However, all too often anxiety has a way of making us feel stuck and overwhelmed. We become less productive and we get next to nothing done.
Like a computer with too many programs running at once, the system - our mind - is overloaded and ceases to work effectively. The way in which our body reacts, the way in which our thoughts race and the feeling of fear and panic can be so strong that it can transform a peaceful person into one who feels trapped by their own mind.
Anxiety says: "There is something to be feared".
Have you ever considered that your anxious thoughts might be lying to you? What if those thoughts were false, misleading reactions to events and objects that we come across?
What if instead they were seen as unhelpful, irrational and unreasonable at times?
Would this change the way we respond to events that occur?
Anxiety is our body's way of saying - "Hey, this could be dangerous, take a look at this". When we feel anxious, hardly ever do we stop to think about where those feelings come from. Our anxious response often limits our capacity to change.
However, change is possible. We can learn to stop anxiety dead in its tracks.
The very words of God command us to "Take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Corinthians 10 verse 5b). But how on earth do we do this? For someone with debilitating anxiety, it's not as simple as flipping a switch and wishing away anxious thoughts.
So what will it take?
Let's suppose I get extremely anxious when meeting a new person at a party because I'm afraid of making a bad impression. I need to begin to pay attention to what my thoughts are and what my feelings are. My feelings will tell me that their opinion matters – that they need to like me. However, these feelings don't come out of nowhere. My feelings are often a result of the thoughts I am having. The thoughts that precede these feelings may be something such as, "If they don't like me, I'm not good enough" or "If they don't enjoy talking to me, I must be a boring person."
So here's a tip. Next time your body becomes anxious, i.e. your heart starts racing and you feel shaky and threatened, take a moment to find the thoughts that you are having. It might be, "He/she didn't acknowledge me, they must not like me," or "I said the wrong thing, I'm such an idiot." Noticing the thoughts you are having is the first step to challenging them.
The next step involves consideration for alternative thoughts. Consider the evidence that you have for and against this belief. For example, the thought, "If they don't enjoy talking to me, I must be a boring person," may be true because sometimes I, myself, don't like talking with boring people.
On the other hand, this thought may not be telling the truth because it is possible that this person is simply hard to get on with. There are many occasions in which I talk to people and struggle to hold a conversation. That doesn't mean that I am a boring person, or no good – there are hundreds of other explanations available. We shouldn't always take the side of our thoughts – our thoughts don't always speak the truth. Shakespeare provides a valuable suggestion: "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
This doesn't suggest that we should simply change all our negative thoughts into positive ones. In some situations, maintaining positive thoughts can be damaging. For instance, if I was diagnosed with terminal cancer, endless positive thoughts would actually be unhelpful - the situation is a bad one, positive thinking can't think it away.
Realistic thinking
What is needed is realistic thinking which replaces unreasonable thinking.
Realistic thinking says: "Although I'm experiencing some discomfort in worrying about whether this person thinks I am boring - other people think I am entertaining and fun to be around."
If we take the time to analyse our thinking, we can separate our anxious emotions and thoughts and let our minds deal with something much more reasonable. Remember, our thoughts often lie to us - we have to confront them with the truth.
Truth is a powerful weapon against our anxious thoughts. Often, we make sweeping generalisations such as "if one person doesn't like me, no-one likes me" or 'I am terrible at everything". The next time you have a thought like that - confront it with the truth.
At times our thoughts make us feel trapped - often without hope of ever breaking free. I have experienced the debilitating effects of anxiety on my life, and the only thing which broke my chains was the truth. God himself has given us the charge to "Take every thought captive to obey Christ" - let us subject every single anxious thought to the greatest truth - God's truth.
You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free - John 8 verse 32
Sarah Young is completing her Masters in Clinical Psychology and loves spending time engaging with young people. She spends her spare time writing songs, running and going on adventures with her husband, James.
Sarah Young's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/sarah-young.html