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It was this time last year that I wrote about stress and anxiety. Specifically, how my body processed the stress in my life. Five years ago this month I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. To say the least, my story was scary. The good news is we know how that chapter ends.

Thumbs up after my thyroidectomy for a good ending to my cancer story.

I usually write about my cancer in June, because even though I was diagnosed in January of 2013, I was actually deemed cancer free in June of the same year. I prefer to celebrate the good news instead of the bad. And actually, as I was sharing my story with a fried a few days ago, I felt tears well up in my eyes and my voice even got a little shaky.

It’s still hard to talk about.

Two results of that experience are 1.My commitment to managing the stress in my life better and 2. The need to talk about genetic and hereditary medical issues for any family.

Stress management has been a definite journey for me. In 2015, my doctor told me to sit down and stop trying to do all the things. Once I followed his orders, I made some other life changes. I developed a consistent morning routine that including drinking water, prayer and praise, stretches, and meditation. What started as a quick 15 minutes of devotional time each day has grown into about 2 hours and the best part of my day. When I wrote about my morning routine last year, I think I mentioned that I had 44 affirmations and individual prayers that I said. In the past 12 months that number has grown to 82 and believe it or not, it’s still growing. I’m sharing them here for a few reasons: 1. I received a lot of emails from readers and how last year’s post helped them, and 2. I’m working on that “always happy” thing. If me sharing how I survive life and drama and teenagers and a career helps others be honest and not always happy, I’ll gladly share. As I’ve mentioned before, this list of affirmations and short prayers are not all original nor were they written by me. Some of these I have written, some have come from bible studies I’ve read, and some have come from books I’m reading.

More Prayers and Affirmations for a stress-Free Life

1. Protect and encourage my teachable spirit.
2. Part of being teachable is learning where God wants me to be and do and what I can do to pursue that.
3. My home is styled with abundance and grace.
4. I am itching for all that God has to offer.
5. The best kind of hospitality is reluctant hospitality.
6. Being still with God is the best idolatry fighter in the world.
7. Words have power. Choose yours wisely.
8. God loves me too much to answer my prayer at any other time than the right time.
9. I tune my ears, focus my eyes, and soften my heart to the needs of those around me.
10. I cannot loose what God has rightly given me.
11. I have God’s clarity, conviction, and correction inside of me already.
12. I know that unequal intentions can lead to enabling, enabling can lead to codependency, codependency can lead to resentment and anger, resentment and anger can lead to sin.
13. I trust the Holy Spirit’s guidance enough to let me know what is true in all situations.
14. Lord please show me the ways I have been disrespectful to God or the people who I claim to love.
15. I am a good steward of all of the time, talents, and resources God has equipped me with.
16. Lord, if what I want is not what You want, please remove the desire I have for it.
17. I will be a good wife to the one God had made me for.
18. My world is not determined by status or material things, but rather by the love and sustainment of God.
19. I am a good writer.
20. I enjoy what I do.
21. I will make the best of the season I am currently in.
22. I am the only person who can write like me.
23. My opinions and experiences matter.
24. I have ideas and creativity that are worth sharing with the world.
25. I have love in my heart for my future husband that is worth nurturing during this time of preparation.
26. I operate in radical faith for everything good and perfect to work together for God’s will and to blow my mind like never before.
27. I trust and operate in the rightful faith that He will handle all of my needs. I also trust and operate in the rightful faith that he will serve me on His behalf.
28. I will continue to serve in love and grace.
29. I depend on the Lords provision in area of my life, including my writing and my relationships.
30. I will rely on His sufficient grace.
31. I will thank God for His new mercies every morning.
32. I fight my fears with faith…daily.
33. I use the power of words to magnify the Word made flesh.
34. I cannot be successful in any area of life and be apart from Him.
35. I recognize that I don’t fight with people. My personal fight is with the enemy and his demonic influences.
36. My trials produce perseverance.
37. If I can’t see the big picture, I can do the next thing, or even one thing.
38. I’m going to stop seeking the approval of others. Instead, I am going to seek the approval of the One who matters most.

I still incorporate the other parts of my quiet time with God, and I make reading a very important part of my day as well. One new item is that music is incorporated  and I also pray with a friend right before our days begin at work. If you need music suggestions for your own personal of praise and worship, you can’t ever go wrong with Anthony Evans, Jonathan McReynolds, or Michael Bethany.

Some books that I’ve read that address anxiety from a faith-based perspective are The Universe Has Your Back, May Cause Miracles, and Uninvited. I also recommend Never Unfriended, Don’t Settle for Safe, Gospel-Centered Mom, She’s Still There, and Awaken.

I’m interested in hearing how your quiet time looks. Have you found that there’s a connection between that time and anxiety (or the lack thereof)? Feel free to comment below or drop me an email to let me know your story!