Handling abandonment (3)

‘...Jesus...asked, ’Are you also going to leave?’ John 6:67 NLT

By managing your anxiety when feeling abandoned, you’re taking control where it counts most and brings the greatest benefits. Here are some helpful guidelines: (1) Always remember that your thoughts are under your control. When anxiety kicks in, your thoughts begin to run amok. At this point you must take charge of your mind, ‘Casting down imaginations…bringing into captivity every thought…’ (2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV) Don’t argue, resist or reason with your thoughts. Give them a ‘stop!’ order, breathe deeply and select an encouraging thought from your Scriptural self-talk list. Feel your anxiety dropping and give God thanks for victory over your anxiety. (2) Stay out of the ‘waiting room!’ By waiting for someone to change or decide to stay, you’re putting your life on hold, pending someone else’s decision. That’s not how God made you to function! ‘…Live purposefully…Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity]…’ (Ephesians 5:15-16 AMP) Fill your days with worthwhile activity, taking initiative wherever possible and directing your time to useful, rewarding purposes, especially ones that glorify God. 3) Helping others will help heal you. God’s law of reciprocity says you reap when you sow, and receive when you give. It offers you the chance to help yourself by helping others. The Bible says, ‘…the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends…’ (Job 42:10 NKJV) Research consistently shows that acts of kindness toward others improve the emotional state of those doing them. By helping others you actually boost your own joy, peace and confidence. Watch it work for you, no matter how the relationship goes!