The Cure for Anxiety

At the time of this posting anxiety in the US is running high because of the coronavirus. Even before the virus, anxiety disorders are the most common illness in the U.S. affecting 40 million adults. This group is taking medication or seeing someone about their disorder. This is about 12% or 1 out of 8 adults. Probably at least twice that many have some kind of anxiety struggles but are not recognized. That’s 1 out 4 according to Jeannette Franks PHD. She states in an article on “Elderly Anxiety Disorders” that when anxiety becomes disruptive and disabling to a person’s life, it is considered an unhealthy psychiatric disorder. As many as one quarter of all people experience anxiety to an unhealthy extent, and older people can be even more at risk. Seniors may experience more troublesome anxiety than other age groups for several reasons: they experience more losses, suffer from more pain and chronic conditions, are often on multiple medications that might exacerbate anxiety, and have confounding ailments. She lists some major types of anxiety disorders including:

• Acute stress disorder: Anxiety and behavioral disturbances that develop within the first month after exposure to an extreme trauma.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Symptoms of acute stress disorder that persists for more than one month.
• Panic attacks: A sudden, unpredictable, intense, illogical fear and dread.
• Social anxiety: A preoccupation with how a person is viewed by others.
• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): A pattern of excessive worrying over simple, everyday occurrences and events.

Also from the “Encyclopedia of the Elderly and Aging” they said anxiety is common in the elderly with quite varying symptoms. Some people have nonspecific complaints such as apprehension, “nerves”, or a feeling of going to pieces. Others complain of sweating, tremor, dry mouth, and blurring of vision. Anxiety is mostly a reaction to conditions of everyday existence such as personal loss, fear of dying, dependence on others, or perhaps the need to make a change in residence.

So have I made you nervous? J

A couple of years ago I went in for a normal check-up at my dermatologist. The check –up went as others before it. He zapped some of the pre-cancer spots on my face that he blames on golf. Then he stopped and said that he needed to biopsy this one spot and left the room. I think he went to get a sharp knife to cut into my face. As I sat there on the edge of the table waiting for him to return I started to contemplate how this procedure of cutting a hole in my face would go down. I started to sweat and become light headed, and I thought I might pass out. I tried to adjust the table so I could lie down but I couldn’t get it to operate. As I was debating what to do next a nurse come in and saw my condition and quickly adjusted the table to lie me down before I blacked out. This experience didn’t help my manhood but I could then relate to others with anxiety issues.

So we at times can be anxious about a wide variety of different things, and certainly our health is one issue at the top of the list and now the coronavirus. Other areas could be our finances, our children, and grandchildren. So how are you doing here?

Anxiety can also be a joy robber because “we can’t enjoy today if we are anxious about tomorrow.” Proverbs 12:25a states “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down.” But God commands us not to worry. Matthew 6:25 states “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” We are often told to give it to God, and this is good. 1 Peter 5:7 states “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” God cares for us and that knowledge should be enough to calm our nerves but often it isn’t.

He is so interested in every aspect of our lives. He even knows the number of hairs on our heads. Matthew 10:30 states “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” How great is that!

So instead of being anxious, we should have an overriding attitude of gratitude. Hannah Whitall Smith said “The soul who gives thanks can find comfort in everything, the soul who complains can find comfort in nothing.” Our replacement for complaining is gratitude. God will continue to take care of us.

At around twenty years of age, I was in college and married with a child. During my third year of a five year program, I brought Carol (my wife) and Renee (my daughter) with me during my school quarter. School was always intense, and I didn’t realize that we were running out of money and still had about two weeks to go before my work session. That’s back when we didn’t have credit cards, and when you ran out of money you ran out. I knew I could contact someone back home for help. However, about the same time I realized we were out of money, we got money in the mail from my grandmother and Carol’s aunt on the same day. This was the only time we received money in the mail, and they both said they just felt we needed it even though we had not said anything. It was my first significant experience of God’s provision, and it has stuck with me to this day.

This incident has reminded me over the years that God is truly our provider. So we should not be anxious but be thankful.

So rather we struggle with anxiety a lot or a little “What is the cure?

Remember the storm:

Mathew 8:23-26 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. ²⁴ And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. ²⁵ And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” ²⁶ And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” 

In summary, the cure for anxiety is to grow your faith!!

Little faith a lot of fear   …..    A lot of faith little fear

How do we know how much faith we have? And how do we know when it grows?

James 2:26 “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” We do what we believe. So if you want to know what you believe look at what you do. If you believe the Bible is God’s word, you will read it. If you believe God answers prayer, you will pray. Then our faith is measurable and can be grown, 2 Thessalonians  1:3b states “because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love for every one of you for one another is increasing.” So then how do we grow our faith? Romans 10:17 states “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Faith comes by listening to God and the best way to do that is through His word and prayer. As I read the Bible or as I pray I try to listen to God.

We should have a regular time and place at least once a day where you are alone with God to read and to pray. Also have a reading plan. I just read through the Bible verse by verse and read a chapter in Proverbs each day based on the day of the month since there are 31 chapters in Proverbs. It typically takes me about 1 ½ years to read through the Bible, so go at your own speed.

Again finally: The cure for anxiety is to grow your faith.

P.S. I just finished my 16^th time through the Bible last week J