Have you ever examined the anxiety to see what it is trying to teach you?

• By candidasullivan
• March 11, 2024
• No Comments

One night, I had horrible anxiety. My heart was pounding, and I was struggling to breathe. I felt like I was going to die. Instead of going with the panic like I usually do, I paused and asked God to show me what the anxiety was trying to teach me. And He showed me the almonds I had eaten earlier. I wasn’t having an anxiety attack but rather an allergic reaction. If I had never questioned it, I would have continued to eat the almonds and blamed it on anxiety.

Another time, I was getting ready to sign a book contract. Every time I tried to sign my name, anxiety overwhelmed me. After a few days of extreme fear, I asked God to show me what was wrong, and He revealed the reason why I shouldn’t sign the contract. I felt peace when I told the publisher I wouldn’t sign the book deal. And all of the anxiety left me.

Those are just a few examples for me. But I have so many more. I’ve learned that sometimes my feelings of anxiety are tiny warnings from God. If I feel uneasy about something, then I need to know why.

Is it because I’m doing something I shouldn’t be doing?

Is it because I’m eating something I’m allergic to?

Is it because I’m living unauthentically to who I really am and trying to be someone I’m not?

Is it because I listen to and follow the enemy instead of God?

Is it because I’m not using the gifts God gave me? Or is it because I am and the enemy is fighting me?

Is it because I’m resisting something?

Is it because I’m arguing with reality and wishing things were different?

When I sit with an uncomfortable feeling and ask God to help me process it, He can teach and help me learn. When I go to God, He helps me see things I would have missed and better understand why I feel the way I do.

I felt anxiety for years because I wouldn’t write what God put on my heart to share. I took three anxiety pills a day, but it didn’t help. I lived with debilitating anxiety. As in, I struggled to sleep, struggled to drive, struggled to leave my house, and always felt like I was about to die.

But everything changed when I started exploring my feelings, examining my thoughts, and spending more time with God. He showed me how to overcome it. But I had to put in the work.

I still struggle at times because the enemy never stops attacking. With every level, the devil finds a new way to attack. But it is usually one thought that is causing all of my pain. When I find the thought, I can pray about it and ask God to give me a Godly perspective.

Now, I have a much different relationship with anxiety. I realize it is a WARNING sign that something is wrong in my life, and I start questioning it until I feel better and learn to overcome it. I also do daily things to help me, like journaling, praying, reading my Bible, and exercising.

Please know there is no shame in having anxiety or taking medication. I am only sharing my personal experience and what worked for me. But for me personally, just taking medication without trying to figure out why I was anxious only numbed me and caused me to stay in a place of pain for years.

I just wanted to give you a new perspective to consider. Because I lived in daily torment, I would have loved someone telling me these things.