December 2008 Pearls of Encouragement for CWMs
Welcome and Thanks
Prayer Partners Needed
Interview Participants Needed
Blog/Online Bible Study
CWM Coaching Tips
Article – 10 Ways To Reduce Anxiety
Final Thoughts
Welcome
We have had lots of new CWMs join our
community. Welcome and we are glad you are here. Can
you believe Christmas is almost here and 2009 will
be over soon? I can’t for one. I still have
lots of Christmas shopping to do. Usually for December
I write a Christmas article. This year I decided to
write about how to reduce anxiety. We are all living
in anxious times right now. Also, it seems as women
we are really great worriers. To view Christmas articles
from the past go to www.christianworkingmom.com
and click on the archives link or the free articles
link. There is an article entitled, “Maybe this
Christmas will be Different” which is about
families who have difficult situations. So, take a
look.
Thanks so much for coming to the rescue
to fill out the CWM Survey. If you remember my goal
was to get 2,000 CWMs to fill out the survey. Now,
I believe I’m at 2,010. So, a big thanks to
helping reach the goal. I do look forward to sharing
the data with you in the future.
Are you looking for a great gift for
yourself or a girlfriend? Check out
the 3 book set by Karen Scalf Linamen. Click
here to find out more.
My favorite title in the set is Just Hand Over the
Chocolate and No One Will Get Hurt.
Prayer Partners
We have a CWM who would like a prayer
partner. Prayer partners meet virtually and agree
to pray for one another’s needs. I have heard
of some wonderful comments from CWMs about how much
they appreciate their prayer partners. So, if you
would like to have a prayer partner send me an email
to Kimberly@kimberlychastain.com
and put Prayer partner in the subject heading and
I will connect you with another CWM. Thanks in advance
for your help.
Interview Participants Needed
As you all know once a month we have
an interview from a CWM. I really enjoy learning from
other CWMs all over the world. So, if you are interested
in being interviewed send an email to Kimberly@kimberlychastain.com
with interview in the subject heading. I will send
you a list of questions. I promise you it is practically
painless. This is an SOS and I need CWMs to participate!!
Blog/Online Bible Study
We have had some great discussions on
the CWM Blog about Christmas and how you keep Christ
in Christmas. Please come join the discussion at http://christianworkingmoms.blogspot.com.
The Online Bible Study can be found at
http://cwmbiblestudy.blogspot.com. I apologize
for not adding any new lessons recently. I simply
have not had the time or should I say taken the time.
CWM Coaching Tips
Consider a gift for yourself for the
New Year. Subscribe to CWM Coaching Tips and get a
tip emailed to you daily to encourage you in your
Christian walk. To find out more go to:
http://www.kimberlychastain.com/cwmtips.htm.
Article – 10 Ways To Reduce Anxiety
In these uncertain economic times, it
is very easy to get anxious and worry about your future.
Often anxious thoughts can become overwhelming. Also,
children are starting to become more and more anxious
as well. Here are some tried and true techniques to
deal with any kind of anxiety. These techniques can
work with children and adults.
1. Pray to God for peace and trust that
He is sovereign in your life. Leave your worries with
him. He will be up all night anyway. Read scripture
that addresses the issue of worrying. An excellent
Christian Book and Bible Study on this topic is Calm
My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. This is a book you
will read and reread for years to come. Click
here to find out more.
2. Remember to breathe deeply. Take deep belly breaths
and hold for 10 seconds and then slowly release the
breath for 10 seconds.
3. Schedule time to worry. Each day you are allowed
to worry for 15 minutes about anything. If a thought
comes up that is not during the worry time, tell the
thought you can worry during the scheduled worry time.
4. Journal what you are worrying about. Writing thoughts
down gets the thoughts out of your head and onto paper.
Often after writing down your thoughts you receive
clarity about the situation you are worried about
and can develop an action plan.
5. Are you worrying about something you can actually
change? If so, then make the change. If not, then
how is worrying beneficial?
6. Look back over your life and realize that most
of the things you worried about in the past, in reality,
never happened.
7. Get physical. Take a walk or go for a run. Just
get moving. It is hard to be anxious and physical
at the same time. Exercise is a natural anti-depressant
and anti-anxiety remedy.
8. Bring to mind a place where you love to relax (ex.
looking at the ocean, hiking, etc.).Place yourself
in the picture and remember the calm feelings you
experienced at your special place.
9. Call a friend or do something with your family
to get your mind off your anxious thoughts. Distraction
is a great way to reduce anxiety.
10. Focus on being in the moment constantly. Work
on the task at hand with all your might. You can make
it from this moment to the next moment. None of us
are guaranteed tomorrow or even the next minute.
As a matter of fact, worrying has never
solved anything. Do you ever remember saying to yourself,
“Worrying about that problem or situation made
me feel so much better?” I expect not. Yet,
some of us can be prone to anxious thoughts and worry.
The above techniques can help decrease your anxiety
to make it more manageable.
The Bible is clear that when we worry
that shows a lack of trust in our Savior. May we trust
in Him with the big worries and the little ones as
well. Learn to rest in your Savior’s arms and
leave your worries with Him.
Final Thoughts
May I be one of the first to wish you
a Merry Christmas!! May the joy of our Savior’s
birth be evident in your life and your family’s
lives throughout the year.
Till next time,
Kimberly M. Chastain
