Stress.  It's a killer.  Millions of dollars have been made to help people deal with stress.  Stress not only freaks you out but it can really make you feel sick.  Now multiply that times 100 and you get anxiety.  Lots of people worry obsessively and rightfully so, especially in this economy.  How are we going to pay the bills? Am I going to lose my job? How am I going to put food on the table?  Will my house be repossessed?  Will I have to start riding my bike to work?  Is your heart rate up just thinking about these questions?  Yeah, mine is too.  But these are things you can identify and begin to problem solve.  The best way to get to a state where you are ready to deal with the issues you face is to stay in the Word and meditate. The best teacher of meditation was Jesus.  Find a quite spot, and focus on something peaceful...like feeling you are in the arms of Jesus.  It does take practice, just remember distractions will come. But in your mind, put those distractions on a cloud and brush it away.  I'll get more into this practice later.  Now back to anxiety.

Now multiply anxiety times 100 and you have a genuine anxiety disorder.  Mine is Generalized Anxiety Disorder.  This is a disorder where you cannot identify a trigger....or the thing that is worrying you.  You wake up with it, it stays with you all day, you come home with it, you go to bed and not sleep with it.  It wreaks havoc on your body.  Panic attacks to the point you can't even move from a chair.  Panic attacks when you wake up throwing up, can't eat, headaches, hot flashes, dizziness, fainting, and feeling like you are smothering....just to name a few.   I have suffered with this since 2006.  This is my thorn and only now am I beginning to understand why God put it there.