For those who deal with anxiety on a daily basis, they know how panic can control their lives. For some, their panic is more circumstantial as it fueled by mainly contextual issues. Maybe they have a test to take, meeting to lead, speech to give, or some other event or situation that raises the level of anxiety in their life to a state of panic. For others, their panic has a more inward origin, and at times seems to come out of nowhere. Circumstances in their life seem to present little to no trigger at all to their panic, but instead, it wells up from within.
As one who used to be ruled by anxiety and panic attacks, I know firsthand how debilitating they can be. Worst of all, it often feels like things will never get better. The idea of one day living a panic free life seems like a hopeless reality.
So, let me tell you, there is hope. You CAN live a panic free life. And chances are, you won’t have to bow down to medications in order to experience freedom from anxiety.
Here’s what’s worked for me…
1) Discover the Spiritual Issues Underneath
I never would have thought it, but much of my anxiety and panic issues stemmed from a faulty, broken view I had of God.
Though it never seemed like it in the moment, much of my anxiety and panic originated from spiritual issues in my life. Anxiety and panic don’t feel or seem very spiritual, but they certainly can be. In fact, panic and anxiety is the body’s way of alerting us to the fact that something is not well within us. It could be in our thinking, in our feeling, in our biology, or some combination thereof. I would venture to say that most anxiety issues that become biologically driven first started off being spiritually and experientially driven.
The Bible says, “Perfect love casts out fear.” The love spoken about here is God’s love of us. This is a perfect example of how our view of God (spiritual issue) can be directly related to anxiety in our lives.
Don’t underestimate the spiritual issues underneath that are driving the levels and issues of anxiety/panic in your life.
2) See a Licensed Christian Counselor
Getting to the root of the issues that are fueling anxiety and panic in your life are very likely going to require you to get professional help. Secular counseling can only take you as far your life experiences are concerned, it cannot heal your soul. Healing the soul is a matter of faith in Christ. To heal anxiety you must heal the soul, secular approaches cannot provide supernatural solutions. Additionally, make sure you find a Christian counselor who practices from a foundation of Grace and is wise in the character and nature of God. The last thing you need is a religiously-spirited counselor adding a bunch of “to do’s” and “rules” to managing anxiety in your life.
Why do I say that? Because the issue of “condemnation” in people’s life is often a big culprit behind the anxiety and panic they face on a daily basis. Condemnation has to do with feeling trapped, forever guilty, ashamed, broken, flawed, and judged. Only God’s Grace can heal those deep issues, not religious rules and actions.
3) Find Issues of Condemnation
One of the issues that pulls the strings of panic and anxiety in people’s lives is “condemnation.” Living a life free from debilitating levels of anxiety and panic means walking in assurance, peace, and rest deep within your being. Condemnation unravels this ability.
In my own life, after I solicited professional help from a wise counselor, I learned that deep within me being I felt condemned by God, my father, and the areas of my life I labeled as not measuring up. No wonder why I lived with spiking levels of panic and anxiety from time to time. Condemnations kills, God’s Grace and perfect love bring life.
Chances are the root behind your anxiety and panic will be an issue(s) of condemnation in your life, real or perceived.
Are there circumstances where a person needs to medically treat issues of anxiety in their life? Sure, absolutely. But ultimately, though medications may help manage symptoms, they cannot provide the cure. Jesus can provide the cure; Grace, love, and His favor received through believing, applied to the deep spiritual areas of condemnation and fear within.
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