Phil. 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing”

If you watch the news or engage with social media, you can’t help noticing that anxiety plagues our society. It seems that everyone is anxious about current events. I got off Twitter recently because when I’m on it for too long, I start to feel that familiar tingling of nerve endings and acid in my stomach that are the telltale signs of anxiety. It’s hard enough to keep anxiety under control. I sure don’t want to invite it into my life with social media platforms that stoke it.

 The first chapter of my book, “Facing Life’s Challenges Head On,” is about anxiety. I experienced it severely about six years ago, to the point that I was almost completely debilitated for several months. For the most part, it’s passed now though I still have bouts with it occasionally. As an anxiety survivor, it breaks my heart when I hear of others who are battling it. Anxiety is not something to ignore or minimize. If you’ve been experiencing it for any length of time, I recommend getting medical attention.

 We may feel embarrassed to ask for help, especially as Christians, because we’ve been told most of our lives that Jesus is all we need. For salvation and forgiveness of sins, Jesus IS all we need. But for managing the hardships of life, there’s no shame in needing professional help. God gave us doctors and medicine to help us when we need it. If we got a cancer diagnosis, we’d go to a doctor to have it treated. Anxiety is no different. It’s a mental illness. There should be no stigma attached to it. Don’t let shame or pride interfere with getting help.

 Here are a few other suggestions that helped break the hold that anxiety had on me that may be helpful for you.

1. I needed to learn not to make mountains out of every molehill. That’s not easy to do when the waves of anxiety roll over you. It takes discipline not to “catastrophize” every problem so that every paper cut becomes a terminal illness. Assess the situation properly. Don’t let it become a mountain.

2. Learn to pray for others. When you’re stuck in the anxiety cycle, all you can think about is yourself. You have to break that cycle by praying for others. It takes your mind off of yourself and your problems and breaks the cycle of worry.

3. Get around other people. I know it’s hard during a pandemic, but anxiety feeds on isolation. As safely as you can, make it a point to meet with friends and share your burden. My friends spent time with me and prayed for me for months. You need friends like that when you’re enduring anxiety.

4. Find a new purpose. It’s been said that the definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over and expecting different results. For me, every day was the same, an endless cycle of white-knuckle worry that would start to dissipate a bit by the end of the day. But in the morning, it was back full throttle. To break the cycle, I got a temporary job out of the house that provided for my family. Leaving the house and working for someone else redirected my thoughts away from worry and anxiety.

5. Surround yourself with scripture. I had sticky notes with encouraging verses posted all around my computer screen to remind me of God’s promises and His faithfulness.

6. Remember that God is trying to teach you something through it. If you’re dealing with anxiety, ask God what He’s trying to teach you. What changes do you need to make? For me, anxiety gave me greater compassion for others and helped prepare me for ministering to the needs of others as a pastor. That’s why God allowed me to go through it. He was shaping me for His purposes. How might God be using anxiety to shape you?

Anxiety is terrible. If I had a worst enemy, I wouldn’t wish it on him! It’s not something that we can defeat overnight or alone. God wants us to be anxious for nothing (Phil. 4:6), but God uses everything He allows for His purposes. If you’re going through it, I can only encourage you that it WILL end. It does not last forever. I believe that in time you’ll be able to look back on it, not fondly, but with gratitude for what God taught you.