In a Tizzy

Mystery's Voice

In a Tizzy

0:00

-13:58

In a Tizzy

Real Panic to Fictional Threats

Cindy MacGregor

Feb 01, 2026

Sometimes life delivers an unexpected threat to our plans. This threat elicits real panic, even if the threat is fictional. Oh, no! With mind racing and heart pounding, this imagined danger puts us “in a tizzy.”

Note. This image was created using Microsoft Copilot.

My Mysterious Mind

This has been a very full week because of snow days. That probably sounds weird; most people have less to do when stuck inside because of “snow-mageddon.” I advise dozens of doctoral students on developing their dissertation ideas for advanced study in education. Most of these students are teachers or administrators in schools, schools closed when the weather turns arctic and dangerous. Their schedules open and mine fills with appointments. One of these students shared with me she had been “in a tizzy” about meeting with me, worried she would not be where she needed to be.

What a funny phrase, one I don’t hear often: “in a tizzy.” Tucking the phrase in the back of my mind, I saved it for a future reflection.

Then it happened – I went into a tizzy. On Thursday, as the number of appointments on my schedule finally decreased, I got a phone call from one of my daughters. She now lives only three hours away and is mother to our geographically closest grandchildren. The reason for her call? Could we watch her two children this weekend?

I was surprised by my reaction. Telling her, “Yes,” I subsequently went into a panic. How would I have time to write this week’s message? My planned day of writing, Friday, would need to share time with three hours of driving to meet halfway. Saturday, which is my backup day for writing, would be time I would want to invest with my two grandchildren. Plus, I had several commitments already planned for the remainder of Thursday. I felt my heart rate increase as my body prepared me to face a threat.

Honestly, I was disappointed in myself for such real panic to such a fictional threat. Would anything really terrible happen if I didn’t finish my weekly message, or it was shorter than I had planned? My mind raced as I pushed through a Thursday afternoon of prior commitments.

Then I realized I was “in a tizzy” and could use this as inspiration for this week’s message. Rather than experiencing an intrusion into my perfect plans, I was given an opportunity to explore my own reaction and experiment with how to restore a sense of calm.

What about you? How do you react when life sends you into a tizzy? Better yet, how do you get out of a tizzy and find your way back to calmness?

Message of Mystery Acres

Tizzy doesn’t find her way to the forest very often. Typically, our bit of nature is a place to recover from tizzy. The whole point of having a place to get away is to leave tizzy at home.

I haven’t been to Mystery Acres in 2026. The closest I’ve come is sitting in the living room recliner watching the cardinals in the brush across from our house. The bits of red provide pops of color against the snow. They live simple lives and don’t seem to stress about imaginary threats.

I suspect the indigenous people who used to live at Mystery Acres didn’t stress as much as I do about fictional problems. It seems likely their lives and minds were kept busier than mine with necessary activity for survival. I don’t envy them; I prefer my complicated, comfortable life. But thinking about them and thinking about birds helps me understand my tendency to invent problems. A mind not kept busy with the demands of survival will express its need to solve problems by imagining them.

The message of Mystery Acres suggests we focus our minds on actual problems we can solve rather than panicking over fictional threats. The human mind doesn’t shut down; it needs to solve problems, even if only imaginary ones. However, being in a tizzy isn’t helpful when the threats are invisible.

Ancient Mystery’s Voice

“Jesus told the tizzy to stop and there was complete calm.” (See Matthew 8: 26)

Three of the four Gospels tell the story of a few terrified disciples in a boat during a storm (see Matthew 8, Luke 4, and Mark 8). Combining the three narratives, Jesus is lying asleep in the boat and is awakened by the frightened men. After standing up, Jesus chastises them for being afraid, commenting on their having so little faith. Jesus then rebukes the wind and waves by saying, “Peace! Be still!” The winds cease, the waves decrease, and the sea becomes perfectly calm.

Because I am unlikely to be in a boat during a storm at sea with Jesus asleep, I think of this story as a metaphor applied to my life, especially those times when I am in a tizzy. My heart is churning with dark emotions, and my mind is racing and raging with terrifying possibilities. There is no real storm, but my reactions are very real to an imagined threat.

I don’t need to wake up Jesus because He isn’t sleeping, but I do need to turn to Him for help. I can visualize Him sighing deeply, looking at me compassionately, and lovingly asking, “Where is your faith in Me?” As I start to answer, He envelops me with the calm of His presence. “Be still my child.” The turmoil in my heart and mind fades; the storm of my tizzy subsides.

I can imagine it being that simple, but a real tizzy might take a bit to dissipate. The spinning wheels of my frantic thoughts gradually slow. The twisting of my emotions unravels bit by bit. Calling to the Lord of All Mystery, reading His Ancient Words, and waiting for the calm to envelop me – I become totally calm.

Ancient Mystery’s Voice can speak words of peace and calm into our stormy times of tizzy. To hear His command of peace requires turning from the storm and looking to Him for the power of His presence. A tizzy is a symptom of our attempts to fight an imaginary battle on our own strength. Calming that storm, like quieting the sea, requires supernatural assistance.

Living in Mystery

What does it mean to live in the mystery of “in a tizzy,” having real panic to fictional threats? It starts with understanding when we are “in a tizzy,” reacting with anxiety to an imagined crisis, not an actual one. If the emergency is real, the panic will prompt action. In true emergencies, it is clear what action to take. Call 911 for health emergencies. Shout for help when trapped or in physical danger. Throw a lifeline to someone who is drowning. You get the idea. Fictional threats, however, just set the mind to racing and the heart to pounding. Prepared to fight or flee, the appropriate action is ambiguous because the threat is invisible. This is what it means to be “in a tizzy” but not in actual danger.

Just because the threat isn’t visible, doesn’t mean the sense of danger isn’t real. A sense of tizzy is accompanied by a pervasive sense of fear. The mind races through imagined scenarios without focusing on solutions. What if? Oh, no! What if? Oh, no! Meanwhile the heart is pounding, and the body is prepared for intense action. The panic is genuine; the danger is not.

Instead of internally chasing imagined dangers, stop and ask yourself, “What am I afraid is going to happen?” Face the threat. Then ask yourself, “What can I do to deal with that if it happens?” Prepare your strategy for coping with the worst-case scenario. Finally, redirect your racing thoughts to potential solutions to avoid that worst-case scenario. “What can I do now to decrease the chances of the worst-case scenario happening?” If action can be taken, set to work. If nothing can be done to change the course ahead into potential danger, then let it go.

Easier said than done, I know. Here’s what helps me. First, I will try to sit and calm myself, focusing on a favorite Bible verse, talking to God about what frightens me. If that doesn’t work, I will pace and pray. This might be doing laps around a conference table at work until my mind settles. Sometimes it involves walking back and forth from one end of my house to the other, all while talking to my invisible friend about my troubles. Being in a tizzy compels action; I can release that compulsion into physical movement.

Call out for help. The storm may be internal, but the need for help is real. Talk to someone about what is threatening you. Better yet, turn to Jesus and ask Him to calm the storm inside of you. Imagine Him saying, “Peace! Be still!” Breathe in the peace of His presence. Breathe out the tension and worry. All is well when Jesus is in your boat. All is well.

Count your blessings. A mind “in a tizzy” needs something calming on which to focus. Starting with the letter “A,” what blessings come to mind? Thank You for apples. B? What blessings in my life start with B? Babies. Thank You, Lord, for babies. I love babies. Continue through the alphabet until you reach Z. If your mind is still racing, start again with A until you find that Calmness, which starts with C. Thank You, Lord, for my calm mind.

Our incredibly imaginative minds sometimes work against us, racing into a frenzy of fictional threats, triggering real panic. When this happens, recognize the threat isn’t real, though the pounding heart and swirling thoughts are. Face the fear, prepare for the worst, then focus on redirecting yourself to a better outcome. Try pacing and prayer. Count your blessings A through Z. Repeat as needed. Call out for help to the One who has supernatural power to conquer all threats. Find your way out of the tizzy back to a place of calm.

Connecting with Mystery

Dear Lord of All Mystery, I confess to sometimes going into a tizzy, as I try to face imaginary troubles without Your help. Settle me. Remind me that You, my invisible God, are master of all things in my life, visible and invisible. Calm the storm inside of me. Show me the way forward. Thank You for being my supernatural God who can defeat my imaginary enemies. Help me trust You more. Amen.