Anxiety is miserable but there are simple actions that will help

person looking anxious/anxiety

Table of Contents

Anxiety is miserable.

woman crying with closed eyes/anxiety

Anxiety is a miserable feeling. It’s a two-ton elephant sitting on your chest. Usually, but not always, anxiety and depression go hand in hand. There are all kinds of reasons one may feel anxious, and there are those real situations that can cause anxiety to flare up. We experience triggers from the past; we have a flashback and feel anxious. Some medications can cause anxiety as well as medical conditions.

Then there is our history. Due to past experiences, we may be somewhat “hardwired” for severe anxiety. Constant fear turned into constant anxiety. And it became our “go to” way of coping, and we haven’t gotten beyond it. There is some evidence that constant anxiety changes the chemical make-up in our brain, making further attacks almost automatic.

anxiety and fear

silhuoette of a person

Anxiety is fear.

Typically, the anxiety we feel is disproportionate to the actual situation. When we are afraid or anxious in general, it’s called free-floating anxiety. We can’t really pin down what we’re feeling anxious and worried about. I think that’s the worst kind of anxiety. It’s easier to deal with anxiety when we can pinpoint the reason. There is also a condition called meta-worrying. Essentially, it’s about worrying about your worries.

Rumination is not good

Rumination is a particular problem in anxiety. It’s the constant going over in our minds, the thing we are worried about. It’s never constructive, and it’s never a problem-solving process. See last week’s post about constructive thinking. There is thinking that gets us somewhere good and thinking that doesn’t.

Some “helps” for treating anxiety

  • Remember, your thoughts are only your thoughts. They are not necessarily facts. There may be some truth somewhere, but it’s probably not enough to validate your thoughts.
  • Fake it a bit. This really does work. It’s not disingenuous. It’s a technique that professionals have advocated for years. Act a certain way, and your thoughts will probably follow.” I used to play the piano for church. I was always told how confident I appeared. All the time, my fingers were sweating, and my heart was pounding. Eventually, my “acting as if” made my confidence grow, and the sweating hands and the pounding heart were a thing of the past.
  • Smile as much as you can. I know. Sounds ludicrous. This is similar to “faking it”. It’s very hard to smile when you’re feeling so worried and anxious, but if you reach deep within, you can probably pull it off. I have, many times. The physical act of smiling is scientifically proven to raise one’s mood. Raise your mood, and your thoughts usually follow.
  • Speak positive words. The more you speak negative and destructive words, the more you reinforce your anxiety. Using life-affirming words, even silently, reinforces positive feelings. This is one of my most useful tools.

we all have something

Remember, we all have something. We all live with some sort of issue; we all have hurts and worries. None of us is so emotionally healthy that we’re never anxious. It’s just that with some people, their anxiety shows up in more acceptable ways, like headaches, stomach aches, drinking, over- or under-eating, etc. We accept those conditions as physical ones even when they may not be. People can admit to those conditions. But in my experience, most people are embarrassed to say they struggle with anxiety.

Anxiety has never killed anyone. And it can be harnessed in a way that motivates you, rather than stopping you.

Distraction is a wonderful thing

As I thought about this post, I remembered what I had promised myself when I started blogging. I promised myself and my readers that I would always be honest and wouldn’t sugarcoat anything. So, I have to be honest and say there are times when all the above just doesn’t work. Or maybe it’s just too much work; you’re tired of fighting.

All the encouragement in the world can feel pointless when you’re in pain. Many would prefer to have the flu over anxiety or depression. So, what should we do when we follow the right steps but still feel awful? The following tools are the most helpful for me.

Do something!

  • First of all, get moving. Get involved in something, anything.  A counselor once told me, “Distract is a wonderful thing.” It really is, because it gets our minds off our anxiety. And it feels good to just have some relief from the constant thinking. The funny thing is, once you get moving, it prompts even more movement. This is how God designed us. I wish I had more time here to address this in more detail. But in a nutshell, we share the same physical make-up as people who lived thousands of years ago. But, unlike us, they were physically active from morning till night. Their sheer physical labor warded off feelings of anxiety and depression. And activity still works.
person jogging
  • Our bodies were never designed for the life we live now. They were meant to be active in our senior years. Now we have to schedule our exercise. We’ll never be as active as we need to be if we don’t. So, exercising is high on my list of tools. When I am anxious, I always try distraction first. If that doesn’t work, I get on my treadmill and walk at a fast pace for at least thirty minutes. I stay busy, and soon enough, I’ll be back on track. I’ve worked through many episodes of anxiety.

God hates anxiety as much as we do. Share on X

God may allow it

While God is not the author of confusion, I think that sometimes God may allow or even send anxiety our way. It’s not his preferred method for dealing with us, but sometimes it may be the only way we can develop a deeper faith. I must admit I’m not sure how this “allowing” works.

We think (or is it that we want to?) of God as only loving, but often forget that real love often involves discipline. God’s discipline can definitely make us feel anxious. But that is not God’s desire; God’s discipline in the Christian’s life is a complex subject. A book called Spiritual Depression by Martyn Lloyd-Jones does a great job of explaining the interaction of mental health and God’s loving discipline. This is a book I try to reread this book every few years.

I take my anxiety to God in prayer, and I don’t mince words or pretend. 

God understands my deepest fears. Prayer is more than my hour in the morning. I don’t need to say “Amen” because prayer for me is never-ending. Not because I’m a super Christian but precisely because I’m not. I have learned volumes about prayer, and the interesting thing is, it has made my prayer life simpler and easier. (Wouldn’t you think if I’ve learned volumes, it would be just the opposite?)

I hope this post helped you. I’m sure I’ll revisit it again.

God bless and have a great day. Stay healthy!