CTW: Anxiety

Today on the blog we’re going to talk about a topic that is near and dear to my heart- sometimes so near that it feels like an annoying life-sucking parasite!

Anxiety– did anyone’s heart just skip a beat when I said that word?? Did anyone suddenly feel the air flow out of their lungs or begin to experience anxious or worrisome thoughts??

It’s ironic- working on this week’s lesson and praying through has actually been in the midst of one of my most anxious weeks in the last couple of months. Funny how the enemy works, yes? What I want for us to do is to be able to think openly about anxiety, worry, and stress.

“There’s no shortage of troubling circumstances in life that can make you feel anxious and depressed. Whether you’re anxious about the future or depressed about the past, your negative emotions will prevent you from living the healthy life God wants you to enjoy right now.” ~ Bob Phillips

We must give up the illusion of control.

• Understand that both anxiety and depression stem from attempts to control either the future (through worrying) or the past (by trying to change what has already happened). Realize that all such attempts are futile and a complete waste of your time and energy. Acknowledge that only God has the power to control the future and bring transformation out of what happened in the past. ~Bob Phillips (http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/women/overcome-anxiety-and-depression-11563116.html)

Q: What are some things that cause anxiety in our lives?

(i.e. school work, family trouble, finances, overloaded plates, lack of sleep, exercise, unmet expectations, weather)

Q: What is your normal response when you feel anxious?

• Do you feel like those responses help or hurt the situation?

• Often times other physical responses such as panic can ensue. If you’ve ever had a panic attack, you know the terror that can come with that. For the sake of space (it would take ages) we’re not going to talk about panic, or panic attacks here today, but rather focus on anxiety, stress, and worrisome thoughts.

Let me ask you an uncomfortable question first: do you believe that anxiety is directly related to salvation or not? For example, would you say that if someone is experiencing anxiety, they must not be saved or depending on God, or would you say that if someone is experiencing anxiety it has nothing to do with whether they are saved or not?

Anxiety can have many roots: biological, unconfessed sin, lack of coping skills, situational (circumstances)

Without boring you with scientific research, I’ll make this statement: anxiety has a wide range of causes, none of which have been proven to be because someone is not saved. Scripture itself speaks to anxiety as part a part of life. The neat thing is scripture also tells us what we can do with those anxious feelings!

Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Q: Based off of this passage, what should our responses to anxiety in the moment be?

This passage is really the best advice that we can get on how to handle anxiety in the moment!

• “Do not be anxious” – it’s an action, a choice.
• Prayer and petition
• Thanksgiving
• Peace of God will guard our hearts and minds!

If this passage is the best way on how to handle anxiety in the moment, let’s look at some things we can do either preventatively or in the long, drawn out stressful times.  What are some things you do or can think of to prevent or help during times of stress, or anxiousness?

Discussion

1)       At what point do you think we as women choose to allow anxiety, stress, or worry to define us? And what does that look like?

2)      Would anyone like to share a time where you experienced a lot of anxiety or stress situationally, and what the outcome was?