Episode 214 -- May 2, 2022

Meditation Monday: Conquering Fear and Anxiety

Welcome to Meditation Monday. We're pausing each Monday for a few minutes of reflection and inspiration from the authors of the Hazelden Meditation series of books.

Meditations are daily reflections, prayers, slogans and phrases intended to offer inspiration and comfort, and—above all—hope to those of us in recovery.

A Woman's Spirit

Sometimes the things that frighten you the most can turn out to be the biggest sources of strength. —Iris Timberlake

Not many things would send fear through us if we remembered to rely on our Higher Power at all times. Yet we try to handle circumstances ourselves first. It's often only when we finally feel hopeless that we turn to our Higher Power for the help that awaited us all along.

We make our lives much more difficult than they need to be. Let's quit thinking through our problems alone, no matter how foolish they seem. Let's quit trying to handle tough people alone. Let's trust that every circumstance, no matter how small, is a lesson offered by God. And let's know that the outcome will be the right one for our particular growth at that moment.

Things that frighten us do so only because we have failed to remember the presence of our Higher Power. Let's pray for the willingness to remember God's presence. When we do, we will know a new strength.

Today I will let God help me handle every moment of my day

Walk in Dry Places

Dealing With Fear

Some of us suffer from a free-floating anxiety that is like a general fear, while others have specific fears that cause distress. Sometimes the specific fears are easier to face, because they can at least be identified. Most of us dread the other kind—a sort of general apprehension that things are not well or that something very bad is about to happen.

It's reasonable to have some fear when facing trouble or risk. It's unreasonable, however, to let fear keep us from acting in our own best interests. A review of the past may show that many of us did that while drinking—and brought even more calamities upon ourselves.

Whatever the fear, the answer is always the same. We must apply our principles to the problem, take any reasonable action, and then place the outcome in God's hands. No person can do more than this.

This will not bring permanent victory over fear. It will, however, give us confidence in the program as a tool for dealing with fears that arise in the future.

I may have to deal with fear today, but I will accept it as part of the human condition. I know that I have great spiritual resources to deal with any fear that might arise, and this gives me confidence and reassurance

About the Author:
A Woman's Spirit: More Meditations for Women was written by Karen Casey
Walk in Dry Places was written by Mel B

A Woman's Spirit: More Meditations for Women © 1994 by Hazelden Foundation
Walk in Dry Places ©1996 by Hazelden Foundation
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