Impending doom, an Australian tribe, and laughter as an antidote for anxiety.
Today, we look at removing anxiousness and worry. Let's learn to love better!
"Remember, you are loved, so go, love better!"
New episodes drop on Tuesdays.
Impending doom, an Australian tribe, and laughter as an antidote for anxiety.
Today, we look at removing anxiousness and worry. Let's learn to love better!
"Remember, you are loved, so go, love better!"
New episodes drop on Tuesdays.
A 200 square mile section of Australian coastal land is home of the Irukandji tribe. The Irukandji are an indigenous Australian tribe. Their territory is in the upper northeastern coast of Australia and spans from Cairns (cans) to Port Douglas, Queensland. Never a large ethnic group to begin with, the Irukandji almost ceased to be by the end of the 19th century. But in 1952, the Irukandji became temporarily famous for all the wrong reasons when members of the tribe began suffering puzzling symptoms. Sudden onsets of nausea, sweating, severe headaches, and hypertensions accompanied by paralyzing anxiety. Members of the tribe would suffer these symptoms along with excruciating pain in their limbs. Yet, the puzzling symptoms would eventually disappear with the same rapidity with which they began. The syndrome was unique and in 1952 the condition was given the name of the people it was first seen in – Irukandji syndrome. Symptoms varied but almost always they were accompanied by anxiety and a sense of “impending doom”. In 2007, Australian biologist, Lisa Gershwin, described the impact of Irukandji syndrome. “Patients believe they’re going to die and they’re so certain of it that they’ll actually beg their doctors to kill them just to get it over with,” Australian biologist Lisa Gershwin told ABC radio in 2007. What was happening with all these patients? In the 1950’s the issue became more serious as researchers realized it wasn’t just the Irukandji… the symptom was spreading. Cases were cropping up all over Australia. What was causing it? Could it be stopped? The problem was massive… it turns out the answer was tiny.
I’m Scott Beyer and this is the Love Better podcast where we explore the truths and lies about love and more importantly how to turn love into a skill – something we can get better at and hone along the way.
The cause of Irukandji syndrome is *drum roll* a jellyfish. A species of box jellyfish, now named Irukandji jellyfish, are tiny. Box jellyfish are cubozoidal – meaning they are shaped like a square… and an adult sized Irukandji jellyfish is about one square centimeter. That’s an itty bitty box… about the size of your fingernail… and transparent… in the ocean. Yeah, it’s basically invisible. They may be tiny, but they pack a wallop. With four long tentacles that can drape up to 3 feet behind them, Irukandji jellyfish can fire stingers full of venom into their victims. These guys are small, but some of the most venomous creatures on the planet. Forget Australia’s coastal taipan, their horrific Southern death adder, their terrifying funnel web spider, and the lurking stonefish… Irukandji jellyfish pound for pound are way more venomous.
The fear that you could be suddenly struck with paralyzing anxiety and a sense of impending doom, ironically, led to massive anxiety and a sense of impending doom. Irukandji syndrome, especially before they knew it’s cause, has cost Australia millions of dollars in tourism… because the idea that something could silently and invisibly attack you with symptoms like back pain which patients compared to an electric drill in your back for hours or muscular restlessness that requires you to constantly move to seek relief, but oh by the way, it hurts the entire time you move… yeah, that has a way of impacting tourism. And the weird one, unlike any other venom out there – that sense of anxiousness, doom, and hopelessness.
I’m fascinated by the Irukandji jellyfish for several reasons. One reason is simply because animals are amazing and even the dangerous ones get my attention. Sometimes, especially the dangerous ones.
The second reason is because the Irukandji highlight a real life problem. Anxiety. Someone stung today can be diagnosed quickly and, especially at an Australian hospital, begin to get clear treatment and explanation of what is causing the symptoms. Rarely is it fatal to be stung by an Irukandji – maybe one or two people a year die from their sting. Those are the facts… but a clear diagnosis and solid facts don’t remove the anxiety and lurking doom for the patient. They feel it anyway.
Researchers aren’t sure what causes the feeling of anxiety in Irukandji sufferers, but research on animals suggests that the venom causes an uptick in the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline, which are connected to anxiety. There’s no antidote – and that’s enough to make anyone anxious.
My dear friend Wikipedia describes anxiety as an emotion which is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and includes feelings of dread over anticipated events. I think that’s a pretty good working definition. Anxiety doesn’t mean bad things will happen, but it does mean I will be affected by the possibility that they might happen. And in the context of learning to love better – it is really hard for me to love now when I am worried about what might happen later.
Anxiety can be sudden hit you like a panic attack (or my personal anxiety menu choice an eye tic) or it can have more long-term subtle symptoms – difficulty sleeping, a tendency to withdraw, poor decision making, or sometimes indecision. Anxiety often leads people to not make decisions when they should because after all no decision is a decision. Worry and anxiety are joy killers and love killers, too. Social anxiety keeps people from building relationships. Performance anxiety can prevent you from doing your best or making brave choices. Or anxiety of the unknown, such as an invisible venomous jellyfish that may or may not be in the water, might prevent you from experiences. In short, anxiety and worry cause you to withdraw yourself from circumstances when love is all about extending yourself into circumstances.
Consider a couple of Bible passages on the topic.
1 John 4:18 describes the interplay between love and fear as “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
and Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”
And no passage more clearly speaks of the damaging impacts of anxiety more than Jesus’ sermon on the mount in Matthew 6:25-34. Here are a few excerpts from that section:
“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”
“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Anxiety has a way of destroying today by focusing on tomorrow… and not even what will happen tomorrow. It focuses on what might happen tomorrow. No wonder love suffers when we are anxious. Love requires me to be present with the people in my life. It requires me to count my blessings, find joy in trials, and see the best in things… anxiety doesn’t help me with any of those things.
Which is why you will often see very anxious people worry so much that they destroy relationships that really matter to them. Mothers that over-mother to the point that they drive their kids away – why? They are worried about them.
Chronic worry is also associated with fear and negativity. If I’m always worried, then I’m also always seeing life through the lens of the potential problems and that can be emotionally draining on the people around me… taking their energy instead of offering energy to them.
Excessive worry can also lead to insecurity. Insecurity in your marriage. Insecurity in your friendships. If you are anxious and insecure in your relationships then trust erodes and tension grows.
Worry also stops you from having fun… and it is hard to love well if you can’t do enjoyable things. Worry-prone people struggle with spontaneity and trying new things. Which is a problem because all relationships start out as new things!
Anxiety is like a jellyfish – it is invisible and silent and it can absolutely destroy your life.
Which brings us to the Bible solutions to the jellyfish problem. We are going to look at three things that you can do to become less anxious today. If you start doing these things today, you will worry less and love more. I promise.
Number #1 Start thinking about what could go right.
The description of the righteous woman in Proverbs 31 says “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.”
Hopeful laughter is the opposite of anxiety. The woman of Proverbs 31 thinks about the future and laughs. Why? Because she understand that there is another option instead of impending doom. The other option is impending victory.
She laughs at the time to come. Laughter is good medicine. It lowers stress hormones like cortisol, releases endorphins, dopamine and serotonin, and even lowers blood pressure. Laughter is an anxiety killer.
When you start thinking about all the things that can go right. Tomorrow could be a great morning. Maybe that conversation you have been putting off will be the best thing to ever happen to your friendship. Tomorrow’s experiences could bring unexpected positive surprises – good news or progress on goals you didn’t expect. Maybe tomorrow will have setbacks, but maybe those setbacks will make you stronger or help you to become a better person. As James says, “count it all joy when you encounter various trials for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”
The first thing you can do to kill anxiety is offer yourself an alternative – laugh at the time to come. Make room in your mind for positive anticipation instead of apprehension. Anticipate things working out because they can.
Which brings us to Action Number 2 – Focus on what you know instead of what you don’t know.
Jeremiah 17:8 describes the life of the man who trusts in the Lord.
“He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."
A well-planted tree doesn’t need to worry about when the drought might happen because it knows where the river is. You don’t have to anticipate every problem if you know who God is. Worry fixates on how I will fix the unknown problem. Jeremiah reminds us that I don’t have to worry about problems when I know God won’t give me problems too big to handle.
1 Corinthians 10 says it plainly:
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
The unknown becomes trivial in the context of the known. You don’t know what roadblocks and obstacles will come tomorrow – you aren’t even equipped to know that. It is beyond you… but you can put your roots deep and focus on who God is and know His character and remind yourself that the river isn’t moving no matter how big the drought.
When you become anxious – we tend to make a list of the things we don’t know. I don’t know how my boss will respond, or what the doctors will say, or what the weather will be like, or how the party will go, or what the stock market will do.
Instead, make a list of what you do know – you do know God’s character. You do know the people that love you and want you to succeed. You do know that you started this life with nothing and that God has brought you this far. Determine what you are responsible for, consider the broader context of a situation, seek wise counsel, gather the facts, and then accept the uncertainty based upon the foundation of what you know is certain.
I’m going to say this out loud so that you hear someone saying it to you – the next time you are anxious – remember you are loved. God loves you… and that won’t stop if things don’t go well tomorrow. His love is resilient and you should be, too.
Which brings me to the third action. After you have counted how things could go right and laughed at the future, and after you have made a list of the things that are known and certain and planted your tree firmly by the waters… I want you to pray about what you are anxious about.
Peter in his first letter to his fellow Christians said, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
Do you notice that phrase? Casting all your anxieties – Peter was a fishermen, he knew all about casting. Casting is when you throw something way out into deep water like a fishing line. Anxieties are uncertainties we are keeping inside us. They aren’t meant to stay there. They are meant to be cast into deeper waters. That’s who God is. Deeper waters. He can handle those uncertainties and questions and you can’t. So let Him love you.
The early Christians faced many uncertainties – from daily concerns over wages and provision to fear of persecution to disease, famine, and rejection. How did God tell them to deal with those anxieties. Philippians 4 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
God has a peace you can’t have without Him giving it to you. He also doesn’t want you to be anxious about anything. We are told to “in everything” to let our requests be made known to Him. God has broad shoulders – He wants you to take these problems and give them to Him because to Him… they aren’t big problems.
So, starting today, let’s love better and be better at accepting God’s love, too. Number one – count up what good can happen. Number two – make a list of what you know. And Number three – take that list of what you don’t know, what you are anxious about, and give it to God. Let Him love you.
Learn to love better – learn to love without anxiety. Don’t let the jellyfish get you.
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And until next time, “Remember, you are loved, so go… love better.”