
Heal My Anxious Mind
You don’t have to live broken anymore.
Anxiety
One serious and significant mental health issue right now is anxiety. Experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. You probably have anxiety before you take a test or before you get your drivers license.
Anxiety is both a mental and physical state of negative expectation.
Mentally it is characterized by increased arousal and apprehension tortured into distressing worry, and physically by unpleasant activation of multiple body systems—all to facilitate response to an unknown danger, whether real or imagined.
Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time, but it turns into a problem when you constantly have feelings of intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations that may or may not be real issues. These feelings of anxiety and panic interfere with daily activities, are difficult to control, are out of proportion to the actual danger and can last a long time. You may avoid places or situations to prevent these feelings. Symptoms may start during childhood or the teen years and continue into adulthood.
91% of high school students or college students report consistently high levels of anxiety associated with stress.
Anxiety is a real problem and it’s not going away on it’s own.
There is hope. You can gain control over it.
This is what Paul writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, while in prison.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
Is this even possible?
Three of the spiritual tools that will help you fight anxiety off are found in 2 Chronicles 20.
What is happening at the time it was written
- There is a good king ruling the southern kingdom of Israel.
- He had some enemies that were determined to wipe out Israel so they went on the offensive and aligned
- Moabites are attacking, and then the Ammonites join them as well as the Meunites.
- Israel is being attacked on all three sides.
- They were not going to be fighting on one front, but three.
- The King knew that if they lost, not only would he be killed along with his entire family, so would his friends and their kids and the rest of the people would be enslaved.
“After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar”
2 Chronicles 20:1-2
This illustrates how many people feel right now.
Right now, we are not just dealing with one major problem, there are problems everywhere and that is causing a ton of stress and anxiety and you feel it.
The warning sign in your body is flashing, but you don’t have time to stop and fix it because if you miss one more appointment, one more practice, one more work event, then everything will crash.
You feel it when you can’t sleep, when you can’t get out of bed, when you don’t feel that you are enough or that you have nothing in your tank to give. You withdrawn and worry hoping things change yet day after day they don’t.
Alarmed Aloneness
is when your body is tense, your heart is racing, and you are not in any imminent danger. You are alarmed even if you are safe. Your body is reacting to your state of mind.
Anxiety isn’t a sin. its symptomatic of an issue that is real or perceived. In Jesus case, it was very real. He knew what was coming.
If the check engine light come on in your car you don’t take the car to the junk yard and crush it, you fix the issue or take it to a mechanic who can.
If you find yourself battling anxiety, it isn’t a sin, it’s a signal alerting you that there is a problem.
What is the source of your anxiety?
Can you identify it?
Anxiety can have power over you until you name it. Then the power dynamic changes. Once you identify it and name it you can manage it.
Steven Cuss, “Managing Leadership Anxiety”
3 Spiritual Tools to Battle Anxiety
1. Prayer
Come before God and describe why you feel anxious. Identify the root cause of it and talk to God about it. When you talk to God about it, that cause becomes real or becomes less powerful if it’s not a sure thing.
Pray about it and give it to him.
“Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting.”
2 Chronicles 20:3 NLT
He inquired or prayed to the LORD.
He brought his very real issues to the feet of God first. He asked God to show him what to do next.
If you spend 12 minutes in prayer a day over an eight-week period, you can change the chemistry in your brain. You can feel calmer because you take ownership over your feelings.
Dr Caroine Leaf, “Switch Your Brain”
You don’t have to be stuck in your negative thoughts or cycles or worry.
…“Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. …‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’”
2 Chronicles 20:6, 9 NIV
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7
This is a literal casting. Give your anxieties to God. Name them and share them with God so that you take control over them.
You can control your thoughts and you need to.
2. Pause and Chill
It’s time to pause. Pausing will help you put things in perspective. When you are anxious, everything seems like a crisis.
Take a few minutes or a few hours and chill out. Read the bible, watch T.V. or videos that help you relax. Listen to what the LORD has for you.
Focus on your breathing. Breath deep breaths in and out. Calm yourself down.
“… We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 13All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.
2 Chronicles 20:12-13
“Be still, and know that I am God …”
Psalm 46:10
Jehoshaphat prayed and paused and God provided him with the answer.
…“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 17… Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.”
2 Chronicles 20:15, 17
God would fight his battle for him. He was able to rest in God’s reply because it would become as he said it would.
3. Praise
Praise is a tool. When you are praising you are not pouting. When you are praising you are declaring your trust in God.
When you praise, you are actively giving the situation over to the one who can change it.
It’s time to praise.
“The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.”
2 Chronicles 20:29-30
God solved the problem and gave Jehoshaphat peace and rest from his enemies. That is exactly what I want, and what you want. Rest from all your worries. Rest and peace from endless anxiety attacks.
When you have an awe of God (are praising Him), it takes you out of your current mental state and re-centers you on God, the creator and sustainer of all things.
In conclusion,
if you can identify the source of your anxiety…
Name it and give it to God.
Pray about it asking God for wisdom in how to deal with it.
Don’t ignore the warning signs.
Let yourself feel your own emotions. Feel them so you can figure out what is causing you to feel the way you feel.
Pray about it and give it to God.
Pause and chill. You can only control a few small things.
Praise God through it and allow the awe and wonder of Him and His love for you recenter you.
Pray, Pause, and Praise God
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7