There’s a question I hear a lot these days from fellow combat veterans and members of the military…

“Why am I so anxious?”

It’s a question that you can likely resonate with. I know I can.

When you’re in a combat zone, you are under the constant threat of death. You’re in a battle operation and a battle readiness that does not slow down. So many of us know that when we come home, it’s really hard to let go of that intensity of constantly being aware and engaged.

You are just not able to calm down, no matter how hard you try.

Our environment doesn’t make it any easier. We’re living in a day and age where we have constant communication through our phones. We have access to information, news, entertainment – all the time. And while there can be upsides to connecting in ways we couldn’t before, we can all admit there are downsides, and one of those is, you guessed it… anxiety.

Research has shown that cell phone use can definitely be a contributor to anxiety and depression.

With that in mind, I want to share one simple answer to help you with your anxiousness that could actually make the majority of it go away. 

But before I tell you, let me share a couple of things about the human mind and how it works. 

Your mind can be divided into two parts – the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. 

In battle terms, the conscious mind is what’s active when you’re engaging the enemy – riot rounds are coming downrange, and you need to return fire. You’re going to consciously pick your targets and take them out. 

Or it’s when you’re studying a map, looking at different route points that you can take to get to a certain position. Your mind is consciously thinking about that. 

That’s your conscious mind.

Now the other part of your brain is the subconscious. This is what keeps your heart beating while you’re sleeping or driving a familiar route. Your brain is working – you’re just not aware of it. 

When you’re not actively focused on something, and you’re letting your brain just sit and rest and think, that’s the subconscious mind. 

Here’s the shocking thing I’ve learned: 10% of your mental brain capacity is your conscious mind and 90% is your subconscious mind. 

Think about that for a moment. 

How active is your mind on any given day when you’re focused on tasks or getting things done? It’s active probably a good chunk of your day.

And then when you’re not actively focused on a task or to-do list, what are you doing? Likely you’re on your phone – watching TikTok, scrolling Instagram, or looking at email. Then you set your phone down, and you’re back on task. 

Your whole day is spent consciously consuming information… more information, in fact, than someone just 100 years ago would consume in their entire lifetime! 

And the other 90% of your mental capacity, your subconscious mind, has no time to process everything it’s consuming.  

That’s a problem. 

With all the technology at our disposal and the demands of our daily life, we aren’t      allowing our subconscious minds to do what God created them to do. And what effect does that have on us? 

It burns out the 10% of our conscious mind. And the fruit of that is depression and anxiety. 

So here’s the very simple solution… put your phone down. 

Go for a walk. Sit and think. Give your brain some space to play or come up with ideas. Just clear your mind. You will begin to access the 90% of your brain power that’s available to calm yourself, to be strong, and to be a better warrior. 

Now when I say it’s simple, I’m not saying it’s necessarily easy – at least not at first. When you put your phone down, you’ll feel it calling to you. 

That’s because our phones’ operating systems are literally designed to distract us. When we check a message or an alert, our brains release a small amount of dopamine – the brain’s reward hormone. So your brain will want to feel that tingle from a read message, a liked post, or some new bit of information. 

The problem is that this dopamine boost is temporary, and when it goes away, we feel let down.

So, when your phone calls to you, resist the urge to pick it up! Let your mind be still, and you’ll soon start to reap the fruit of that one simple step.

There’s a verse of Scripture that I’ve always loved. It’s Psalm 46:10, and it says: 

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

What’s God saying? He’s saying to stop and let your mind dwell on Him because there you will find rest.  

It’s actually through being still and doing nothing – giving yourself mental space – that you’re freed to feel God’s presence. When your mind is still, you can allow space for healing… and find freedom from thoughts that feel depressive and anxious.  

When you give your mind space, you increase your capacity to think and do all that God has called you to do, which will make God exalted on the earth.

So next time you ask yourself, Why am I so anxious? don’t Google it to see what someone out there says. 

Put down your phone and be still.

God bless you.