5 Scriptures to Help Reduce Anxiety
Are you a worrier? Let me make sure you read that correctly, not a warrior (like Golden State), but a worrier. You know, one of those people who constantly have racing thoughts, who replay things over and over in your head, who often fear experiencing the worst-case scenario, and who feels anxious when you begin to think about different aspects of your life. While it is normal to worry sometimes, for some of us, worry is taken to another level and turns into anxiety and panic. For many, worrying is a full-time job that never ceases, but I’m here to share with you one of the ways I tackle worry and anxiety because that’s my thing! Along with therapy, one tool I recommend to help others tackle anxiety and worry is spirituality. I’m going to share with you a few of my favorite scriptures to help with fear, worry, and anxiety and show you how to take these words and turn them into action to implement in your everyday life.
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Now you may be wondering how I have so much knowledge and info about worry and anxiety. Well, first I am a licensed therapist with over 7 years of experience in the mental health field and I specialize in treating anxiety. But I didn’t choose to specialize in anxiety randomly…but I chose it because I could relate. I have a history of being a worrier. For me, it started as a child…I was an anxious child and worried a lot. I took that with me into adulthood. But the older I got, I realized that I was constantly creating more things to worry about because with age came more responsibilities and awareness. I’m sure some of you can relate to this struggle. The news, social media, world crises, raising children, trying to reach goals, daily chores, paying bills, and still trying to look summertime fine…all of these things can create a mountain of worry and anxiety that can seem impossible to climb over. I get it and I’ve been there. With all of the education, training, and experience (both professional and personal) that I have, I’ve learned that anxiety and worry don’t HAVE to be a part of your daily life and your mental makeup. You can actively work toward decreasing your anxiety and tapping into your spirituality is one of the ways to do it.
Why the Bible?
The bible is full of scriptures about fear, worry and anxiety. I wonder why that is? Well, I’m sure it’s because God knew that this was an area that we would need help with so he ensured that he gave us some words to help us when we are going through this. So I’m going to share with you guys 5 of my favorite scriptures to help combat anxiety and worry and most importantly explain how they apply to your life. There’s more to these scriptures than just reading them and saying them, but to truly receive the full effect of them, you have to learn how they apply to you and put those words to work in your life.
1 Peter 5:7 “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
This scripture tells you exactly what to do with your worries and concerns and that is to give them to God…but how exactly do you do that? For many people, worry and anxiety are a revolving door. One minute they worry…then they shake it off…then a few minutes later they’re worrying again. So how exactly do you hand your worry over to God and keep it from coming back? Well, doing this takes work and effort over a period of time. Handing over your worries to God requires you to acknowledge your worries and tell him about them. Many people who worry or have anxiety have thoughts that constantly swirl around in their mind and never feel a sense of relief because they haven’t released them. This is where doing things like journaling and writing down your thoughts helps. If you want to give God your worries, start by writing them down daily. You can’t give him something if you don’t first acknowledge you have something. Write in the morning when you wake up or before going to bed at night. I recommend writing because it is a visual representation of taking what’s in your head and releasing it onto paper. You can pray over these things or even write down your prayers. Once you talk to God about what you are worried about, then you can ask him to guide you and show you have to best handle those things. Then your mind can begin to rest easier and not constantly carry around the mental chaos.
Matthew 6:27 “Can your worries add a single moment to our life?”
Man, this question can really stop you in your worrying tracks. It is a reminder that worrying solves nothing! Kind of like complaining. This scripture encourages you to ask yourself if what you are doing is contributing to your wellbeing. Thinking about things over and over and over doesn’t help situations get better; however, rationalizing does. Like this scripture, you should ask yourself questions that will help you rationalize your worrying thoughts. This is something that I constantly help clients do which is to make sense of their thoughts. Often times when it comes to worry and anxiety, they realize that their thoughts don’t make much sense and aren’t true or realistic. Once they realize that, we work on not just getting rid of those worrisome thoughts, but replacing them with what is true and real. So ask yourself, Are my thoughts helping me or hurting me?" Are they adding to my life, or taking from me? Once you’ve answered that question then you can begin to replace those anxious thoughts with thoughts that will add good things to your life.
Matthew 6:34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Now some worriers may read this scripture and think oh no, I have trouble and worries coming tomorrow and it will freak them out even more, but let me give you my perspective on this scripture. A lot of people’s worry comes from thinking about too much at one time. They are thinking about what they have to do today, what’s on the schedule next week, where they want to be in their career next year and so on. Their mind is being pulled this way and that way and it’s all over the place. They are worried about today, tomorrow, next week, and 10 years from now. It’s just too much! So what this scripture is saying is to focus. Don’t get so ahead of yourself that you become panic about what’s to come. So how do you do this? Well, you can do what is called compartmentalization. Focus on one thing at a time. If you are working on one thing, don’t wander off and think about something else. Stay focused on the task at hand. Another way to help with this is to plan. Creating schedules and plans for your month or even your quarter can be helpful in not getting overwhelmed with what you need to do. So now, each day you know what needs to be done and you don’t have to worry about tomorrow because everything is spelled out for you. So give compartmentalizing a try. I know we live in a multitasking society, and we constantly have access to media 24/7, but try to focus on one thing at a time and see how it decreases your worries.
Philippians 4:13 “For I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
This scripture is recited soooo much and it is a great reminder that with God, we can do anything. So what does this have to do with anxiety? Well, you may think “don’t worry because you can do anything with God.” And while that’s true, that’s not exactly where I’m going with this scripture. Sometimes our stress and anxiety are self-inflicted. You have to ask yourself if there is something you are trying to do and it is causing you a lot of stress and worry and anxiety? Is this something God wants me to do? You can do anything with God…but it’s important to make sure that God is in what you’re doing. Sometimes we make plans and decisions that cause anxiety and worry and that’s because God isn’t in. We often are trying to fit a square peg in a circle whole while saying “I can do all with Christ” and yes that’s true, but maybe it’s not happening because Christ doesn’t want you to do that thing. This is when we have to do what another scripture says and that is seek first the kingdom of God and make sure God is cool with your plan. So once you know that he’s all in on your plan you can proceed to achieve because God is with you with him all things are possible.
Joshua 1:9 “This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
In this scripture, God tells us to do something that he mentions 365 times in the bible and that is to fear not. It is not a coincidence that we are told over and over and 300 times over not to fear. I’m sure God knew we would need to hear that time and time again because fear will come. This scripture is a reminder when you become afraid and that fear leads to worry and anxiety to do it anyway. To be courageous and strong and to go forth anyway. That is how you overcome fear and anxiety and worry. By moving forward day by day. You beat it by having the thought and feeling the feeling, rationalizing it, and pushing through with God’s word in tow. Being strong and courageous doesn’t mean you’re never scared, it doesn’t mean you’re this person who isn’t bothered by anything, and it doesn’t mean you don’t have a tough or bad day. Being strong and courageous and even fearless means despite all of that you don’t quit, you keep working toward your goals, you continue to put yourself out there, you keep reminding yourself of God’s word. Take those deep breaths, because taking deep breaths are essential when you deal with anxiety. You do whatever it is that must be done in order for you to be great. And the more and more you do it, the less and less you will be anxious because your life will become an example of God being with you and you can use your past successes as a reminder of how great you really are.
So there you have it. I just gave you a few scriptures to help with anxiety, but God’s word is full of scriptures to help you with his issue. Reading His word and applying it to your life can be so beneficial in overcoming worry and anxiety and I pray that you have found my interpretations helpful. If you’d like help on applying these scriptures to your life and deal with your anxiety click here to learn more about The Anxiety Management Group for Women.
LaShawnda McLaurin is a licensed clinical mental health counselor offering counseling and coaching services to women, exclusively online. She specialized in anxiety counseling, anxiety, fear, and worry coaching, trauma, and relationship issues. To learn more about LaShawnda’s services click here.