I hate being nervous!

I can still see myself waking up in my upstairs bedroom as a teen.  More importantly, I can feel it all over again.  It's weird; we have picture memories, but also emotional memories.  I still recall the sensation of what seemed like needles poking into my abdomen, the tightness of my veins in my arms.  I was nervous. 

I remember being in college, rummaging about my dorm room to get my stuff together for class.  I had just gotten back from some activity and now had to pack my bag, and scurry to the other side of campus for class.  You know those pictures in science books that show all your web-like, nervous system veins?  It seemed like everyone of those was ablaze and about to shoot out the ends of my fingertips. 

Don't you hate it?  It feels like some unpleasant person has been handcuffed to you and you must walk around all day with them.  What do you do with it? 

These are just two of many, many memories I have of the joys of being nervous.  You're probably wondering, though: am I just stuck with this? 

The answer is: yes and no.

I shared my above examples in hopes that you can first realize this: you are not the only one feeling this way.  That alone can prompt your insides to relax a little bit.

But that's not it.  Many people, including myself, have found a lot of solutions to managing and decreasing nerves.  I have been through a lot of nerves including the 'everybody has 'em' ones and a legitimate anxiety disorder, so I've done a lot of reading, studying, and been to counseling.  Most importantly, Father has met me there and He's made me a different person because of it.

In an upcoming post I'll share a hodgepodge of things I've learned about lessening anxiety in your life.