Walls are crashing down around you, the air becomes thick and hard to breathe, and you feel like you're drowning and can't catch your breath. Anxiety sets in. It's mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually draining. It drags you down and puts the actual weight of the world on you. You want to reach out to other people, yet you want nothing more than to just be alone. Sometimes in life we go through seasons where certain things set off our anxiety. There's a trigger that fires. Something someone says to you, a car cutting you off on the highway, or even just your routine getting thrown off. Anxiety creeps in when you least expect it.
Within the last few months I have been learning how to battle anxiety. I have never had an issue with it before, but one day something happened that just "broke my camels back" as my therapist would like to call it. We all have a breaking point, especially if we are people who spend so much time filling other people's cups and not our own. Through this journey of learning to live with anxiety, I've learned what it means to radiate God's light, even in the midst of some of the darkest feeling moments I've ever been through.
Reading the first paragraph you may think I'm talking about depression, and yes I am aware that they are different. Just remember this is how my anxiety has made me feel. What I want to focus on, however, is how to radiate joy in these moments where we feel like everything around us is closing in.
First and foremost when radiating joy in anxiety we must always find at least one thing to be thankful for. This could simply be fore the air you are currently breathing or the text message you sent last night or the ability to live another day. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." I have found this verse to be a solid rock to stand on, especially when going through my anxiety attacks. Next, to be able to radiate joy in anxiety we need to pray to God. This may look a few different ways. If you're calm and in a somewhat normal state of mind, you may be able to just talk to God and have a conversation with him. If you're in the middle of an anxiety attack it may look and sound more like venting to Him or pleading with Him to help you see the light, this leads back to thinking of something you are thankful for. I have found it to be so helpful to list as many things I am thankful for, even in the midst of my anxiety attacks. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "Pray without ceasing." This verse shows us that even though we are going through hardships we are to pray without stopping. Finally, the last way we can radiate joy in anxiety is to stand firm in who Christ made us to be. Words are powerful and it is important to speak words of life over ourselves. If we don't understand that God made us perfect in His image, that He made us for a purpose and on purpose, and that we are made in His glorious image it is going to be very difficult to speak words of life over ourself. The words you say to yourself can change your mindset, so if anxious thoughts begin to creep into your mind, cast them out and turn them into words of life. Psalm 3:15 says, "She is more precious than rubies. And nothing you desire compares to her." God says in His perfect and true word that we are more precious than rubies, we must begin to believe this about ourselves and speak words like this over us.
These three tools will not only help us radiate joy in anxiety, but they will cast down the devil and not let him complete the work he is trying to do that goes against everything God wants for our lives. So as you continue to go through life, I challenge you to give thanks, pray continually, and speak words of life over yourself - especially when your anxiety is setting in.
xoxo,
Rachel Marie
