All You Need To Know About Faith and Anxiety
We’ve all heard it before, right? You know, “pray about it and you will stop being so anxious”... That we just need to hand it over to God. Raise your hand if you’ve heard that one before.
If you’ve heard that one before or have said it to someone before then this article is for you! Because I’m about to tell you all you need to know about Faith and Anxiety.
Let’s start with why the notion of “how large your faith is determines your anxiety” is actually extremely toxic.
This puts the fact that someone has anxiety on something they can control. That if they believed more, prayed more, etc. more, then they wouldn’t be so anxious. This is fundamentally wrong because anxiety is a mental illness, not a result of lack of faith, and to imply otherwise is dangerous to the person.
So What Does It Mean to Have Anxiety?
Yes, it’s true, everyone has anxiety. It’s a natural function of our brain, a defence mechanism to tell us when something is wrong. The human flight or fight response.
But when someone has an anxiety disorder, this response is elevated and is activated when it usually wouldn’t be. This usually shows in ways it starts to impact your everyday life.
For example: if you can’t go to the store because you are so worried something will happen or that you don’t know exactly where something is.
This would seriously interfere with your everyday life. An anxiety disorder is much more than the normal worry that we all feel.
If you are one of the 18 million in the United States that suffer from anxiety then you also know that it can feel really scary. The thing about having an anxiety disorder is that it can feel very isolating. When you are stuck with your thoughts in your head, it’s harder to think rationally or to keep some very intrusive thoughts out of your mind. All these things really add up and it can just make you feel bad.
Therefore not only does having an anxiety order just makes life more difficult, but the added negative feelings that it can make you have just add to it.
Simply put, having an anxiety disorder is not easy, at all.
So What Does It Mean To Have Faith?
I know, this is a super easy question on a basic level. To have faith in Jesus is to believe that Jesus died on that cross for you, for me, for everyone. It’s to believe that there is a God that created everything, including us, and that God sent Jesus to save us.
But also having faith means that we know there is more than us. That God created everything. That we have salvation and that this life is not our only life. That after death we are united with our Heavenly Father and we will live for all eternity in peace.
Doesn’t that just sound wonderful?
On a more daily basis, having faith looks like knowing that you aren’t alone. Walking day to day feeling that God is with you and that you ALWAYS have somebody to listen to.
Having faith is a wonderful thing, while sometimes you can still feel isolated or alone, it’s important to remember that God never leaves us. He’s a loving God.
Why People Say Faith Fixes Anxiety
We like to live in this space of “when you believe everything is perfect”. Maybe you know what I’m talking about? Society seems to preach that once you follow Jesus and believe in him that all worries go away, that if you have enough faith it will fix things.
That is a lie.
It seems to be a huge misconception, but the bible does NOT promise us an easy life free from hardship. But the bible does tell us that when we go through things we are not alone, that Jesus is there with us. THAT is the promise.
This utopian preaching is dangerous. It can make people feel like their connection with God isn’t strong enough because they still have anxiety, or are suffering. When in reality God is right there with us and giving us comfort and direction.
Life is hard and honestly following Jesus can make it a little harder. Some people will face backlash from their friends or family. People around the world are persecuted and killed for it.
People say that faith fixes anxiety because people so desperately want to think it’s the fix for anything that’s wrong. It’s important to remember how damaging that narrative can be though, not only if you say it to someone else, but it’s important that you don’t believe it yourself.
Turn to God for help with you anxiety, absolutely, but don’t be fooled that it means you have little faith.
Faith Can Ease Anxiety
Now this is a big distinction because I believe that faith can EASE your anxiety and by that I mean it can help you cope with it. When you have faith you know that you aren’t alone and that can really help with anxiety because anxiety has a way of making you feel alone. I’m sure you know how that is.
And my guess is that you are a person of faith, or perhaps just coming to faith/curious about it and that’s why you’re here. Let me tell you, it really can ease your anxiety. Knowing you aren’t alone and that He is there to help you through it really is so relieving.
I’ve been in situations before that I haven’t relied on my faith when I was really anxious, usually because I was mad at God, but when I can open my heart and let him in, it’s so much better.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 11: 28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden in light.”
This scripture is just one of many, but I think that this one really hits home. He is willing to carry our yoke, our anxiety, and when we trust in Him and follow Him His yoke is light and easy to carry. Again, I don’t mean this as your anxiety will go away, but rather that we can find comfort in that.
Does comfort help you with your anxiety? I bet it does. It can look different for everyone, but when we are in states of anxiety being comforted can be huge and it can make a difference.
Like I always say, faith is a tool you can utilize for anxiety. We use faith in every part of our lives, so make sure to use it for anxiety as well.
So take these as reminders about faith and anxiety. It can be a complex topic to navigate, but remember, your faith is not measured by your anxiety. Your faith is measured by your relationship with Jesus. Jesus is there to help you with anxiety.