Understand your anxieties

For the last couple of weeks, with newspaper leaders and friends, I have been asking the question, “ How do you keep anxiety in check?” 

Answers have varied. Some take a faith-based attitude; others go to trusted advisors about serious questions and decisions. Getting adequate rest and having quiet time set aside helps. 

Some suggested, and I agree, that having a diversion can help distract your attention from the issues that are causing anxiety. If anxiety gets to be too much, seek local resources for professional help and counseling.

I thought I would consult with a longtime friend, Jon Penton, who is a retired clinical psychologist now living in Anna Marie Island, Florida. I got to know Jon when late Mayor Dean Fenner launched the Youth Resource Bureau in White Bear Lake a good number of years ago. Jon headed the clinic which was designed to help youth who were having difficulty at school or at home to be able to get care. It was a successful program and Jon went on to work with several counties north of the Twin Cities and then also in Georgia before retiring.  

Jon called me last week and we reflected on how he has dealt with clients with various types of anxiety. He referenced a book that had been helpful to him throughout his professional career. It’s titled ‘Telling Yourself the Truth’ by William Backus and Marie Chapian. That got me to pause to reflect on an attitude, “What do you tell yourself?”

We all have problems that cause anxieties. Life is not free of that. I find it helpful to reference Philippians 4:6-7 (“The Message” by Eugene Peterson) which advises turning it over to the Lord. 

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

Many of us have trusted advisors. Relationships are very important. On a major problem, we don’t make decisions in darkness or without advice. Asking questions can be very helpful. A lot of times with a good bit of research and advice, the problem becomes clear.

What we tell ourselves makes all the difference.  

POLITICS IS NEVER safe in Minnesota when the legislature is in session. I must compliment them for using surplus funds to restore the unemployment fund that was depleted during the pandemic.

Taxes are high in Minnesota. If rates are increased, it’s very difficult for small business to operate. However, they also are funding those workers in various professions and fields that worked extra hours under a lot of stress during the Covid-19 period.

However, there is a $6 million surplus and I think that could be used to lower taxes. For example, Minnesota is one of several states where Social Security is taxed. Also, I think it would be helpful if taxes were reduced for retired people who choose to change their residency to some of the southern states where there is no state tax. Minnesota state tax is punitive and there are several states that reduced their state tax rate for those in retirement years.

Gene Johnson is publisher emeritus of Press Publications.