2. Use Guided Imagery. As you lie in bed, close your eyes and imagine you finally went to sleep, and upon waking, you are in Israel. You’re standing on the sandy shore of the Sea of Galilee, the warmth of the sun on your face. As you stand where Jesus stood, pause for a moment. What do you hear? What do you smell? Look around: what do you see? What are you thinking? You start to Jesus as He’s walking toward you, His arms open wide, beckoning, waiting to wrap you in a tight embrace. “Come to me, Daughter. I will give you rest.” You run to Him, sobbing, and throw yourself in His arms. Your burden begins to lift. You stare into the face of Jesus and you know—without a doubt—His great love for you. Sometimes, when we’re anxious, our imagination runs away with scary thoughts and images, so this type of exercise is a way of using your imagination to bring healing, hope, and peace to your mind. This is imagination therapy! Psalm 119:15 says, “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.” Meditating on the Lord and His word, as King David described in the Psalms, simply means that we quiet our minds and souls enough to clearly hear God speaking as He gives us the rest our souls crave.
3. Allow Jesus to be your peace. We are designed to have peace, to be at peace, and to spread peace because Jesus did not just talk about peace; rather, Christ’s very essence and character is peace. For some who are struggling with nagging worry, as much as they want it to be the case, reading Scripture and praying for peace don’t necessarily lead to peace. At least not immediately. And certainly not just by reading through the verses once or saying a quick prayer for peace. It can take much more time and effort than that. Despite tough circumstances, we can embrace and take in the truth found in God’s Word with an intentional deepening trust that peace can come and only comes through Jesus. Knowing this deep within us can help us relax our minds and bodies enough to actually be at peace.
I love this quote from Corrie Ten Boom: “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its worry, it empties today of its strength.” While it is tough to stop worrying, it is possible to take control of our thoughts and fears. Journaling, using guided imagery, and allowing Jesus to be your peace are just three ways you can overcome your nagging worry, and get the restful sleep you’ve been longing for.
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Dr. Laurel Shaler is the author of Reclaiming Sanity: Hope and Healing, for Trauma, Stress, and Overwhelming Life Events.
