I anxiously glanced at the time. It was one hour to my exam.
I began to have palpitations then I had a panic attack.
I really didn’t know why I felt that way at the time. God had spoken to me before my exams began and promised to be my Strength and Shield. He had told me to trust solely in Him and He’ll help me.
Mind you, this was not my first, second or third exam.
“Why then was I being anxious?”, I asked myself.
I broke down in tears because I was angry at myself for being anxious and unable to assimilate what I was reading.
Like my brain was supposed to be able to process information in that state.🙄
My friend was in my room but I didn’t want to talk to her about it. I wanted to talk to God first. So, I started playing songs on my ‘Trusting God‘ playlist.
P.S: I have playlists for almost every situation in my life.
I lay my head on my table, allowed the music sink deep, talked to God and shed some tears. While doing these, Abba reminded me of His promise to help me. He told me to trust solely on Him.
I wiped my tears and turned to look at my friend who was now seated next to me. She said some encouraging words and reminded me to rely on God.
I got ready to leave for my exam . . .
What Anxiety looks like.
Have you ever had a panic attack? Where your heart just begins to beat so rapidly like it’s going to jump out of your chest? Well, I had my first one in a long time last year.
Anxiety happens when you feel nervous or restless about a situation. For some people, they live with it and have to deal with it every day of their lives.
If this sounds like you, I want you to know that this is not God’s will for you.
In this blog post, I’ll be sharing 3 practical ways to deal with anxiety as a Christian. You want to keep your eyes glued to the comment section too, as people will share other practical ways they deal with anxiety.
Okay! Let’s dive right in!
Why Do We Get Anxious?
With reference to the story I shared earlier, I got anxious because I was relying on my strength and abilities instead of God’s. Maybe I subconsciously thought if I finished reading all there was to read, I would pass the exam.
God on the other hand was teaching me to trust Him solely, not in my understanding (Prov. 3:5-7).
Many times, Worry or Anxiety comes when we try to figure things out on our own. Joyce Meyer says we worry when we try to take matters into our hands thinking we can handle them.
We think that by thinking so much about a situation, we will be able to sort it out. Anxiety only aggravates it though.
You get tensed, your breathing becomes unsteady, you can’t think straight and you will eventually feel worse than before.
Although, by now I’m sure experience has shown you how futile your worrisome thoughts are.
“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life“.
PHIL. 4:6-8 MSG.
I know you’ve heard and read this Scripture severally but I want to draw your attention to something.
It says that you should shape your worries into prayers. Then you’ll have the peace of God flood your heart.
In other words, you won’t have peace except you give all your anxious thoughts to God in prayer.
Get it?
How Then Do I Deal with Anxiety?
- BREATHE. Yes! Breathe in and out. Get a grip of yourself before you get hurt. This way, you won’t take any rash decisions.
- TALK TO GOD. Don’t bottle your thoughts and feelings in. Tell God how you feel exactly how you feel. He knows anyway so you might as well just tell Him.
- GET BUSY. You should get busy so your mind doesn’t get the chance to ruminate on the problem. “Get busy with what?”, you might ask. Well, I don’t know. Getting busy for me though can be; listening to music or a podcast, talking with my friend about something entirely different or watching a funny YouTube video. Just do something good that’ll take your mind off the situation.
Conclusion
The next time you’re tempted to worry, take a deep breath, turn the worrisome thoughts into prayer points and get busy with something. You can write down the things you’re worried about and pray about them one by one (This works for me).
Then, you’ll really have peace at all times — that peace that passes all understanding. You know why? It’s because you’ve learnt to trust God to take care of you (1 Pet. 5:7).
I trust you’ve been inspired. Please don’t keep this to yourself. Share with everyone you know and on your fav social media platforms.
Also, I’ve added the link to my ‘Trusting God ‘ playlist on Spotify. Feel free to listen as you rest in God.
How do you deal with anxious thoughts?
I’ll love to know so please, don’t hold back on your helpful tips.
Looking foward to reading them,
GiGi.
Gloryinspires 