Anxiety

Being made a new creature in Christ regenerates our human spirit. Part of our soul’s healing and deliverance emerges from surrendering parts of our past that threaten our present state (2 Corinthians 5:17). Despite the internal wrestling match, the Lord proves what He has placed in us. Amid complexity, we grow into spiritual maturity as our relationship with Christ blossoms from one life season to the next, despite the fear of being alone. While we treasure countless promises in Scripture, one enduring truth is that Jesus will be with us (Deuteronomy 31:8; Hebrews 13:5). Our Savior will never leave, abandon, or forsake. Sometimes, this can be challenging to process, especially if we struggle with the fear of being alone or by ourselves with no one else around. Fear of being alone differs from loneliness, which is experiencing sadness due to isolation and disconnection. It is more closely linked to anxiety and stress due to being by oneself. The origins of the fear are often traced back to childhood experiences of assault, neglect, or other traumatic incidents, even if no harm was intended. This may include parental divorce, an emergency that compromises personal safety, or the death of a beloved person. These marked experiences from childhood may imprint as abandonment, helplessness, or vulnerability. For a lifetime, a person can feel anxious or vulnerable that the same feelings of loneliness may occur again in a new or similar circumstance. It may help us to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal where this fear has deepened its root in our lives. Often, we try to populate the places where we fear being alone. We may attempt to quell the anxiety, by forming codependent relationships with others whose presence may be damaging. Instead, we need to explore the origin of this fear, or [...]

We all experience a bit of anxiety. Living busy lives can be stressful, and anxiety often flows from that. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that anxiety is among the most common mental health issues, and that in the United States, around 1 in 5 adults are affected by anxiety disorders yearly, making remedies for anxiety all the more important. Grappling with anxiety Anxiety doesn’t feel the same for everyone, nor is it triggered by the same things. Anxiety can present itself in different ways, with one person experiencing butterflies in their stomach, while another might have shallow breathing, panic attacks, nightmares, or trembling. It’s important for you to understand what anxiety looks like for you and how it feels so that you can address it if necessary. Anxiety is how your body naturally responds to stress. This has its positive and negative aspects. For instance, anxiety is good because it makes you alert to danger around you, like when a car runs a red light, and you react instinctively. If you have a huge deadline, anxiety can motivate you to stay organized and push you to prepare well. If you’re uncertain about an upcoming decision, anxiety helps you calculate your risks. Anxiety can be unhelpful, however, when it lingers and becomes persistent. If it begins to affect how you live your daily life, you should address it before it gets out of control. Unchecked anxiety can have a huge negative impact on your quality of life, so you should use every tool at your disposal to counteract it. Natural remedies for anxiety There are many ways to deal with anxiety. Below are some natural remedies you can try out. Quit smoking It may function as a quick fix for anxiety, but smoking affects your overall health and may worsen your [...]

Why is it that whenever anything goes our way, we always seem to find a way to diminish our achievements or our good fortune? Our anxiety minimizes the success or put a damper on our triumphs to make them seem less impressive. In this article we'll take a look at how to prevent anxiety from ruining a pleasant experience. Compliments and good feedback might be difficult for some women to take in and believe when they receive them. They put a lot of effort into becoming parents, partners, friends, and coworkers, but they aren’t comfortable claiming their strengths because nervous portions of themselves make them feel “less than” or that they aren’t good enough. What exactly is going on here? In therapy, clients sometimes express themselves as follows: “I feel like an imposter.” You put in the effort, and you’re pleased with where your efforts are leading you to direct your energies. After that, there is a whisper that says, “If they only knew the truth, they’d see that I don’t know what I’m doing.” It causes you to question the veracity of all of your previous achievements. “I don’t want to put a damper on my own good luck.” You can argue with yourself that if you acknowledge the positive, you are inviting failure or unlucky circumstances into your life. You should try to have as few achievements as possible, either to better prepare yourself for the worst possible outcome or to prevent undesirable events from taking place. Your preoccupation with the possibility that undesirable events will occur in the future prevents you from appreciating what is now in the here and now. “I’m nobody extraordinary.” When someone compliments you, you may respond by saying, “It was easy. I didn’t put in any real effort at all. That [...]

If you or anyone you know suffers from panic attacks, you know that the episodes can be terrifying and exhausting. Though panic attacks aren’t life-threatening, they can significantly impact quality of life; the good news is that treatment for panic attacks is available and can be very effective. What is a Panic Attack? Panic attacks are sudden, unexpected surges of intense fear during which several physical and psychological symptoms are present. Panic attacks are brief, lasting less than ten minutes, and they can occur without warning in a variety of circumstances – while you’re asleep, out shopping at the mall, while driving, or in the middle of a meeting. Some of the symptoms of a panic attack can linger longer than ten minutes, and people who experience one panic attack are at greater risk for having subsequent panic attacks. Panic disorder is when someone experiences recurrent panic attack episodes that are unexpected and aren’t triggered by specific phobias or circumstances. Panic disorder is common and affects about six million adults in the US. Panic attacks and the symptoms of panic disorder often start in the late teen years or early adulthood, and women are twice as likely as men to be affected. While it is not clear what causes panic attacks and panic disorder, the risk of having panic attacks or developing a panic disorder may be increased by: traumatizing events, such as a major accident or an assault a history of childhood abuse, whether sexual or physical big life changes such as a new child, starting a new job or divorce life stressors such as the illness or death of a loved one a family history of panic attacks or panic disorder The physical and psychological reactions during a panic attack occur when there is no real danger [...]