Michael Hidalgo is giving out advice that cries out for takers:
Anxiety often centers on us—our ability to control, our insecurity about how others will think of us or whether we will succeed or fail. Anxiety is nothing more than fear. We must remember if we have control or lose control, succeed or fail, become wildly popular or an object of scorn—none of that speaks
to who we truly are.
We must never forget we are beloved daughters and sons of the Almighty, and nothing can change that. God does all He can to remind us of that fact often. He does it through family, friends and, if we stop to listen, His gentle whisper.
When St. Francis would return to his hometown, his abusive father would come out and curse him publicly. In these times Francis would bring a friend with him. He told his friend the following:
“When my father hurls curses and abuse at me, I will hear them painfully in one ear, but I ask you to walk on my other side, and whisper God’s favor into my other ear. Say to me, ‘Francis, you are my beloved son. You are a son of heaven and a son of God!’ Just keep repeating it until I can believe it again!”
I am thankful to have friends who whisper God’s favor in my other ear until I can believe it again.
Those words come from my wife, and her unfaltering love and support she gives me every single day. They come from my kids when they hug me, snuggle with me, and say “I love you.” They don’t care about my accomplishments, they just want me to chase them upstairs and wrestle with them before bedtime.
It’s my closest friends who remind me I am a beloved son. Those who have seen me at my sparkling best and miserable worst—and still say with conviction, “I love you, brother.”
There's much more at the link, read it and find relief from stress.
And if you want more on this subject, check out my post from a couple of months ago where I reviewed a book by Jacques Philippe called Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart. It has helped my wife and I immensely. I suspect it'll do the same for you.
Carry on.
