Let’s have a plan. You know you want to take steps to overcome your anxiety but you aren’t sure where to start. Steve Sunshine hosts Dr. Gregory Jantz as they specifically dig into getting started on your own personal anxiety reset plan.
Interview Links:
Follow Dr. Jantz online: The Center – A Place Of Hope | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Transcription:
Dr. Gregory Jantz: If we’re oversaturated, oversaturated with news and information, we may have lost the whole piece about worshiping. And, and really see it’s easy to go, I don’t see God at work, you know? So, you were focusing on the negative. So, watch for that. And oversaturation,
Steve Sunshine: if you’re feeling like you’re ready to take on the fight against anxiety, but you’re not sure where to start, I’m glad you’re here. I’m Steve Sunshine and welcome to Overcoming Anxiety, a five-part podcast from Purposely. My guest for the series is Dr. Greg Jantz, founder of The Center, A Place of Hope, and author of the Anxiety Reset.
In this episode, we’re going to talk about how to get started on your personal Anxiety Reset plan. Here’s my conversation with Dr. Jantz.
Steve Sunshine: So, one of the things that you’ve said in an earlier episode about, about fighting anxiety is to have a plan of some kind to be intentional about this. What kind of planning are we talking?
Dr. Gregory Jantz: Well, we’re going to talk about the plan, okay, what am I going to do for my spiritual renewal? Could it be something as simple as I’m going to write down three key people. And maybe a verse like 2 Timothy 2:19 about God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. I’m going to write that down on a three by five card. That’s kind of, I’m going to say that out loud, four or five times today. I’m going to go outside and go for a walk and look at that verse.
Begin to meditate on God’s word that begins to transform our thinking. Okay, so that’s just one little thing to do that can be a big thing as it relates to our spiritual health. As you began to be empowered, and I think there’s a prayer for discernment or wisdom, lord, show me what’s missing. What do I need to, to know, or to focus on in order to have real healing here?
I’ve mentioned have three key people that are a part of your prayer team and support team, that really know you, that you can share honestly with. We all can benefit from that.
Steve Sunshine: Where, how do you find those three people? How do you choose them?
Dr. Gregory Jantz: Yeah, they’re probably not family. Okay here, family sometimes thinks they know us the best and…
Steve Sunshine: and they’re willing to tell us that.
Dr. Gregory Jantz: Yeah, but have somebody probably a little bit older, and maybe somebody’s equal age. And it’s okay to have somebody younger but have somebody who’s been down the road a little farther that you respect for and can say, that’s a wise person, and I can really be honest with them. And I know they pray. So, but we can, and sometimes we need to pray. Lord, show me who are my three people.
Steve Sunshine: Do they have the same role, or do you look for distinct types of people between them?
Dr. Gregory Jantz: Oh, I think they can have the same role. They’re going to maybe come at things a little bit differently. Generally, if, if you’re a guy I want you to work with older men. It’s just, have people that are on your team that sincerely believe in you.
Steve Sunshine: That sounds wonderful, actually, to put people like that together. I’ve had, we’ve had people, groups of people put together, not, not for that sort of ongoing thing, but when we’ve been trying to decide, make a major decision in our lives and that has when it’s worked well, that’s been really, really helpful. So, I think getting input from people is a really good idea. When you’re, when you’ve got your personal reset plan in place, you’re executing it, you think you’re doing a pretty good job, what’s reasonable to expect in terms of results or changes?
Dr. Gregory Jantz: Tell yourself, I’m going to do this for the next 30 days and keep a log. Now, will everything totally have changed in 30 days? I don’t know. Probably, but you’re building a foundation that’s going to take you past that. I want you to pass that three-month mark. That 90 days, when you continue and you have more and more strength. And maybe, maybe it’s I need some, I need some professional intervention. I need some, I need to know as well, what’s going on in my body and my blood work and medically. So, I need some time to really look at look at the whole person, but commit to, that’s why I said I have a 12-week plan, commit to a period of, of least 12 weeks. And if you’re not able to do that, I think it’s really a sign that goes, okay, I need to get, I need to get some outside support and help, and don’t try to do it all alone. We probably don’t grow very well in isolation.
Steve Sunshine: When you, you mentioned may be time to get some, some professional help, how do you, and I know obviously if you’re in the Seattle area The Center, A Place of Hope is a great place to go. If we’re, because this is a podcast, we may have people listening from pretty much anywhere. So, what do you look for in choosing somebody to do that? Cause you’re kind of handing the keys over to your, your whole, whole psyche there. So, it’s, it’s a big deal.
Dr. Gregory Jantz: It is a big deal. And I always suggest, now right now getting help and resources can be a challenge. I just want to say that. We make a lot of referrals and people call in from all over the country looking for help. And we have a, quite an extensive referral list. What we’re noticing is that a lot of the really good helpers are, are full and that’s discouraging. Don’t give up. If you have to temporarily be on a waiting list, do it, because, and pray. God’s going to direct you to the person that can be of the most help.
Now, there I look for, I always enter to say interview, if it’s a counselor interview, two different ones. Also make sure that you’re really sharing the same values and faith. And it’s okay, ask, ask a person, how do you approach somebody like me who has been struggling with, let’s say anxiety for a long time? Ask the questions, but please, if you start with somebody give them at least, I usually say three sessions together. Don’t walk out on the first one and go, oh, that didn’t work, which is neat. It can be easy to do. You got to give it some time.
Steve Sunshine: Well, I could see that because for some people, this is, this is a very vulnerable situation. And you’re going to be screwing up your courage just to go to that first appointment. And then it, you know, if it’s, if it continued to be uncomfortable or you just didn’t notice anything, I could see that being very discouraging. But you got to know that it takes longer than that. It’s not a quick fix necessarily. Absolutely. In your book, the Anxiety Reset, you talk among other things about filters in our lives, because we have all kinds of stuff coming at us from every angle. Between our smart phones and television and smart speakers and well, everything. So how do you, how do you put, what kind of filters do you recommend?
Dr. Gregory Jantz: Well, a filter could be something as simple as what’s my guardrails in my life that keeps me heading down the road without going off on a rabbit trail. Okay. What does that look? What’s that look like? Well, I’ll give you an example of what I’m seeing with some folks. Right now, there is such a distrust of information in the media and there is, I don’t know who to believe. And so, I see people spend so much time researching, over-analyzing, digging, and digging and digging, that that kind of consumes their lives. And the joy is gone, and then I’m afraid and I’m, it’s affecting my sleep. So, here’s my word. I, I don’t mind it. Obviously. We all want to dig in and learn as much as we can. But if we’re oversaturated, oversaturated with news and information, we may have lost the whole piece about worshiping and thanking God. And, and really see it’s easy to go, I don’t see God at work, you know? So, you were focusing on the negative. So, watch for that. An oversaturation. I have seen people who have come to us and, you know, most of the day they were walking around with this podcast going, that podcast going, now I’m not against podcasts. We’re doing all right, right now!
Steve Sunshine: Especially not this one.
Dr. Gregory Jantz: Yeah! But you know, or they’re, they’re fixated on something that spun out of the pandemic, or some spun out of COVID, and I understand. I’m a doctor and I have to dig and research for information, and we want to know what is true. I get that, but we can’t be over-saturated. We can’t let it control our lives and we cannot let it affect our relationships.
I have had people who’ve told me, a little bit frightening, but where they felt like, okay, The rapture’s coming and I’m, I’m, I’m on my way out of here. Nothing else matters. Okay. That’s the point that the fear took them.
Steve Sunshine: Wow. And it seems to have caused us to not do a very good job of thinking that, assuming the best of other people, in terms of their motives because the, you know, the level of arguing is just gotten to be so intense. And I imagine that causes more anxiety.
Dr. Gregory Jantz: Oh yes. So, look for division, ongoing friction… Have you developed a critical spirit of judgement? There’s a lot of people who are very, very critical of others right now, very judgmental. And we forgot the piece about love one another. Okay. Yeah. And the fear will take you down a road you don’t want to go.
Steve Sunshine: A big, thank you to Dr. Greg Jantz of The Center, A Place of Hope, for being our guest on this series. You know, watching someone you love, struggling with anxiety, can be as hard as going through it yourself. On our next episode, we’re going to talk about how you can help loved ones who are struggling with anxiety.
Meanwhile, be sure to follow this podcast and get the next episode of Overcoming Anxiety. Thank you for tuning in. And don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life. Find more amazing podcasts, just like this on onpurposely.com.
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