How to Strengthen Your Resiliency: Overcoming Anxiety

There was one time as a kid when I fell down from my scooter and slid on the concrete for so long that it burned my knee. The accident happened quickly, but my reaction was fast too. The moment my body stopped sliding forward, I pushed myself up and off of the ground. I ran inside, cleaned myself up with rubbing alcohol and peroxide, and slapped a bandaid on.

How was I so quick to know what to do even at 11? I had been taught. Every time I ran into the house with tears running down my face, my mom ran me through a series of questions: "Do you need to go to the hospital? Are you bleeding? Do you need a bandaid? Okay, then let's clean it up first, head to my bathroom, and sit down."

There was a system. What are the needs? Let's meet them and move forward.

It's the same with resiliency.

'I failed my exam.' Okay. what's the next probable course of action? There will most likely be another exam or another chance to take that class. Yes, that is incredibly frustrating, but this is where we are now. What are we going to do next? What are you going to do next? This is why the Bible says sooo many times "Be anxious for nothing." I know it's incredibly frustrating when you're in a depressed or pessimistic headspace, but isn't it still the truth? Be anxious for nothing. What is there to be anxious for when the salvation of our souls is assured in God's devotion to us through Jesus' death?

And what is there to be anxious about when we have the privilege of a personal relationship with the all-knowing God?

One thing that I have learned (and been reassured of by other mature Christians) is that anxiety is something we do not have to accept. We can decide whether or not to agree with it.

This is coming from someone who gets panic attacks. I have actually been diagnosed with anxiety disorder and depression. I know what it's like to have anxiety so bad that you feel out of control over thoughts and ideas and begin to obsess over them. In the past, I had become so obsessed over my traumas/tribulations that I thought about them non-stop. It was as if I thought I could find a solution if I just kept thinking about every detail for long enough. When I tell you that I thought about this situation (and still have moments of thinking about it) for over a year, I am not kidding or exaggerating. It had clouded my mind so much that I almost went into this state of auto-pilot. I bet the friendships that were most prominent in my life at the time would tell you that I mentioned my circumstances almost daily during conversations.

When I tell you that anxiety is not something you have to agree with, I truly mean it. You will be okay if you let the situation stay in the past. You don't always have to let things stir in your mind until you're exhausted like I did.

I have no intention of discrediting the struggles people go through when dealing with intense feelings of anxiety. I have been there.

One regret that I have in my time making YouTube videos and blog posts about Jesus is saying the statement "anxiety isn't real." I remember hearing someone in my circle say the same phrase and feeling offended and it made me think back to saying it myself. Anxiety IS real and I would argue that most people will struggle with it at some point in their lives. Although anxiety is real, what I meant to highlight in my video is that it was built on the foundation of many, MANY lies. The enemy is out to destroy us ( 1 Peter 5:8, John 10:10). If he can destroy the body of Christ piece by piece, then slowly but surely, he believes he could win.

I remember a moment where I was in the deepest possible depths of my anxiety-depression mixture and all I could do was lay on the floor of my dorm room with tears streaming down my face. I remember praying to God and telling Him I couldn't handle this anymore. "Please make it stop. Take this from me. I can't do it anymore."

What I realized at that moment was that I was experiencing a Job moment. What I meant by that is; the fact that I was praying my anger, grievances, and pain upward was all I needed.

I could have boils on my body, lose my entire family, and have my friends oppose me and my anxiety in every way, but at the end of the day, I would still have God. He would always be there for me. He was my shield, my refuge, and my mighty savior. The war was already over when I told Him "I give up" because I had handed it to my Savior. If the Word said "Be anxious for nothing" that was what I did. I would force myself to change the music if it made me bitter about my circumstances. I would reframe my thinking if my brain told me "It will never get better from here." My life depended on it. It depended on my submission to what the Word had to offer me and when the world had nothing left to offer me, It was very worth a shot.

See, because I had tried the weed and the sex and the drinking, clubs, raving. At the end of it all I was left wondering where I was going. I knew that getting lost in my sorrows wouldn't bring me joy and thank God for the clarity. Leaning on your own understanding truly does not work very long especially when your brain is chemically wired to lose you in a forest of anxiety.

Jokingly saying "Anxiety isn't real" or even saying it with good intentions is not helpful when there is no solution behind the phrase. So although the feeling of anxiety is real, anxiety does not have the hold on you that you think it does.

If you don't believe me, please give the Bible a shot. A genuine and fully submissive shot. Have faith in the Word of God and the transformation it can cause for your life. I dare ya 😏

Thank you for reading :) I sincerely hope that my experiences and life lessons can teach you something. I pray that the Lord speaks to you in your journey with Him. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to aid in your walk with Jesus. Much love <33 I love you but remember that Jesus loves you more.

Some Bible chapters to help with resiliency:

Galatians, Psalms, and Ecclesiastes.