With the rates rising steadily over the years, I can bet that about 20% of you reading this now are struggling with anxiety of some kind. I understand this struggle personally, having navigated periods of severe anxiety that required medication and endured panic attacks with lingering effects, to feeling totally and completely normal. I won’t pretend to have any fabulous cure-all to share with you, but I can tell you something that has helped me and others.

Cultivating gratitude can shift your perspective and reduce stress. Experts confirm that gratitude releases dopamine, lowers cortisol levels, and improves sleep. While gratitude won't eliminate life's challenges, it can provide balance and stability.

If you’re searching for things to be thankful for, explore the Psalms- many of which sing praises about the great things God has done. Psalm 33 is one worth bookmarking to have handy when you’re searching for things to be grateful for.

Psalm 33 reminds us that we can praise God because his word is upright, and he is faithful. We can be thankful that by His words, God created the heavens and the earth and knows the depths of the sea. We can be grateful that God shares his wisdom with us and that it is unchanging and reliable. What’s more, we needn’t worry because everything is in God’s hands. Even kings can’t guarantee their safety, just like the strongest among us can’t guarantee our success. The same God that created this world is the same God that created you. Throughout our anxiety, we are encouraged to “wait for the Lord” and trust that our creator can handle it.