“In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Philippians 4:6
Anxiety afflicts millions of men and women every day. It is felt on both a mental and a physical level, causing worry and concerns that prevent many from living out their goals and focusing on the positives in life.
Yet a recent study in Psychology Today found something that many of us knew to be true long before the research was released: That trust in God can lead to a calmer mind and body, and that putting trust into Him will help you discover an anxiety-free life.
The Causes of Anxiety
The easiest way to discover why faith in God has such a profound effect is to look at what causes anxiety. It’s within the causes of anxiety that one can see why faith has the ability to put many of these problems to rest. Anxiety can be triggered by many different events in life:
• Change
Many people experience anxiety when they are experiencing major life changes. When a child goes off to college or they need to make a big presentation at the office, it’s possible for anxiety to hit. Simply experiencing something new or feeling unsure about the future can also trigger anxiety symptoms. Change, in many ways, is one of anxiety’s key causes.
• Fear
Fear is also another cause of anxiety. Fear rears its head in many different ways. Some people are fearful of specific things or events – for example, getting on a plane, public speaking, etc.
Others experience general fear by experiencing worry over their own health or the health of their friends and family. Fear leads many down a path of serious anxiety, and making matters worse is that fear is self-sustaining. Often when you experience a level of deep fear, the things you fear for create more fear in you.
• Sadness/Guilt
Negative emotions like sadness and guilt can also cause anxiety. When people are sad, they may be concerned over the extent of their emotions and how they are going to break out of them. When people feel guilty, they worry that others will find out about their true character, and have concern over how their guilt will affect their future. All negative emotions – including anger and others – have the potential to cause anxiety.
• Loss of Control
Much like when someone experiences change, it’s also possible to feel anxiety when you feel like the world around you is no longer in your control. This may occur when sad things happen around you, such as the loss of a loved one or the empathy you feel for the wars and hunger that go on all over the globe. Some people experience anxiety through someone else’s anxiety, sharing in their nervousness when their friends or family are experiencing something frightening or tragic.
• Waste
Finally, anxiety is also caused by those that feel their life is being wasted – those that feel they have so much more they need to accomplish in this world before they pass on. Time is fleeting, and those that have let that time slip away without taking action are prone to feelings of anxiety and stress for that missing time.
How God Helps Relieve Anxiety Around These Issues
In many ways, anxiety is about personal problems. Those that experience anxiety are looking too much at themselves. It’s easy to see how a belief in God can help reduce your feelings of anxiousness around life events:
• Change – Believing in God is believing that all change is within God’s plan, and that new experiences are simply a part of life. Those that put their faith in God are able to withstand change, because they know that it’s all part of a bigger picture.
• Fear – Fear comes from feeling yourself unprotected. But the stronger your belief in Him, the more protected you feel. Those that believe that He always has a plan and put their trust in Him know that they’re never alone, and so they have nothing to fear.
• Sadness/Guilt – With God, there is no reason to feel these negative emotions. God is happiness, and can help anyone find the joy they need in life. God is also forgiveness – trust in him and there is no reason to feel guilty. God is how you get release yourself from these emotions.
• Loss of Control – God always has a plan and a vision. When you know that God is guiding you and your decisions, there is no reason to feel that loss of control either. God gives strength, and that strength gives you control over your life.
• Waste – When you trust your life to God, you know that your life is devoted to Him, and so it cannot be wasted. Every day devoted to God is a successful day, no matter where you are and what you’re doing.
God does all of these things, which is why those that truly believe are able to rid themselves of anxiety. But God also doesn’t do it alone. God has created all of the activities, programs, and treatment options that allow people to recover from anxiety and mental health issues. There are therapists, pastors, relaxation exercises – there are ways to address your anxiety symptoms anxiety symptoms that, thanks to God, are available for those that want them.
Belief in God can help relieve your anxiety, but even beyond that, there are resources available that you can use to improve your life and live free of anxiety.
Belief has a lot of power, and research has shown that those that believe in God are able to reduce their anxiety. But belief also allows you to realize that God has created everything you need to make sure you enjoy your life. You simply need to be willing to take advantage of them.
About the Author: Ryan Rivera suffered from anxiety, knew he was ready to do something about it, and made the change. He describes his experience at www.calmclinic.com.
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