Dealing with Anxiety as a Christian
This past Sunday, I had a panic attack. At church. In the middle of the last worship song.
In a place where I’m supposed to focus on worshipping and praising my God, I completely broke down and fell into the spiraling negative thoughts that had taken hold of me.
2 Corinthians 10:5
5We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
As Christians, we sometimes believe that if we’re anxious or worried, then we’re not being “good” Christians. Have you felt that way? Well-meaning people will sometimes point to Philippians 4:6 or John 14:27 to remind us not to worry or be afraid and to trust God in everything.
And that’s true and that’s great, but when I’m in a downward spiral of panic, the last thing that’s going to help me stop panicking is to tell me that as a Christian I’m not supposed to be panicking. Then I just feel like there’s something wrong with me. Where is my faith if I have a panic attack? Does that mean that I don’t trust God with my life? Does that mean that I’m doing this whole Christian thing wrong?
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When I’m in the middle of a spiral, I typically need someone I trust to be there with me, reminding me to slow my breath. This person is typically my husband, but on this Sunday, I was in a stall in the ladies’ room by myself.
I felt an attack coming on in the middle of our worship song, so I ran to the bathroom to avoid a scene during service. In the middle of my panic, I prayed. I always do. I remember that God is there to help me through it. But for me, that head knowledge isn’t always enough to bring me out of it. Because the battle is in my head.
But I prayed for help, and God sent it in the form of a very kind woman who I had just met that day.
While I tried to be quiet when she came into the bathroom, she heard me. And she knocked on the stall, asking if I was alright and if there was anything she could do.
Typically, my knee-jerk (and prideful) response is to say no, I’m fine. But since I had asked God to send me help, I opened the door.
And she was so kind, and she gave me gum, and she prayed over me. And she gave me a genuine, big, comforting hug. And I was able to calm down enough to function.
This was the first panic attack I have had in about a year, and while I believe I will always struggle with anxiety, there are some things that I have found that keep me in a healthy enough place to prevent those big attacks from happening.
Looking through my list, I have neglected several of these areas for months, and this Sunday was a bit of a wake-up call for me to focus on my health so I can continue on with the work God’s calling me to do.
Dealing with Anxiety as a Christian
Give yourself grace.
2 Corinthians 12:9
9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Read that verse again.
I will boast of my weakness. It doesn’t say that I need to be strong or that I’m not allowed to be weak.
It says that I am weak, I will be weak in the future, and that Christ’s power rests on me when I recognize that weakness in myself.
God’s grace is sufficient for me, and I need to have grace for myself. When I am in a battle with anxiety, I do feel weak. If I was a stronger person or a better Christian, then I wouldn’t feel this way. But that’s not what scripture says. It says that I am weak, and that’s ok, and God will show up in the middle of it. His grace is sufficient.
Pay attention to what you’re consuming.
Romans 12:1
12I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
We are consumers by nature, and what we consume has a huge impact on our health. And I’m not only referring to what we eat (although that’s part of it). We consume things into the body, mind, and spirit.
Body
What you consume into your body is extremely important. The best fuel obtains the best results, right? So for me personally, I find that the more processed foods and the more sweets I eat, the more I feel it negatively impact my body. My stomach hurts, I get headaches that progressively get worse until I start having migraines, and I just have an overall feeling of sluggishness. I do best when I focus on nourishing my body with whole foods. Pay attention to how foods affect you, and respond as necessary.
Mind
What our minds consume is also important. I’m looking at you, Netflix, news stations, and social media. How much of what you watch/listen to daily is negative? Because I’m struggling with my mental health here, wouldn’t it make sense that what I’m feeding my mind matters?
Personally, I find the more I’m watching the news and the more time I’m spending on social media, the more negative I become and the more I start to spiral. So I really look at what my mind is consuming, and I try to shift focus onto more uplifting and positive content.
Soul
How much Jesus are you consuming? When I start to neglect time reading scripture or praying, my soul starts to get thirsty and hungry, and it’s easier for me to focus on the storm around me rather than the God before me (Matthew 14:22-33).
To be honest, I have a difficult time just reading the Bible. I need guidance and help. But I have found an easy way to get more Bible into my day with the help of my phone. If you have the YouVersion Bible app, you can press play and listen to the Bible being read to you. During difficult or stressful times, I’ll just press play on the app and have it play in the background while I do dishes or cook dinner.
I also love podcasts for the same reason. Most authors have podcasts now, so if there’s a Christian author you like, go and listen to their podcast. It’s a great and fun way to be filled with scripture and positive content (this counts for the mind too!).
Move your body.
I have a complicated relationship with exercise. I go through seasons where I’m fully committed to an exercise plan, and I go to the gym regularly, and I feel good, and it’s great.
And then something happens where I miss a day, and then another, and another, and before I realize it, it’s been three months and I haven’t done anything to move my body.
Keep in mind, I’m not talking about hard-core HIIT everyday.
That’s great if you’re at that point, but two hours of sweating and trying to catch my breath has never been my thing. Moving your body can be as simple as a 10-minute walk around your neighborhood.
Whatever way you choose to move your body is great, and I’ve found that any sort of exercise I do is beneficial for my mental health. This is definitely an area I’ve been ignoring, so to get back to a healthier mental space, I’m going to focus on small steps I can take to move my body more.
Talk to someone.
Proverbs 11:14
14Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
When I get in my head, it’s sometimes hard to find a way out by myself. I need to verbally get it out so it stops repeating over and over in my mind.
Sometimes, this looks like going to my husband or a trusted friend. Sometimes this looks like seeking counsel with a pastor or other church leader. And sometimes, this looks like professional therapy.
I have gone to therapy a few times in my life, and it has helped me tremendously, and sometimes my anxiety is so big that the other options available to me just aren’t enough.
No matter which way you go or which options are available to you, I would encourage you to talk to someone. Just the act of spilling everything out of me can help to remove it from my head and help me to process and move on.
Look at all available options.
Lastly, I would recommend talking to a doctor and looking at all of the options that are available to you. Sometimes this includes adding in essential oils or herbs and vitamins, and sometimes this includes prescribed medications.
For me, certain supplements in conjunction with all of the other steps are extremely effective. I’ve used essential oils, tinctures, and capsules, and all forms have proven to be effective for me. So if you’ve tried everything else, talk to your primary care physician and see what other options are available to you.
Ezekiel 47:12
12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”
Dear God, thank you so much for always being with me, especially in times when I feel so weak and helpless that I’m unsure of how to move on.
I am grateful that when I am weak, you are able to lift me up in your strength. I am grateful that when I ask for help, you show up. I am grateful that there are practical things that I can do to deal with my anxiety. And I am grateful that no matter what it is that I’m struggling with, your grace abounds. I have anxiety, but I am not defined by it. I am defined by you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Dealing with anxiety as a Christian can sometimes feel completely contradictory to the life I’m supposed to have in Christ, but the truth is, we live in a broken world. And I will never be able to live a completely unburdened life this side of Heaven.
But what I can do is recognize my worth in Christ, accept His love and grace and mercy, and approach life the best way I know how. God has given us so many tools to use to help us through this life, and as I face trials and struggles, I will cling to Him to get me through.
Blessings Friend.
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