3 Ways to Overcome an Anxious Spiral
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- Published Dec 22, 2021
Spirals. They amaze us on seashells, confuse us in illusions, and challenge us on staircases. If the emotion we call anxiety were given form, I imagine it would look something like a spiral. Only, with anxiety, there’s no positive outcome. Anxiety is an unending loop de loop where we rack our brains with bad outcomes and worst-case scenarios.
Imagine filling a sink with water. Once you release the stopper, the water drains out, forming a spiral at the bottom. Anxiety has the spiral going in reverse. Instead of freeing water down the drain, the black gunk caught in the pipe spirals out. The sink isn’t emptied, but filled. Our brains are not freed, but consumed.
Anxiety is a trap that keeps us thinking and thinking but without any solid conclusions. Without any godly truths.
There’s no seashell to admire, only an optical illusion that leads us away from reality down an unending spiraling staircase with no bottom floor.
Anxiety is far too real, and all too common. Sadly, our ability to handle the unknown, the unforeseen, and the undesired is becoming far more challenging. Could the issue be that the world isn’t preparing us enough to handle the sufferings of life? Or is the issue that we rely on worldly teachings in the first place?
The world’s treatment of human struggles like anxiety varies with time. However, the Bible offers something different, solutions that are transcendent of time. These are 3 biblical ways to overcome the anxious spiral.
1. Recognize Your Choice
“We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)
Does anxiety feel powerful, consuming, and unbeatable? Do our feelings always match our reality?
One of the uncomfortable, but worthwhile truths author Jennie Allen discusses is our ability to choose. When anxiety comes knocking, how do we respond? She discovered in her own journey with anxiety that she had a choice, a power given to her through Christ.
Once we have diagnosed the problem – figured out what causes the anxiety – we are left with a decision. Do we allow anxiety to take us on a ride, or do we take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ? One path leads to self-control, the other to self-destruction.
2. Build New Habits
“Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.” (Colossians 3:9-10)
Anxiety is a bigger problem for those used to living with the emotion. Dwelling in such a feeling can eventually lead to diagnoses like GAD or OCD. Yet, even for those of us most troubled by anxiety, there is hope. Bad habits are not curses fixed upon us forever. Rather, bad habits can be overcome with new habits. When we find Christ, we put off the old self for the new. We aren’t alone in building better habits as a new person. We have the help and wisdom of Christ.
Here are some ideas to help replace the habit of worry:
Pray
Read Scripture
Write sticky notes with Bible verses
Seek godly counsel
Write examples of how God has blessed you
Compare the anxious thoughts to Scripture
Note your daily blessings every night before bed
Go for a walk
Breathe deeply
Cook
Exercise
Spend time with loved ones
3. Be Aware of God’s Promises
“But I have trusted in your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in your deliverance. I will sing to the Lord because he has treated me generously.” (Psalm 13:5-6)
Another way to snap ourselves out of the anxious spiral is to remind ourselves of truth. God’s truth. Anxiety prompts our minds with plenty of what if scenarios. These what if scenarios often don’t align with God’s Word. Instead, they are often contradictory to Scripture. We wonder about our worth, whether people will abandon us, or stress about finances. The Bible speaks to our worth, promises that God won’t leave us, and says God provides what we need. Who do we believe? Our thoughts or God?
By maintaining awareness of God’s Word, we can keep anxiety at bay. Psalms 13 and 22 provide great examples. After they first experience suffering, some external, some internal, they know that because of God’s character, all will be well in the end. They know to pray, they have an understanding of God’s Word, and they trust Him.
Once we are aware of God’s promises, we have to ensure that we trust Him too.
Leaving the Anxious Spiral
If you’re like me, sometimes you wonder if you’re really a Christian or just some bad hypocrite. We know not to fear, but time and time again find ourselves starting up on that spiral. With practice though, we can do better. We may feel fear, but we don’t embrace it. Once we see the spiral forming, we can continue to get better at saying no.
The anxious spiral is like an addiction. We can experience the negative feeling and respond poorly, but that further cements our anxiety. The cycle could go on and on if we allowed it to, but we have a choice. We always have a choice.
Like many things in life, our incorrect perspective is what allows anxiety to not only take root, but take control of our thoughts and actions. When we recognize our choice in the matter, when we take our thoughts captive (and not the other way around), we start to recognize our power. Power bestowed on us through Christ.
With this power we can build better habits; behaviors to enhance our relationship with God, self, and others. The more connected we are to our Heavenly Father, the more aware of His promises we will be. If we know His promises, we can wage war and achieve victory against those ungodly thoughts. When anxiety says we can’t, we’ll know God says we can. Whenever our anxiety says what if, we can respond with God will. If our thoughts say we aren't enough, we can know that God has endowed each of us with worth.
Our thoughts may go on and on, but so will the truth. Today let’s leave the anxious spiral behind us and move forward into a more confident, assured, and God-focused future.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/MarcelloLand
