This is the first post in a series of posts where I hope to address various mental health topics and Biblical applications of how to approach those topics. Basically taking what I do as a therapist for my clients who are Christians and seek to have an integrated approach to their care.

Anxiety. A very common complaint among people within the country. I found this information helpful to introduce from the National Institute of Mental Health:

Since I work with primarily women, I find it helpful to have these statistics broken out. Women tend to trend higher when it comes to experiencing a type of anxiety disorder versus men. Also an estimated 31% of people in the U.S. will experience an anxiety disorder of some type within their lifetime. As a therapist I find this statistic staggering and it is likely why I spend a lot of time discussing anxiety and things that cause it so much throughout the week!

So what does anxiety look like? I have a detailed post on anxiety that I did a few years ago here. Anxiety is a general term for symptoms that include but are not limited to: racing thoughts, fears that initiates our fight or flight response, muscle tension, hyper vigilance, worry, panic attacks, and obsessions/compulsions. There are various mental health disorders that fall into anxiety disorders such as: generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder. Anxiety is prevalent, and this is why I it is important to discuss it.

What does this mean for Christians? I get this question a lot! Unfortunately many people have been made to believe that being anxious is a sin, and they have been made to feel badly for even talking about anxiety. Many Christians think God condemns anxiety all anxiety, and then because of that, that he condemns those who suffer from it. Many have been hurt by statements that condemn anxiety quickly by quoting one or two verses in the Bible and shaming them. This is not always the case, however, more times than not clients come in to see me because they suffer from an anxiety disorder, and feel very alone and ostracized even from their church community. If this is you, then I am truly sorry. No one should be made to feel badly for having an anxiety disorder. No one should have to regret trying to speak up and get support!

The reality is, many Christians do suffer from anxiety. There are mental health disorders that cause anxious thoughts. When someone is suffering from anxiety there are physiological reactions that occur within their body, these can often even include panic attacks which feel overwhelming. As we shift our thinking toward a holistic approach, as Christians we can also think more about how we can ecquip, encourage, and empower people who suffer from anxiety. We have some great examples in scripture of how to do that.

Anxiety is discussed throughout scripture. Jesus preaches for us to not be anxious in Matthew 6:25-34 “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 your 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.”

Taking the context of this sermon is so important, also, it is Jesus, the one who could speak on not being anxious because we know he was the only blameless, spotless one to ever exist. The first thing that comes to my mind when I read this is, he knew we would get anxious! He knew we would need a blueprint for how to battle the anxious thoughts and feelings. He did not say, if you are anxious you cannot follow me, he said, instead if and when you become anxious focus on something greater than you. He did not simply say, worry is a sin stop, rather he encouraged us to exchange worry for a concern with the kingdom. He knew it would not be easy to simply stop worrying, he had to give instructions and examples of what to do when we worry. When we think about the time period of this sermon, people were very likely worried about the daily needs they had. We know that the pharisees were very worried about type of material their clothing was, and even deeming foods clean and unclean. This sermon is aimed to dispel many of those things and again to encourage focusing on the kingdom Jesus was trying to build.

Paul had many reasons to be anxious! He was imprisoned for simply sharing the Gospel. He instructs us what to do with anxiety, exactly how to face it, and how to battle it. We know anxiety makes us fearful, and so many times what we long for is peace. Paul articulates it so well for us, to take our requests to the One who can listen and understand. When we can take our anxious thoughts captive, and turn them over to the Lord he can give us a peace that truly will surpass all understanding.

For those who are suffering from an anxiety disorder I strongly encourage you to find a Christian Clinical counselor who understands anxiety and can help you determine a good approach. One of my favorite modalities to assist in anxiety disorders is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). In CBT, you learn how to look at thoughts, irrational and rational, and how they affect our emotions and behaviors. Paul talks about how to do this “take every thought captive to obey Christ” 2 Corinthians 10:5. I find CBT to benefit clients who really need support to change their thinking patterns.

Anxiety can cause us distress and leave us feeling isolated and alone. For some of us, we may even feel our anxiety is keeping us separate from the Lord. This is not what His desire is for us, scripture is clear; when we are anxious there are ways to cope and we can find solace in Him. If you need help finding that solace reach out to a trusted friend or counselor and begin the journey toward healing today.