Many people living in one day at a time recovery practice making peace with anxiety. Often we do so in centering prayer focusing on the idea we need help. Or some would say, “I am stressed to the max and I need a break. God grant me the serenity.” When anxiety has us backed up against a wall, as anxiety is more than capable of doing, the answer some of us find is to retreat. Some of us, when asked to do a task that simply overwhelms us might have to say that we can’t. When questioned why some of us say, at times in tears, we just don’t have the courage to do it today. For some of us this takes a lot of courage to even say this. It’s the farthest thing from weakness that we will ever know. This is the premise for weekends off, vacations, mental health days, and personal days. We know of many situations and activities that we cannot, or do not want to do. Anxiety is no joke and often we need to retreat from the stress that causes it. When we realize how courageous it is to make peace with anxiety we often are finding we can participate in our lives and our responsibilities with optimism and wellness. It is a one day at a time reality for everyone.
