Ways to Overcome Anxiety

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" Philippians 4:6, ESV.

Sounds easy enough... so then why is it so hard?

There are so many reasons people feel anxiety. It can be an uneasy feeling before a test or a debilitating panic before going to work and a million scenarios in between. It is experienced in different ways for different people, which means that the resolve is also different for different people. There is no instant fix-all for overcoming these feelings of intense worry, fear, nervousness, uneasiness or dread, but there IS hope for overcoming these feelings- and it starts with faith.

I'm reminded of different heroes of the faith who seemed to experience anxiety and their process of overcoming. David experienced anxiety on numerous occasions as he battled his enemies and in his overcoming, he poured his heart out to God in psalms and worship. Esther was anxious about asking the King to save her people, so she called for a fast on her behalf before approaching him. Martha experienced situational anxiety as she was serving Jesus and his disciples in her home. When she asked Jesus if he cared that her sister left her to serve alone while she sat at the feet of Jesus during his teaching, he responded: "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her" Luke 10:40-42, ESV. When Jesus was on the Mount of Olives before his arrest that led to his crucifixion, he was in great agony- to the extreme of sweating blood, and he prayed earnestly to the Father.

I believe that these examples align with Paul's exhortation in Philippians 4:6 and teach us four spiritual tenets for overcoming anxiety:

1) Worship [this is the thanksgiving aspect of Philippians 4:6]

2) Fast/Seek God [this is the supplication aspect of Philippians 4:6, a genuine, indigence entreaty]

3) Listen to the Lord's instruction [read, listen, trust, and obey his Word]

4) Pray [and let your requests be made known to God]

Another cool thing is that God has given us science and wisdom in understanding some of the physiological effects of anxiety. There are some research-based tools we can use alongside the spiritual tenets to help us overcome.

1) Breathing: this simple exercise gives your brain a quick reset so that you can focus. "When you’re stressed, the levels of a chemical called noradrenaline in your brain get too high and your brain’s attention networks are disrupted which gives you a distracted type of thinking. (Some people then start to hold their breath which further exacerbates the problem.) The carbon dioxide levels in your blood begin to rise and that kicks into life the locus coeruleus, a specific part of your brain which starts producing even more noradrenaline. As noradrenaline levels rise even higher and your attention networks start working out of synchrony, it becomes very difficult to focus on just one thing.

When you take a deep breath, it puts a break on this whole system. It is your brain’s reset button. If you stop and breathe in for the count of 4 and out for the count of 6, it targets the locus coeruleus and your noradrenaline levels are brought back down and your attention networks can work again in synchrony." (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1mW6885X3N2gKnVjXT00KCj/how-to-reset-your-brain-with-your-breathing)

Here are some excellent breathing techniques you could try: https://www.verywellmind.com/abdominal-breathing-2584115

2) Grounding: this exercise brings your mind's thoughts from an unpleasant place of worrying about what if's and centers them on what's real. One example is the 54321 exercise:

Look for 5 things you can see

Focus on 4 things you can touch

Listen for 3 things you can hear

Find 2 things you can smell

Name 1 thing you can taste

There are several other grounding techniques you could try. Here's a great article: https://positivepsychology.com/grounding-tools-techniques/

3) Challenge your thoughts: this exercise will help you determine if what you're feeling or thinking is rational or accurate:

Assess the facts, ask yourself if your thought is based on facts, feelings, or assumptions.

Ask yourself how the situation might be considered by a best friend, or better yet: Jesus.

Sometimes our fears and anxious thoughts are accurate and will lead to what we worst feared coming true. Ask yourself if the outcome will still matter in a week, month, or years' time.

4) Progressive muscle relaxation: this exercise will help you find where you may be holding on to anxiety in the form of muscle tension and will help you to relax.

"Sit back or lie down in a comfortable position. For each area of the body listed below, you will tense your muscles tightly, but not to the point of strain. Hold the tension for 10 seconds, and pay close attention to how it feels. Then, release the tension, and notice how the feeling of relaxation differs from the feeling of tension.

Feet Curl your toes tightly into your feet, then release them.

Calves Point or flex your feet, then let them relax.

Thighs Squeeze your thighs together tightly, then let them relax.

Torso Suck in your abdomen, then release the tension and let it fall.

Back Squeeze your shoulder blades together, then release them.

Shoulders Lift and squeeze your shoulders toward your ears, then let them drop.

Arms Make fists and squeeze them toward your shoulders, then let them drop.

Hands Make a fist by curling your fingers into your palm, then relax your fingers.

Face Scrunch your facial features to the center of your face, then relax.

Full Body Squeeze all muscles together, then release all tension." (https://www.therapistaid.com/therapy-worksheet/coping-skills-anxiety)

These are just a few helpful tools that you could try in the moment when you may feel anxious. There are a plethora of other habits that will help reduce anxiety such as exercise, proper diet, practicing gratitude (journaling is great), and talk therapy to name a few.

Here is an excellent resource for understanding anxiety: https://medlineplus.gov/anxiety.html

Here is another great resource for a Biblical approach to anxiety: https://lotanner.com/overcome-anxiety/

If you're struggling with anxiety and would like to talk through it, please reach out to your doctor, a therapist, or a counselor. Keep praying and holding onto faith. "For nothing will be impossible with God..." (Luke 1:37).