Summary: Worry kills you slowly. It makes you sick. We know this. But how do we stop worrying so much? In this week's podcast episode: How to trick yourself into exercise Why worry is bad for you. Why this week's podcast is so late. Special Announcements My conference, the 3-Day Live Intensive, is April 5-7 in Phoenix. Get your early-bird ticket discount right now - click here. We have a contest running in celebration of the upcoming 52nd episode of this podcast. Just make helpful, substantive comments on 10 posts (here on the blog), and you could win a free copy of my new book. More details here. And why the podcast is late. Would you like to have me speak at your event? Click here to visit my speaking page and get details on my availability. Tip Of The Week Trick yourself into exercising by combining it with something you love doing. A lunchtime conversation with a friend of mine led to a new attitude about exercise for me, and the tip of the week for you. Spiritual Foundations The spiritual effects of worry take a heavy toll. Heavy thoughts bring on physical maladies; when the soul is oppressed so is the body. ~Martin Luther There's no doubt about it. When we are sick, we are simply not capable of accomplishing as much as when we are well. Worry makes us sick. Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. Proverbs 12:25 And here's one more thing to think about. Worry is the opposite of trusting God. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 Feature Segment: When I was in the radio business I spent a year working in a city back East, at a job I hated. My boss was mentally ill-seriously. It was like working for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. One day he was friendly and courteous, the next day he was an overbearing, abusive monster. I became a walking example of what it's like to live in anxiety all the time. I began having anxiety attacks. I went to the emergency room more than once, thinking I was having a heart attack. One morning, I woke up, and the left side of my face did not work. I tried brushing my teeth and water dribble down my chin onto my shirt. I thought I was having a stroke... And this lead to the strangest doctor's visit I have ever had. Listen to the audio for the full story. When we worry, we spend all of our energy focusing on the negative, and operating in fear. This closes our eyes to possibilities that lay all around us. The fact is, most of the stuff we worry about never happens anyway. But that is all philosophy. How about some practical tips on how you can just stop worrying so much? If you would like to spend less of your time worrying, and more of it accomplishing, here are 7 things you can most definitely cross off your “worry list”. Don't worry about things you can’t control. Don't worry about things you can control (since you control them, what is there to worry about?) Don't worry about what other people think of you (see number 1). Don't worry about the past (nothing you can do to change it). Don't worry about the future (see number 2). Don't worry about the unknown (um… since you can’t know it… what are you worrying about?). Don't worry about how you might respond to any challenge (you’ll only know when you face it). 3 Tactics That Fight Worry Exercise Meditation Prayer. Worry replaced by prayer equals faith and peace. Listener Questions On this episode we heard from these listeners: JD Crouse has 3 questions - about our audio player, a podcasting course, and recorded webinars. I haven't been emphasizing the call in part of the show, but would love to field more listener questions and hear more of your success stories.
