Paradigm
"Paradigms power perceptions, and perceptions power emotions. Most emotions are responses to perception - what you think is true about a given situation. If your perception is false, then your emotional response to it will be false too. So check your perceptions, and beyond that check the truthfulness of your paradigms -what you believe. Just because you believe something firmly doesn't make it true. Be willing to reexamine what you believe. The more you live in the truth, the more your emotions will help you see clearly. But even then, you don't want to trust them more than [you trust God]" (The Shack, Wm Paul Young).
The paradigm I too often live by lately is that my life is too difficult that that too many expectations and responsibilities are being thrown at me. This drives me to perceive any setback or struggle to be unfair and to be more than I can handle. Therefore, I am quick to feel anxious, stressed, angered, impatient.
If I can switch my paradigm from "this is too difficult; I can't handle all of this" to "with God's help, I can and will make it through this time in my life, and will enjoy it. I have been given so many blessings," my perceptions will likely change and so will my quick emotions. My expectations of each moment will decrease, as will my frustrations when things don't go smoothly, or when I need to do something I really don't feel like doing, and I will not feel like I'm being treated unfairly. I may begin to enjoy moments I now find only tolerable or mildly amusing and tolerate better situations I now find to cause stress and impatience, thus causing my emotions to be more often the enjoyable kind and less often the depressing kind.
A friend who has anxiety issues says that those of us with anxiety and depression start at a certain level of anxiety or stress, whereas most people start at a much lower level; therefore, it takes less to push us over the maximum threshold to tolerable stress or anxiety. To make matters more difficult, our maximum threshold may be lower than the average person's.
What is the cause of the heightened baseline level and lowered maximum threshold? Is it genetic - something we're born with and cannot change, controlled by biochemical forces? Or have we, through training ourselves and our brains, developed unhealthy paradigms and perceptions and influenced our neurochemistry through repetitive behavior and thoughts, creating neural synapses and changing the balance of neurotransmitters and endocrine hormones, biasing ourselves toward further stress, anxiety, and depression? The most obvious answer is that the truth lies somewhere in between.
This thought is to be continued... in the meantime, any thoughts regarding this question, or other comments?
The paradigm I too often live by lately is that my life is too difficult that that too many expectations and responsibilities are being thrown at me. This drives me to perceive any setback or struggle to be unfair and to be more than I can handle. Therefore, I am quick to feel anxious, stressed, angered, impatient.
If I can switch my paradigm from "this is too difficult; I can't handle all of this" to "with God's help, I can and will make it through this time in my life, and will enjoy it. I have been given so many blessings," my perceptions will likely change and so will my quick emotions. My expectations of each moment will decrease, as will my frustrations when things don't go smoothly, or when I need to do something I really don't feel like doing, and I will not feel like I'm being treated unfairly. I may begin to enjoy moments I now find only tolerable or mildly amusing and tolerate better situations I now find to cause stress and impatience, thus causing my emotions to be more often the enjoyable kind and less often the depressing kind.
A friend who has anxiety issues says that those of us with anxiety and depression start at a certain level of anxiety or stress, whereas most people start at a much lower level; therefore, it takes less to push us over the maximum threshold to tolerable stress or anxiety. To make matters more difficult, our maximum threshold may be lower than the average person's.
What is the cause of the heightened baseline level and lowered maximum threshold? Is it genetic - something we're born with and cannot change, controlled by biochemical forces? Or have we, through training ourselves and our brains, developed unhealthy paradigms and perceptions and influenced our neurochemistry through repetitive behavior and thoughts, creating neural synapses and changing the balance of neurotransmitters and endocrine hormones, biasing ourselves toward further stress, anxiety, and depression? The most obvious answer is that the truth lies somewhere in between.
This thought is to be continued... in the meantime, any thoughts regarding this question, or other comments?
Comments
Now these are 2 verses (of many) that will be sweet to think on in this regard “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”- Psalm 91:1 and "...but ever be filled and stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit." Ephesians 5:18 (b)...really it's part of a slew of verses that go together that are a God send! Ha! Quite literally! I.e. when I find myself feeling frayed and rattled and decidedly short tempered...I know, I'm dry, I need a good oiling of my hinges, and I just where ever I am, what ever I'm doing, turn my heart toward God and tell Him I need to be filled, fill me fresh with His Holy Spirit, I'm dry and parched and need more of Him to pour out in this ole earth! Next thing I know, it's not as hard as it was, my sense of humor and perspective improve...etc...nothing flashy necessarily...just life (more abundantly)! :)
Good to visit again,it's been a long time!
I'm glad you, with God's help, have been able to come to a better place in both your situation and in a less-burdened and harried life, according to God's will for you and your family!
I also love what you say in the second paragraph about asking to be filled - thank you all around for your prayer-filled response!!