The Cure for Anxiety

I remember very well the days when I felt like curling into a ball and hiding in my bed, with the covers pulled over my head, hoping that my fear and anxiety would disappear. I was so afraid that my son was not going to make it in this world. I was so sad about my marriage. I was afraid we would never recover. I was scared and confused, but life continued to happen, and I couldn’t just hide. I knew the answers were in the pages of my Bible, but honestly, I wasn’t experiencing the peace those pages talked about. Then, one day in a house, on a farm, with some dear friends, I was set free. Let me tell you how it happened, and how still, years later, I experience peace, and believe with all my heart, that God can do the same for you.

Before I continue with my story however, I feel the need to talk about some of the layers of anxiety, and to discuss what God says about it. Then, as I share my story, I think it will make more sense, and will help you find peace in the midst of your trials and disappointments. The answer lies in one of my favorite scriptures, Philippians 4:6,7. “Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make answers known to you through Jesus Christ.” Let me be honest here, I knew this scripture. I knew that it said, if I prayed, I would experience peace, but it didn’t really sink in. Now looking back, I think it was because I didn’t understand prayer. I thought prayer was an isolated incident in my day, where I would tell God what I wanted, and then carry on with my life and leave Him on the couch, without another thought. This however, I learned, is not prayer. I remember reading in 1 Thessalonians 5, the verse that says, “Pray without stopping.” I thought, how am I supposed to do that?! Does Paul really want me to pray all day long? Well, the answer is yes! I learned, and am still learning that prayer, the talking and listening to God, needs to be as natural to us as breathing. I learned that my conversation with God needed to be an ongoing dialogue throughout my day. As I folded laundry, did the dishes, went to work, brushed my daughter’s hair, cleaned the toilets, you get the picture, all of the everyday things were an opportunity to turn my attention back to the things of God. In fact, the verse goes further and says just that. We are to “turn our thoughts to things that are authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind, and to fasten our thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always.” Truly, I need to be reminded of this almost daily. If I don’t train my mind to stay aware of my own thoughts, I can quickly drift into anxiety. As we pay attention to our thoughts, we can take each anxious thought and say, “God, you know that I’m worried about this and that. Thanks for caring about what I care about.” I started practicing talking to God about different things in my life as they came to mind. Instead of compartmentalizing God, I invited Him into the details. I found as I did this, my anxiety about my situation started to lesson.

Dr. Caroline Leaf in her book Switch on Your Brain, says it like this: “Taking this to a deeper level, research shows that DNA actually changes shape according to our thoughts. As you think those negative thoughts about the future, the week ahead, what a person might say or do, even in the absence of the concrete stimulus- that toxic thinking will change your brain wiring in a negative direction and throw your mind and body into stress. (P. 35) This is so incredible! Science is now backing up what God has been telling us all along! If we nurse those negative thoughts, negative patterns will form in the brain and become deeper and more familiar, easier to fall back into when we become stressed. Conversely, as we turn our thoughts to the truth of God, pray by talking to Him about what we are thinking, read His word and meditate on His truths, the patterns in the brain will begin to change into a peaceful way of dealing with anxiety. Please listen, I am not saying this is easy! Some of us have deeply ingrained patterns, stemming even from childhood, where we have been conditioned to turn to negative and anxious thinking. What took 10 or 20 years to form, will not just change overnight. We must retrain our brains to pay attention, to pray throughout the day, to meditate on verses like, “Be still and know that I am God.” When we begin to feel fear, we must turn on a worship song, or do something to turn our attention back to the truth. This takes work and time. Let me tell you though, it is so worth it!

So, back to my story. As I told you, it was one of the most stressful times in my entire life. I asked some very trusted friends to come on a retreat and help me to pray. You see, I didn’t know how to pray anymore. As they surrounded me, I started to feel waves of the presence of God pour over me. It was so intense I could not even talk. During the prayer, I felt something begin to change inside of me. I realized I could trust God with my son and my marriage. I released control and knew in the deepest places in my heart, that God was going to rescue my son. When I left the retreat, I was changed. I had a peace that helped me through the hard days to follow. In the times when the old anxiety tried to creep back, I remembered I could trust God. I turned my attention to Him and HIs word over and over, and the peace that surpasses all understanding became a guard around my heart. Please know that this is available to you too. If you need help, reach out. Begin the journey now. You do not need to stay trapped in fear and anxiety. There is an invitation waiting for you to live in peace, despite your circumstances. There is freedom through prayer, the kind of prayer you breathe in and out all day long. Won’t you accept the peace waiting for you today?

Reading: Philippians 4 The Passion Translation

Much love,

Melissa

Be still…

and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10