Duck Syndrome
Let’s assess to see if you suffer from “Duck syndrome”. Do you appear to be managing effortlessly, but under the surface, are you paddling quite frantically to stay afloat and not flip over as you swim through your days?
Do you feel frazzled, panicked, overwhelmed, or waiting for the shoe to drop? The pandemic has ramped and amped many people to unhealthy levels of fear and anxiety. As a Christian, we can take our burdens and cares to God because He cares for us (Psalm 55:22) and are told to be anxious for nothing because He’s got our back and our fronts. The past, present and the future are in His hands, and we are promised that He is with us always. We have nothing to fear. (Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”).
This does NOT mean that we will be footloose and fancy free without a care in the world. It means we are to turn to Him with those emotions. They are internal drivers to remind us we are sinful humans and in need of a Lord and a Savior. He will be with us always, even through a pandemic and the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
As fallen humans, we also need to b e good stewards of our minds – what goes into it. Are you watching 24/7 news? Do you believe everything the news tells you without checking on the source of the information? Are you bathing your brain in toxic messaging g? Are you allowing the media, gossip, social media or the lies the devil whispers rule your thought life? Do you play the comparison game? That’s the biggest killer of contentment out there.
I challenge you to take your thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). When we filter our thoughts properly, we can stop paddling so fast because we’ve gotten off the hamster wheel of envy, jealousy, pride and comparison.
In His word we are given encouragement and advise on what to do when trouble comes. He says bring your burdens and cares yo Me. He gives us guidance for life in the 10 commandments and to a of wise advice in Proverbs. These filters transform our thoughts so that we can live with the mind of Christ. The Holy Spirit as an Advocate and conscious and the strength of God to get through any of life’s circumstances and storms.
God wants us to thrive, not just survive. He wants us to believe His promises (over 3,000 in the Holy Bible), to apply them yo our lives and trust Him. He wants us to build the foundation of faith and be resilient so when trouble comes we have His Word hidden in our hearts and the source of absolute time ugh in our minds.
How can I get past duck syndrome you ask? It’s all about reducing your symptoms. Put your name fort into earning how to cope, lean on God and give Him your cares and stop paddling so fast when life is tough. He is there in every circumstance if we acknowledge Him. He sees your feet going a million miles an hour, He is asking you to slow down, give Him a chance and He’ll help you get rid of “duck syndrome”. He says be anxious for nothing! NOTHING means nothing.
I’ve created a worksheet that you can use to identify your “duck syndrome” thoughts and then fight back against them.
You may also want to find a familiar aphorism like the one below and make a list of ways you can increase your resilience. Build a toolbox of stress reducing activities that you can practice on a daily or weekly basis to calm your physical distress, re-focus your thoughts and filter information through God’s word. I have several blog posts on increasing resilience with stress reducing techniques and free resources on my Resources page.
Find a Bible verse like the one below to build a solid foundation on. Take hold of one of the 3,000 promises in His Word. Build your life on that verse! Having a promise of God in your heart and mind is sooo important to redirect fear and anxiety and dispel the darkness that is part of duck syndrome.
Find your promise and believe it!