Troubled Heart

What is a troubled heart? It’s a heart in conflict. It’s a heart that’s agitated constantly by life. A troubled heart doesn’t get much relief, but the torment—a great deal of it—is self-created. A troubled heart usually shows up in three ways: 1. Fretting 2. Worrying 3. Anxiety Fretting is a general emotional outlook on situations and people in which someone is agitated or sensitive at just about everything. Worry is more mental than emotional and is usually based on specific circumstances. Anxiety, on the other hand, is more extreme. It’s like fretting and worrying mixed together and then put on steroids! Still, a lot of these conditions can begin by our own doing, and this is not something people like to hear. Especially those who deal with more chronic issues like anxiety or depression. They are defensive because they first feel powerless, and they don’t want to hear that it’s their fault or that they should try to “snap out of it.” And they’re correct. They are powerless when severe emotions or conditions take over. They can’t just “snap out of it,” and I know that firsthand, so you won’t hear me say it. I understand what they’re dealing with. However, people in these conditions do seek out help, and that assistance often comes in the form of medication; but medication is not a long-term solution, so I’d like to talk about some long-term options to help all of us gain the upper hand over our fretting, worrying and the more extreme conditions of anxiety and depression.