3 Powerful Truths to Speak Over Your Anxiety

Mental health is a huge part of our overall health. That’s why today, we are going over three truths to speak over your anxiety.

*Disclaimer – I am not a doctor. This article is written based off of my experiences and opinions.

1. Speak over your anxiety – you live in me but do not control me

This one is a hard one to grasp for me sometimes. Because, at times, anxiety or panic attacks can be so intense that they feel like they own you in the moment. The truth is, the chemical imbalance is totally treatable with medication. If left untreated, the chemical imbalance can totally take over your mind and feel as if it’s controlling you. You can absolutely be a medicated Christian who frequents therapy. I do!

Before reaching out to a loved one about my depression and anxiety, life felt hopeless. It wasn’t until they recommended I see someone and I obliged. Medication helped the chemical balance and I felt in control for the first time in my life. Anxiety wasn’t lurking in the forefront of my mind, waiting to attack with endless questions and assumptions. I am dedicated to normalizing talking about and encouraging Christians to seek a doctor for mental health. It’s a tough road to travel, alone.

2. Speak over your anxiety – you create false realities

Have you ever had a dream that was totally bizarre and not a real-life dream? Perhaps you were breathing under water and swam into a school all dressed for classes that day, then you catch The Magic School Bus to go on a field trip to outer space and walk on the moon. This dream clearly lives in dream-land and does not reflect a typical day in life. Crippling anxiety can create a false reality with millions of questions and what-ifs.

Whenever you experience this, grab the table with both of your hands, lay down on the floor, anything to physically put you in the present moment. This can help calm panic attacks with deep breaths. These false realities can be crippling and are not always true.

3. Speak over your anxiety – it is not because of a lack of faith

I think the church, as a whole, means well. That being said, often times when someone expresses their mental health to a fellow at church, the type of response they will receive might be something along the lines of… ‘Pray about it’ or ‘I’ll be praying that God takes your depression and anxiety away.’ Now, I do not think that there is anything presumably wrong with these blanket statements. I do think that the church could be more educated on mental health. Just like we can’t assume that everyone knows everything about every subject, the same goes for here.

In my naivety, I believe that people can be genuine and want to learn about topics such as mental health within the Christian perspective. However, I know better that this is not always the case. More and more Christians are becoming comfortable discussing their mental health and seeking Christian counseling. As a fellow Christian who is medicated and sees a therapist, this makes my heart SO happy. Can we please normalize that mental health is a chemical imbalance and NOT a lack of faith?!

Conclusion

I have heard anxiety in word form, as well as, seen it in art form from various people. It is scary and needs to be addressed. Hopefully, these 3 truths to speak over your anxiety can start to put into a daily practice. This won’t make it go away. But you can remain confident that just because your anxiety lives in you, it does not have to own you.

From a mental health advocate.

To read more posts about mental health, click here.

For more information on mental health, please visit mentalhealth.gov