A  spiritual approach to healing your anxiety

It’s time to show anxiety who’s

boss

Common Symptoms of Anxiety 

Being anxious can literally suck the life right out of you. Just like comparison, anxiety is a thief of joy. I know because I’ve been there. I get it. It’s horrible. It can be debilitating. I’ve lived through the physical symptoms, of shaking legs, an upset stomach that controls your appetite; either you eat too much to try and calm your nerves or you can’t eat because your stomach is too upset. Some common symptoms of anxiety are:

 

 

• tension headaches
• body aches
• Depression
• feelings of restlessness
• lack of concentration
• trouble sleeping
• being irritated
• physical shakes/tremors
• upset stomach

These physical symptoms can stem from being anxious and nervous. Whether you are nervous about a temporary situation (situational anxiety) or perpetually anxious in general, it makes no difference, anxiety can affect your entire body and wreak havoc on your body’s immune system.

Disclaimer: This is by no means an exhaustive article on anxiety, but one that explains my personal experience and the things I did that moved me out of the cycle of anxiety. I am sharing them with you with the hope that your path out will be one you are on soon with clear resolution for you. As with any recommendations for help and healing, you should seek the advice of a medical physician

Typical Causes of Anxiety

There is a huge range of experiences that we face in life that can bring about feelings of anxiety. This can happen when we are young children or adults. You may have faced a situation when you were a child, and as an adult, even the thought of that brings about sweaty palms, increased heart rate, etc. You wouldn’t believe the number of people I have personally met that can no longer enjoy a day swimming in the ocean thanks to a movie they saw when they were children! I bet you can name it now!

Let the Healing Begin to Flow

Some feelings of anxiety can stay with you if you’ve had repeated personal occurrences, or if you have not dealt with it or parsed it out. Healing comes when we unpack those thoughts and feelings. Some memories may be irrational and some are truly legitimate such as physical or mental abuse/trauma. Sometimes we push those issues so far back in the closet of our minds we think we’ve covered them for good, but then someone says something, or you see or hear something, and those feelings of anxiety are triggered once again.

Unlikely friends

You may have heard that anxiety and depression go hand in hand. What a lovely bunch, NOT!! There are some things in life you can totally work out on your own, and others you just need help with. Admitting there is an issue is a HUGE step in the right direction. Healing first begins when we recognize there is a problem we can’t resolve on our own. Once you’ve identified it you can begin to establish the triggers that bring about those intense feelings of anxiety and finally start clearing house as it were. Now it’s time to take those anxious thoughts and throw them in the trash! Yup, you heard me, throw them OUT!

Anxiety fuels itself on negative thoughts that continue to breed until your head is just full of them. Can I get a witness? The battlefield is in the mind, so the thoughts you throw out of there, or put in there really matter. This is why biblical and positive daily affirmations are so vital.

 

 

A New Approach To Healing Anxiety and Depression

As a believer in Jesus, I take my identity and affirmations straight from scripture. When you accept Jesus as your Savior there is a “welcome to the kingdom” package just for you! It’s loaded with all the goodness God has to offer His children and it’s free of charge to you as His child! I learned my biblical identity when speaking to my counselor. She handed me a book and it’s one I still use and reference today. In fact, I share it with all my coaching clients. Wanna know what it is? Victory Over the Darkness by Neil T. Anderson. Outside of accepting Christ as my Savior this one book has had the most impact on my life. It has literally changed

the trajectory of my life by clearing out the debris in my mind (those negative, untrue thoughts of low self-worth), and pointed me to my identity IN Christ. Your biblical identity is what God says is true of you. For example, when God says you are His masterpiece it’s because it is true! He has created you anew in Christ Jesus, so you can do the good things he planned for you long ago (Eph 2.10) you can believe it. If you are new to the Christian faith or have not accepted Christ here is one of the many Bible verses we as Christians hold fast to (John 20:31) “but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”

Change Your Thinking to Dispose of Anxious Thoughts

One by one I began to replace the old hurtful, self-deprecating thoughts with truth from God’s Word, and I’ve never been the same! Knowing who you are in Christ helps you to live from a place of security and deep abiding confidence. It will help you walk in ALL God has for you. Having this confidence doesn’t mean I never get anxious about anything, but honestly,

it RARELY happens. Knowing your identity and identifying yourself as Christ does is beyond liberating. The weights come off and you are FREE to be and do; FREE to fully live, and enjoy life!

Steps to Living Anxiety Free

There is much that can be done if you’re willing to face these anxious feelings head-on. I’m not going to lie, it takes a while to move past anxiety. Those negative anxious thoughts have probably taken root in your mind, but as you stop giving place to those thoughts they will become a thing of the past. It is important to take a multi-faceted approach to these nervous feelings you’ve been experiencing.

If you need to make an appointment with a counselor or therapist of some sort then do it, there is absolutely NO shame in that. The very fact that you recognize you’re facing a problem that is bigger than yourself is huge and will help you jumpstart your way to healing. Don’t be surprised if your medical doctor says you need to see a therapist or vice versa. The two go hand in hand and rightfully they should. A medical doctor would be remiss if he/she just prescribed a pill for you. Medication for anxiety, depression, and the like work best with a multifaceted approach of education, medication (if needed), and therapy.

It’s likely you’ve been holding these thoughts inside, but the storm in your head needs an exit point in order to bring healing your way. Keeping anxious or depressive thoughts in your head and stuffing them down inside is NEVER helpful. We give a lot of things over to God, but sometimes we are unwilling to share the deepest darkest places for fear of rejection. Rejection is NOT part of God’s character toward His children. Scripture says Psalm 46:1”God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. I encourage you to ask the Lord for help in this area of your life. Hebrews 13:5 He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

In the meantime, you may want to employ some of the following strategies to help relieve your symptoms

These 10 Strategies Can Help You Cope With And Overcome Anxiety

1. Remind yourself that God IS there and IS willing to help.
2. Give yourself some time away even just 15 minutes is helpful
3. If possible move to another room
4. Take a few deep breaths to help calm yourself
5. Take an inventory of your diet, are you getting too much caffeine or other stimulants that could be adding to your physical symptoms?
6. Don’t isolate yourself for too long, meet with or call a friend for support
7. If at all possible take a walk or exercise. Moving your body also helps your mind to become focused and healthy
8. Believe for a positive outcome
9. Focus on the positive things about yourself and your life
10. Mom was right, a good night’s sleep can really help. Be sure to get enough rest so your body can heal from the physical effects of anxiety

 

What does the Bible say about anxiety?

These are just a few of the hundreds of verses about fear in the Bible. When anxious thoughts come your way it is helpful to pick a few of them and say them out loud. Say them over and over if you need to. The fact is that little by little, day by day you will be changing your mindset and replacing anxious thoughts with the truth about who you really are. I’m speaking from experience when I say this is a life-changing exercise!

Phil. 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Psalm 34:17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.”For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control

2 Tim 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Isa. 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

There are hundreds of Bible verses about your identity in Christ and His deep abiding love for you, but I’ll save that for another blog post!

My Prayer for You

My prayer for you is that when you employ these methods you will find freedom from anxiety and that in Christ you find true and lasting peace and confidence that comes from being His child.

Anxiety steals your self-esteem and self-confidence. If you have not ordered my FREE eBook 7 Days To A More Confident You I urge you to do so. You can sign up by clicking the link below or simply use the sign-up form located to the right of each page here on my blog.

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/4hwM7k5/MyConfidentStyle

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As always,

Xoxo, Karen