I can remember my first experience with anxiety as an adult. At the time, I was leading a small group of several post-grad girls from out of town. One of the girls mentioned that she struggled with anxiety—the way she described it was more serious than I was familiar with. I remember thinking to myself (and I even told her later), that I have never truly experienced anxiety—not like that. Until I did.
That semester I began to feel the physical effects of anxiety: tightening chest, quickening heartbeat, and shortness of breath. I couldn’t calm down. It came and went with all sorts of spirals in my mind over just about anything. At the time, I felt as if God was giving me a taste of what those girls were experiencing so I could better minister to them.
Although that was my first experience with anxiety, it wasn’t my last. I’ve since experienced those symptoms and other anxious spirals across multiple seasons. I’m more likely to experience the physical stuff before I even know I’m having anxious thoughts.
There was almost an entire year I had an eyelid twitch. There was another season when my heart would race increasingly as I got closer to work. And there’s nothing like the upset stomach that followed an anxiety-filled encounter. Not to mention a handful of anxiety attacks. I’m starting to feel tingly just thinking back to all that.
Before we get too far into this, I want to say: There is a difference between an anxiety disorder and anxious thoughts. We are not talking about diagnosed anxiety disorders. We are talking about the general anxiety we all face from time to time.
I know many of you have way more experience in this department, so I want to be careful not to downplay what you’ve been through. It is awful to feel out of control of your physical body on top of your thoughts. I’m sorry that you struggle with it consistently. However, I do want to address the more common anxieties we all feel on a semi-regular basis and what the Bible has to say about it.
These kinds of anxieties typically start with the phrase: “What if…”
What if the worst happens?
What if my fears become reality?
What if my life as I know it is over?
Plus a million thoughts that are specific to your daily life.
What’s concerning are the scenarios that we create. Our bodies are designed to respond to stressors in order to protect us. But when we are constantly sending our bodies into protect mode over made-up scenarios, we are stuck in hyper-vigilance.
We know that our bodies respond in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. It’s how our body’s nervous system responds to stress for our protection. Thanks to WebMD for the definitions below (source).
Fight = your body is prepared to attack it head-on
Signs include: clenched jaw, grinding teeth, intense feelings of anger, urge to punch or kick, burning or knotting sensation in your stomach, crying hot tears
Flight = avoid the stress by running away
Signs include: excessive exercise, fidgeting, a sense of being trapped, constantly moving your extremities, numbness in arms or legs, darting eyes
Freeze = stuck in place
Signs include: a sense of dread, feeling stiff, heavy, or numb, loud + pounding heart, decreasing heart rate
Fawn = occurs after an unsuccessful fight/flight/freeze attempt
*typically from trauma related to abuse or narcissism
Signs include: over-agreement, trying to be overly helpful, concerned with making others happy, little to no boundaries, overly dependent on the opinions of others
These responses are built in and developed for our physical protection and well-being in the face of real threats. But our bodies cannot tell the difference between a real threat and a perceived threat. That’s why it’s worth asking—what threats are we creating? What imaginary scenarios are our bodies trying to respond to?
The fact is, most of what we worry about will never happen.
We are putting our bodies and emotions through unnecessary stress. This is where interruption comes in—this is how we fight anxiety’s spiral. We interrupt the thought with truth. Whether the truth is simply “I can choose what I think about” or an actual truth from God. Most of the time that feels impossible when faced with anxiety. Or maybe it seems impossible because of our actual circumstances.
Luckily, we have the book of Philippians for some truth to apply to our anxiety. It’s known to be a book about joy, but that joy isn’t stemming from an easy life. It’s not a book about happy days and blessings on blessings—Paul wrote it after all. It’s not a coincidence that Paul writes about anxiety. His life was the most chaotic. He is writing this letter to the church in Philippi while he’s in prison. And I know that fact alone should be enough to grant him some perspective, but it’s Paul…I feel like he’s always in prison, right?
What really sold it for me is what happened to him before this particular imprisonment (At least what most scholars think when it comes to the timeline). We can find him on his journey to Rome in Acts 28. But before that, so much had happened:
He was arrested in the temple in Jerusalem
Berated by the crowd
Tried before the council in Jerusalem
Conspired against for his murder
Escorted to the governor
Falsely accused
More trials with more councils and government officials
…all while preaching the gospel and telling his story. But it’s not over.
He sails for Rome with other prisoners
The trip was dangerous—days of tough winds
They had to toss supplies overboard going days without food
And after two weeks they shipwrecked on the island of Malta
After 3 months there, they sailed to Rome
Oh, and he was bitten by a snake…
This is where Paul is writing, “Do not be anxious about anything…” Wild. Paul is a testament that sometimes what we’re worried about is true.
What if your fears come true? What if you are facing the worst-case scenarios? What if you are going through Paul-level-type stuff?
If we keep reading past the “Do not be anxious…” he does give us some help.
“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
“In everything”…
Whether what you’re anxious about is true or not—in all anxious thoughts…first things first: Take it to God.
Pray. Petition. Plead. Request.
All of these words are suggested in this verse.
So, make it known to God first. But add thanksgiving to your prayer.
It says a lot about our mental state if we can’t find anything to be thankful for. Even in anxious spirals or worst-case scenarios, what God has already done for us is enough. You can bring your anxieties to God with a side of gratefulness. Even just thinking through what you’re thankful for can calm your spiral.
What do we get when we take it to God?
“Peace”
And not just peace that feels good but a peace that works when we can’t explain it.
Peace when everyone would expect you to be unhinged.
Peace in the midst of anxiety.
Going to God when you’re in a spiral doesn’t fix the circumstance. At least not right away, and not always. But have you ever had the experience of finally deciding to slow down, focus on a quiet moment of prayer, and tell God everything you’re thinking and feeling, and a wave of contentment washes over you?
There is a peace of God that comes when we’re in His presence. I think we complain that it doesn’t last very long because we are quick to move on to something else. But when we return, again and again, the peace is available to us.
Peace is found in His presence.
When what we’re worrying about is actually true and not a made-up scenario, it can feel like a free pass to be anxious. But we can work through that worry to get to true peace.
For example, a real worry that I have right now is: I don’t have a “real” job.
It’s a fact—it’s true. And the practical, reasonable person I am feels very vulnerable without a full-time job with benefits. But most days I can have peace even though this is a real worry in my life. Once I acknowledge the worry and the fact that it’s true, I can ask myself: What does God say about it?
The first truth that popped into my mind was: “He cares for the Lillies and sparrows. They have what they need each day.”
It’s from Matthew 6, and it’s a long passage, but I think it’s worth reading in its entirety:
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 6:25-34
When I read all of that, I sense the peace of God that surpasses human understanding. Because it doesn’t make sense to me how He provides or cares for us—but He does. Even if the worst-case scenario happens with my worry—He will provide what I need then, too.
Now I have to decide if I’m going to believe what God says. I have to choose to believe that He ultimately takes care of me. His plan and purposes are bigger than whether or not I have a job or benefits. It doesn’t take Him by surprise. He knew. Nothing we face is outside of God’s control. Embracing His control is a choice we can make. Just like the rest of our thoughts. We get to choose. Regardless of how it feels in the moment.
Keep reading Philippians 4 for another tool for interrupting our thoughts and replacing them with truth:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Philippians 4:8
To think about these things, we need to replace our thoughts. If we are supposed to get rid of anxious thoughts, we need to put something in their place.
An exercise to start is to take a lie, and ask yourself: What’s true? What’s noble? What’s right? What’s pure? What’s lovely? What’s admirable? What’s excellent or praiseworthy? Replace your lie with the truth.
If the lie is: I’m helpless.
The truth is I have everything I need in Christ Jesus.
What’s noble or honorable? As a child of God, I have access to the King.
What’s right? God is my ever-present help.
What’s pure? I am the righteousness of God through Jesus.
What’s lovely? God is with me, I have nothing to fear.
What’s commendable? Jesus has already overcome the world.
What’s excellent? His yoke is easy and his burden light.
What’s praiseworthy? By grace, I have been saved.
You can fill any of those in with any truth from scripture. What comes to mind when you ask it? It doesn’t even have to speak directly to the lie. Just remind yourself of the truth you already know. The more you practice time in His presence and with His Word, the less truth you’ll have to look up. The Spirit will bring it to mind.
When you prompt yourself with these questions: What’s true? What’s right? What’s praiseworthy? Scripture will start to flood your mind.
This is hard work sometimes, but it’s worth it. Because I don’t know about you, I don’t want to go into this next year with the same thoughts and spirals. I’m ready to move on. I’m ready for some healing.
Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.
Hebrews 12:12-13
It’s our job to lift our hands, strengthen our knees, and make straight the paths. We have to do it. It’s not going to magically happen. But if we pick ourselves up and put ourselves in His presence, we can find peace.
