Let’s talk about anxiety and how to combat it God’s way, such as through prayers for anxiety. I’ll be grouping anxiety disorders in with “non-disorder” anxiety for the purposes of this article, even though I realize they’re very different but because spiritually-speaking, the treatment is the same.
Let’s start by laying down a very basic understanding of anxiety before we get to the prayers for anxiety.
 but to trust our troubles to God in prayer. It also says that when we do that, God will guard our hearts and minds from the attacks of the enemy. That's why we say prayers for anxiety.){kind=link}
What is an Anxiety Disorder and What Does It Feel Like?
The definition of an anxiety disorder on Wikipedia is:
“Anxiety disorders are a category of mental disorders characterized by feelings of anxiety and fear, where anxiety is a worry about future events and fear is a reaction to current events. These feelings may cause physical symptoms, such as a racing heart and shakiness. There are a number of anxiety disorders: including generalized anxiety disorder, a specific phobia, social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, and panic disorder among others.” [Source]
Anxiety feels different for everyone. When I’ve had anxiety it felt like someone was stepping on my chest, crushing me. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I might be shaky. Lightheaded. I would clench my jaw until it hurt. My brain would start to go a hundred miles an hour. I had a hard time sitting still and felt like if I kept moving I could stop my thoughts from racing. I’d be easily overwhelmed, which could come out in tears or bursts of anger, and when it was really bad, I got vertigo (extreme dizziness).
Who Gets Anxiety?
Anxiety is the most common disorder in the world and affects 1 out of every 13 people world-wide, or 7.3% of the world’s population [Source], and 18% of the population of the USA [Source]. The percentages are much higher in the USA than anywhere else but then again, so is the research.
Women are 60% more likely to have anxiety than men [Source].
Young people are more likely to have anxiety as statistics decrease when people get to be over age 55 [Source].
Click to Tweet: Woah! Check out these facts about anxiety!
Is Anxiety Something We’re Born With?
Not always. However, there’s a definite genetic factor that comes into play.
Scientists aren’t sure if anxiety runs in families because it’s a gene or because it’s a learned behaviour (I tend to lean more toward the latter but that’s just my own personal opinion) [Source]. Either way, though some of us may be predisposed to anxiety it can also be a result of negative life experiences, which is why I wanted to talk about it for a month on an addiction blog.
Here’s THREE examples of circumstantial anxiety:
Social Anxiety can come out of being a part of a nasty divorce or a result of being continually bullied [Source].
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) happens after going through a traumatic event like a natural disaster, major car accident, abuse or of course, going off to war [Source].
Being raised with extreme perfectionism can stir up an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or if it’s combined with low self-esteem, an Eating Disorder [Source].
Does Everyone Who Feels Anxious have an Anxiety Disorder?
Absolutely not. Everyone feels worried or fearful at times. We get shy. We get nervous. An anxiety disorder is when the fear prevents you from living out your life [Source].
I’m not trying to diagnose anxiety with this article, I’m just laying out some facts to build a foundation for the month. It helps to have an understanding of the medical side of anxiety because we go to look at the spiritual side.
If you do think you may have an anxiety disorder click here to take a 10 minute test from Psychology Today before heading to chat with your doctor.
How Does the World Treat Anxiety?
Prayers for anxiety are certainly not the direction the world goes. Have you seen the movie Prozac Nation? Don’t bother if you haven’t, it’s not really all that good. Either way, I’m sure you’ve heard about it. I’m sure you’ve also heard about antidepressants like Prozac, Zoloft or Paxil. Yes? It’s probably because in 2010 there was an estimated 23.3 million people on antidepressants [Source]. With shaky statistics it’s hard to know exactly how many people are taking them in 2016 but the same study from the US Department of Health showed that there was only 11.2 million people on antidepressants in 1998. That’s a huge increase and if I was a math whiz, I would totally give you a percentage….
Math people? If there was 11.2 million people on antidepressants in 1998 and 23.3 million in 2010… it means there was a ____% increase. Therefore in 2016 there would be an estimated _____ million people on antidepressants….
The first person to answer that math question for me, I’ll give you a free copy of the re-release of the “Be Still Series” Bible Study. Write the answer in the comments below and email your first name and email to hello@leahgrey.com 🙂
Click to Tweet: If you can answer this math question, I’ll give you my Bible Study for free!
The other way the world treats anxiety is with some good old psychotherapy, professionally known as, “Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)”. Psychotherapy is not a “quick-fix”. A licensed and trained professional teaches how to change negative thinking patterns and/or habits into positive ones, therefore decreasing episodes of anxiety [Source].
Psychotherapy, in combination with medication, is hands-down the number one way the world treats anxiety. [Source].
That applies to both adults and children.
Is There a Way to Naturally Treat Anxiety?
There’s a ton of natural treatments in the world for anxiety. Let me name a few, some of which I’ve tried. Actually, I’ve tried almost all of them. [Source A] [Source B]
EXAMPLES OF NATURAL TREATMENTS FOR ANXIETY:
- Acupuncture
- Massage Therapy
- Mediation
- Regular exercise like yoga
- Get 15 minutes of sun a day
- Essential Oils and Aromatherapy
- Avoiding Caffeine and Nicotine
- Sleep More
- Natural Supplements like B12 shots, Omega 3s, St. John’s Wort and L-lysine
- Drink more Chamomile Tea
- Changing your diet
- Prayers for anxiety