Millions of people suffer from anxiety every day. Ask yourself these questions. Do you find yourself fighting feelings of worry all the time? Do you feel increasingly anxious and tense? Do you obsess about things that may or may not happen? If so, you may be one who suffers from anxiety. In this blog post, I want to share with you the different types of anxiety disorders, people that you can relate to who deal with anxiety in today’s world and who dealt with it in the bible, and 9 ways that can help you to deal with it as a Christian.
5 TYPES OF ANXIETY DISORDERS
The most common anxiety disorders are generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Let’s take a look at how each of these disorders can affect us.
Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by chronic anxiety, exaggerated worry, and tension, even when there is little or nothing to provoke it.
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress.
Social anxiety disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD) is an anxiety disorder and is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions).
Post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened.
MY ANXIETY STORY
I have been dealing with anxiety for many years now. My anxiety stems from sin in my past, my job, and genetics.
My grandma, mom, and my sister all have had or are dealing with anxiety right now. I suspect that my grandfather might have had anxiety too as he covered it up with alcohol.
I also managed a restaurant for 17 years. And those of you know that running your own business can be very stressful.
12 years ago my husband and I separated for 2 years. I experienced anxiety because I was having an affair during those 2 years. My anxiety is a consequence of the choices I had made and the life I was living at that time.
Although you may sin, if you repent of the sin, God is just to forgive you and he can turn your sin into a blessing. I went to the Lord broken and ashamed of the affair I had and he restored my marriage 100 times over. I wish I could change what I did back then but I had to move forward and not dwell in the past. I am glad God is a forgiving God and that he blessed my marriage as a result of my repentance.
PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCE ANXIETY IN THE BIBLE
There were many people who struggled with anxiety in the bible. Here are a few of them to mention.
David was someone who called out to the Lord a lot in distress. His story is filled with mental anguish. David wrote a lot of the Psalms and he talked about when King Saul tried to kill him. David committed adultery and even had someone murdered for him. These things certainly were a good reason to have anxiety.
Daniel dealt with terrifying visions. Daniel mentioned that he was greatly troubled by the visions.
Daniel 8: 27 says, Then I Daniel was overcome and lay sick for several days. Afterward, I got up and performed my duties for the king, but I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it.
Elijah was known for his spiritual courage. But there were times when Elijah wasn’t sure what the Lord was leading him to do. He did not know how God was going to work things out, but he knew enough to trust him. He trusted God through the drought. And he trusted when he did not know how to escape from Jezebel. He was a man who learned to trust God despite the anxiety he may have felt.
FAMOUS PEOPLE OF TODAY WHO DEAL WITH ANXIETY DISORDER
Here are a few famous people that you may know of in today’s world that deal with anxiety on a daily basis: Johnny Depp, Emma Stone, Kim Basinger, Scarlette Johansson, Adele, Howie Mandel, and David Beckham.
At one point Adele had to quit touring because of her anxiety. She even brought her therapist along on the road when she eventually started to tour again.
HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS DEAL WITH ANXIETY?
With anxiety, the important thing is you need to realize you are not alone in your struggle. So many times I have felt alone and ashamed. I thought that nobody understood what I was going through. I just wanted to feel normal again. So I began to seek out the Lord and he graciously helped me get on medication and taught me how to deal with the anxiety.
Here are 9 ways that have helped me with anxiety and I pray that these ways will help you too.
–You need to remember who is in control. What God allows to happen in your life he has a purpose for. You may not understand his reason but you need to just trust that he knows what he is doing.
–You need to have faith. You have a God that has already been through what you have been through. Jesus had anxiety too! And he knows what it’s going to take to help you feel better.
–You need to continually seek God. God doesn’t want you to give up hope. He says you need to pray without ceasing. Which means you should never stop praying. (1 Thess 5: 17).
–You need to put him first in your life. God says you should seek his kingdom above all else and live right and then he will give you everything you need. (Matthew 6: 33).
–You need not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow has enough worries of its own. Focus on the present and get through today. Worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. (Matthew 6: 34).
–You need to take one day at a time. Sometimes one moment at a time. God knows your needs and doesn’t want you to suffer from anxiety. You need to give your worries over to him and let him take care of them. Even if that means you need to ask 10 times a day. Remember don’t give up on praying. He will give you the peace you need to get through.
–You need to be aware of your thoughts and you need to correct them if they don’t align with God’s word. Every time you get a negative thought in your mind you need to replace it with a verse you can repeat over and over. Your thoughts can not be trusted. But God’s word can.
–You need to worship him. Although you may not feel like it, worshipping can bring peace and comfort. Just like your thoughts, your feelings can not be trusted. They come and go as they, please. You can not rely on them. But you can depend on God. If you worship Him while you are experiencing anxiety your feelings will start to change and then you will be able to see and feel the difference worshipping the Lord can bring.
–You can Purchase my Anxiety Bundle! Psychologists suggest that you have something to go to when anxiety strikes. Something that will calm your anxious mind. This bundle has over 45 pages of faith based material that will help you in dealing with anxiety. This bundle contains scripture cards and bible verses with instructions to help reduce anxiety, a daily anxiety prayer, daily, weekly, and monthly planners, tips and action steps to take to help you know how to handle anxiety when it strikes, theraputic coloring pages, a list of foods that are harmful and foods that reduce anxiety, 20 theraputic journaling prompts to help you journal your thoughts, anxiety, mood, and gratitude trackers, and so much more! Click the link below to purchase my bundle!
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CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I think that the more you spend time reading and talking to Lord, the more you will learn to trust him. I believe learning to trust Him is the key to healing from anxiety.
Please know that there are those out there that need medical attention when it comes to their anxiety. Please seek help if the anxiety doesn’t go away. God uses doctors, medicine, and therapists as a way to help you when you need it. So don’t feel ashamed if you have to seek outside help.
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