Is Everything; GOD’S timing is everything.

The new job and the end of my school year have been great life changes, however I wanna talk about this whole falling in love thing!

Soo his name is Benjamin and he is my dream guy; the guy I prayed for, for my entire life! Our relationship was a long time coming however and it took a lot of waiting until the Lord knew we were both ready to come in to each other’s lives. Ben and I talked briefly over social media about a year and a half ago and then fizzled and we went on with our separate lives. Little did we know, both our best friends were gonna cross paths and fall in love a year later lead to Ben & I meeting in person.

It took about a month of us being friends and getting to know each other (without acknowledging the fact that we had ever talked over Instagram in the past LOL) before we realized that there was something special between us. Our friends all saw it before we did, but when we did, the rest was history. On January 18th Ben and I decided that it was time we gave him & I a shot. We have become each others best friends, biggest supporters, and greatest source of love with the Lord at the center.

We reminisce on the year before we knew each other and wonder why it wasn’t our time then. As we constantly remind ourselves, the Lord had a perfect plan in mind and knew exactly the right time for us to come together.

For the longest time I wondered why I was single, why nothing was working out, why I couldn’t find a guy that loved the Lord, why I didn’t feel like being with anyone and prayed everyday that the Lord would give me peace about being single or help me find the man of my dreams.

Timing in life doesn’t just take place when it comes to relationships; there is right timing and waiting when it comes to jobs, finding the right house, starting a family, going on your dream vacation, etc..

Lemme tell ya something, none of those things are going to happen until the timing is right and you will be so glad they happen when they do instead of when you thought you wanted it to happen. I constantly had to remind myself that I didn’t want to get into a relationship, get a new job, find a new place to live until the Lord decided I was ready. When we try to plan our own lives and decide when we want our ‘wants’ to happen, our lives start to crumble and go down a very bumpy path.

Waiting and being patient is SO hard; one of the hardest things in life to do, especially when you want something to happen. BUT, the reward at the end of the waiting is beyond worth it. The Lord does not make us wait to let us down. He has us wait to show us, right at the perfect time, the life He is able to give us when we live on His terms.

Take a look back at your life and reminisce on some times that you haven’t waited on the Lord’s timing and simply tried to take your life into your own hands. Look at how those situations may have ended up and where you’re at now. Now find a time when you were patient and waited on the Lord’s timing and look at the beauty that has taken place in that situation.

We have all done it without God, now let’s do it solely with God.

“ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”

Jeremiah 29:11

“ In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

Proverbs 16:9

Welcome back y’all!

It has been a crazy busy week and I am feeling overwhelmed with exhaustion and a lack of energy. Anyone else?

I tend to forget the importance of making time for true & genuine rest and it lets life catch up to me so fast. In my room, I have a wall tapestry that says, “Be Still”, and each day I ask myself how I can not only just be still, but how I can be still in the presence of the Lord?

When we are longing for rest, I think the most common go-to is to lay in bed or on the couch and watch TV, play on our phone, talk to our best friend or listen to music. There is nothing wrong with those things, however it is important that we learn how to be totally and completely still without distraction.

So, what does it mean to “Be Still”?

I believe that the way to be fully still is to find somewhere comfortable and quiet (i.e. your room, outside, a coffee shop) where you are able to sit without talking to someone or feeling the need to do something. To Be Still is just how it sounds; being totally and completely still. When I feel the need for rest, I make myself lay down and do NOTHING.

My friend and I were sitting outside on our college campus today and we both realized how much more present we are and aware of our surroundings we are when we force ourselves to just sit and take in what’s happening around us. No phones, no conversation, no movement.

Now, what does it mean to “Be Still” in the presence of the Lord?

I believe that the way to obtain complete rest and revival is through the Lord. But, spoiler alert, the Lord cannot work in us if we are preoccupied and not able to be present. Next time you lay down in need of rest, ask the Lord to be present with you, to calm your mind, and to speak to your heart. He is there and ready to pour into you and give you rest as soon as you let Him.

I am in no way perfect at doing this and it is so hard to make yourself be still. But learning from the times I have been able to be still and present, I have learned how fulfilling it is and that the Lord works wonders when you let Him.

Pray this Prayer of Rest with me:

Dear Lord (Aba, Father, God, Sup Dude, Yo, etc..),

You are a loving, healing, rest-giving god who loves me so well. Thank You for this life I live and for the many blessings I experience every day. I lie here in complete exhaustion in need of rest and energy Lord. I ask that You quiet my mind, soul, and body so that I can receive Your love right now. I ask that I can quiet all the voices of this world and open my ears to what You want to say to me. I know that I may only receive rest through you, so I ask that You rejuvenate me so that I can fully live this life You have given me.

I love You,

Amen

Hey y’all!

**Heads up, y’all is one of my favorite words and no I’m not from the south… hehe

Yay this is my first full blog post! I have been meaning to start this blog for five-ever and I finally stopped procrastinating and here we are! I don’t know about you, but when I do something, think something, or am going through something I tend to feed myself this lie that I am the only person on the planet that thinks that way.

Spoiler alert!! 99.99999% of the time you are not the only one thinking, saying, feeling a certain way and lemme tell ya, that is the most comforting thing to know; you’re not alone.

In the church that I grew up in, one of our main catch phrases was ‘Me Too’. It soon became a slogan on t-shirts and was seen all over the church and eventually the surrounding community. ‘Me Too’ signifies that you are NOT alone and that chances are, the person next to you is experiencing the same or similar thing you are. If we can learn to speak the truth about what we are feeling inside, it opens a door for connection with people around us. Connecting with those around us gives us the opportunity to heal our own wounds as well as helping those around us heal as well. How neat is that!?

That being said, if you are experiencing something that no one around you is experiencing as well, there is NOTHING wrong with that. It is important to be your own person going through your own things. If you feel that you are alone in your thoughts and actions, I challenge you to still speak them out loud to someone close to you. If they aren’t able to share in those thoughts, sharing your inner truth gives them the opportunity to know you better, and better yet, gives the Lord the chance to work in you through them!!

Next time you feel alone in a thought or action, turn to a friend and/or don’t be afraid to reach out to someone new, and see if you guys can have a ‘Me Too’ moment. They rock!