Facing and Dealing with Anxiety

I am sure that we all have personal experiences with anxiety. In 2017, I had nerve-wracking anxiety that escalated after I stopped working. I realized I had a problem when late into 2017, I called mum and burst into an uncontrollable, emotional cry.

I had been fighting some emotionally draining private battles in the year and I was very angry at God. I stopped believing, I gave up on prayers, and I quit fellowship. In my mind, I was convinced that God was on an evil mission, a wicked quest to hurt and break me in all the possible ways He could. And I was bitter. I struggled to understand: Why a good God would not answer His child’s prayers, why a good God allowed emotional and psychological torment? why and when this good God stopped answering prayers? Was He even a good God? I kept wondering.

But, I had a conversation with mum that helped me regain some sanity. I realized I was slowly sinking into depression and immediately considered therapy. However, by God’s grace, I was able to face my situation and deal. 

As promised, here is how I have managed to handle anxiety;

1.     Learning my anxiety triggers: I realized that for me anxiety mirrors a silent free fall from a five-storey building—that ends in black-hole. It is a stealthy, sneaky, impossible-to-predict predator, and can hide around a corner in a brightly lit moment, waiting to take me unaware.

I have learnt to:

Ø  Speak out. I am learning to verbally express my feelings, fears, and worries to the people around me.

Ø  Distract myself enough to stop my slide off that five-storey ledge. I usually take myself for a coffee date or go for a walk in the malls

Ø  Take control of my thoughts, feelings, and behaviour by audibly speaking positive words to counter every negative thought.

Ø  Take responsibility for my actions and appreciate that choices have consequences, and that is simply life.

2. Appreciating that everyone is fighting a battle: Disappointments, setbacks, discouragement, failure, comes in many and varied forms. It’s difficult to recognize this plain truth as it is incredibly easy to be focused on our own suffering. 

At any given point each and every one of us carries some type of burden; to one, it could be divorce, to another loneliness, and another a terminal illness. Understanding that we are all fighting different battles helps me appreciate that disappointments, setbacks, discouragement and failures are a reality about living. 

3.    God is good: Are there times in your life when you did not understand why certain things were happening to you? Did it almost feel like God had rejected you? If so, your experience is common. In Psalm 74: 1, Asaph opens with this question: ‘Why have you rejected us forever, O God?’

In Luke 18:19, Jesus reminds us that God is good. To say that God is good means that God always acts in accordance with what is right, true, and good. Goodness is part of God’s nature, and He cannot contradict His nature. He has no evil in Him, His intentions and motivations are always good, He always does what is right, and the outcome of His plan is always good (Genesis 50:20). There is nothing unpleasant, evil, or dark in Him.

David in Psalm 119:68 notes that God’s goodness extends from His nature to everything that He does. “The LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100:5). God only creates what is good, because He is fully good and He cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone” (James 1:13)

I settled it in my heart, mind and soul, even when it does not look like it, God is GOOD, and whatever He allows my way, His intentions for me are Good.

4.    Being Thankful: The day I shifted focus from what was not working out to what working, I became cognizant of how blessed and privileged I was. I have many things to be grateful for; Good health, a family, friends, food on the table, a roof over my head, a place to lie down and many many other blessings. 

Thanksgiving—the giving of thanks—to God for all His blessings is our core duty as believers. We must not allow a spirit of ingratitude to harden our heart and chill our relationship with God and with others. Nothing turns us into anxious and dissatisfied people more quickly than an ungrateful heart. And nothing will do more to restore contentment and the joy of our salvation than a true spirit of thankfulness.

5.    God of Peace and Joy: I also realized that God is able to grant us peace and joy in every situation. The Apostle Paul, separated from friends, unjustly accused, brutally treated—with every right to complain, urges the church in Philippi not to be anxious anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present their requests to God so that His peace which transcends all understanding guards their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus

In John 14:27, Jesus Christ promised to give us a peace that this world cannot give.

I learnt to make my requests known to God and have indeed experienced peace and joy in the year 2018.

6.    Understanding that Christian Suffering is purposeful: Even though many things in life will hurt and be unexplainable, God occasionally (perhaps often) shines purposeful light into our darkness. If you’re hurting right now, that might be difficult to believe. In her book, ‘When a good God allows rape’ Joy Tan-chi sheds light on how God has used her gang rape pain and healing experience to reach out to many abused women globally.

After a season of grieving, many find comfort in knowing that God can use even tragedies to bring about good. Ephesians 1:11 [God] works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.

Paul reminds us that Christ comforts us in our suffering so we can comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:3–5). As we look to God for comfort and hope in suffering, He spurs us to comfort others who are being afflicted with the same comfort we’ve received from Him.

I settled it my heart, mind and soul that God is with me in every season of my life, working everything conformity with the purpose of His will.

May you find God's peace and joy in whatever season you are in.

Lots of Love from me ❤❤❤