Anxiety?

What is true in the light is still true in the dark.

~ Rend Collective

The topic of anxiety is probably one that pulls at my heart like no other could. But I’m going to be honest, I don’t suffer from anxiety like most people do. I suffer from the outside looking in. I see people I love and care about being swallowed whole by this epidemic. And I feel so powerless, but am I? 

If you’ve ever witnessed an anxiety attack, they make no sense. You’re having a good time then all of the sudden your friend or family member can’t breathe, and they start to lose control. But why? Are they ill? Do they need medical attention? In most cases the answers to those questions is no. The friend or family member probably had something happen and they began to fear that one thing or circumstance more than anything else.

As I saw every one of my friends experience these attacks, I couldn’t make sense of them. Now don’t get me wrong, I do find a fleeting moment of fear, but not anxiety. Every time I hear a balloon pop, or see a car accident, or see a big dog running towards me even if I know it’s friendly. I find myself in fleeting moments of fear, but not anxiety. But is there a difference between fear and anxiety? Yes, there most certainly is. It is human nature to feel fear or anxious. Jesus felt anxious, He cried to God to spare Him from the cross. But He prayed and trusted in God’s plan and He held onto that trust. Anxiety is a lifestyle, it’s a state of being. It is something you start to make a home for your inner most being. But the truth is, anxiety isn’t something to live with, it is something to overcome. 

Philippians 4:6-9 says

         ⁶ Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things. ⁹ Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

I was wondering if I was the only one who didn’t suffer from anxiety but had to watch her friends drown in an epidemic that was sweeping the nation. I figured I must not be the only one, but I still felt seriously unqualified to speak in behalf of this topic. I was worried I would make it sound harsh and hateful. That I thought anxiety was a phantom problem. That was not my goal, and never will be my goal. I just want people to know, anxiety doesn’t have to be lord of your life. But I wasn’t sure how to go about doing that, so I started asking questions to better equip my knowledge of the problem and topic. 

First, I wanted to know what the main reason behind someone saying they have anxiety was, and if there was a common thread between the diagnosis. Most people listed money, health, loss, the “unknown”, as their reason for having anxiety. Now without some of these things we don’t live a comfortable life, so I narrowed it down to, “the desire for comfort.” If you’re comfortable, then, to the human mind, there is no need to be anxious. People who live life with overwhelming anxiety stay away from situations that would cause discomfort. But in the end, we never really stay comfortable and their declaration of anxiety returns. 

Second, I wanted to know what caused people to feel that they had anxiety at I diagnosable level. Did they feel funny, was their skin an off color, did they suffer hair loss? What were the needed signs in order to be diagnosed, by a medical professional, with anxiety? Throughout my research I discovered that there is no chemical imbalances to measure when diagnosing this epidemic, there is no missing part to the human brain, and there is no rewiring that needs to be done. Anxiety is diagnosed on a circumstantial level, meaning if you have stressful circumstances and you display signs of distress or malfunction based on circumstances then you could be diagnosed. If you start to let stress seep into every aspect of your life to the point of shutting down and not sleeping, you could be diagnosed. 

So then, I wanted to know, what is the treatment plan for an anxiety diagnosis, because if there is no symptoms other than circumstantial, then how do they treat people under the grip of this epidemic? Well, they treat them by masking the problem or talking through it. If medication is used to treat anxiety, then they used medication that elevates certain chemicals in the brain to give you a ‘false happy’ if you will. If medication isn’t used, then they prescribe time at a psychiatrist’s office and allow you to explain why you’re feeling the way you are. Neither of these methods really work, studies show that anxiety is a diagnosis with really no hope for a cure. But why is that? Why is this epidemic so powerful? And why do people seem to be suffering from it all of the sudden and never before? 

Well here is my answer. 

I would like to state I am not a medical professional, I am not an expert on any one specific topic, I am, however, a girl tired of people not knowing the truth about the matter and I would like to share the hope I have, and the reason for my beliefs. I am a Christian and I trust my God to be in control. I struggle in this matter every day, I like feeling like I’m in control, and I don’t like needing to ask for help. But every time I decide to carry my burdens, darkness follows and hope dwindles. And I believe this happens due to the fact that I was not designed to carry any burdens, I was designed to step aside and relinquish control to the God of the universe and allow Him to carry my burdens. So here is my hope.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 says

         “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”

 We are told here that God is faithful to ALWAYS protect me and you from evil, and all kinds of evil, not just small things but any and all kind of evil. Now this is not saying you won’t feel fear, that is not what I’m saying at all. What I’m trying to say is fear should never own us, and ‘anxiety’ is naming the fear and giving it in a place in our hearts. The sad thing is when we give fear a place in our heart, we must push something out, maybe not all the way, but something still has to give up some room for this fear. This is why the quality of relationships, health, performance at our jobs, and over all happiness dwindles when fear moves in with a new title. But if we allow God to rule our hearts and lives, and allow Him to move in, all of the sudden there is no room for fear.

John 8:12 says

12 Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”

I have hope because, as someone who is uncomfortable in the dark, knowing that I no longer have to live in any darkness, is an amazing gift from God. Jesus touched people and they were healed, Jesus loved people, He cared, He listened, and Jesus calmed people. So many times we leave Jesus’s love, grace, and forgiveness, in the grave that He walked out of. God didn’t die, He is alive and performing miracles every day. God is still in control. All of His qualities were resurrected with Him and He loves you. God doesn’t love the human existence as a whole, God loves every human being in a singular and personal relationship. No one is deserving of God’s love, but we are all given His grace and mercy every single day. 

Jesus and His love are breathtaking, He could heal people from lifetime of sickness by simply allowing them to have faith in Him and touch His robe

God is forever and always good. Anxiety is not from God. It is a self-made lord that takes control of our lives. Removing the fear that is deep rooted in your heart is simple, trust God, fear no more. It is simple, but probably one of the hardest things you will ever have to do. This is a heart issue, and it begins every day when your feet hit the floor. You have to decide, trust God, or fall victim to fear? This is your choice. If you want to fear then that is your path, God will always be there, but anxiety is not His nature nor will it ever be. He will work through even the worst choices and circumstances we find ourselves in, but He will never ask you to live a life of fear. Your other option is, God’s love and grace. Decide to live in the light, in the peace of knowing God is in control and He loves you. He is not forced to love you, yet He always will. So, there is my hope. I am thankful for the love of God, I’m thankful for its filling nature, and peaceful Spirit. I have hope because I will never do anything, make any choice, or move to far away to be separated from God’s love and peace, from His forgiveness and grace.

I listed out everything I wanted to cover in this article, and in all honesty, I have not covered very many of my thoughts here. I still have a lot to say. Through all of the research, the hours spent in God’s Word, hundreds of pages read in medical books and other articles, I have spent about three months on this topic. I have had a lot of resistance to the idea of an article on this topic.  At first, I was so eager to write it and get it finished. I thought so many people needed to hear what I had to say. That I would pour some ‘brand-new truth’ on them, and they would be amazed. Honestly, that is the exact reason why writing these words took three months. I was in the wrong mind-set and I needed to check myself and my thoughts at the door and let God work, not me. That was really hard for me, and I know it sounds seriously petty and messed up to want to use my words to preach my agenda and come down harsh and corrective on everyone reading this. But part of overcoming struggles is trusting God, which is what I just asked everyone here to do with their anxious spirits. So why was it so hard to trust God to say what needed to be said on this topic? Well because I am human. I struggle, just like all other humans. I may not have the same type of struggle, but we are all different, so all of our struggles, joys, peace, etc. are found in different ways. So, I didn’t tell you this to make it sound like complaining or me asking for sympathy, but simply to say God’s love and guidance covers all. From internal struggles to health concerns, God is with us and will never leave us.

God has redeemed you.

~ Ashley