I have some family members who suffer from anxiety issues and at times it becomes debilitating for them.  It interferes with their daily lives in such a way that they are unable to perform their jobs and daily tasks at home.  Thankfully, this is one affliction I don’t suffer from so I don’t fully understand it, but I know the agony of it is real and harmful emotionally and physically.  I have one female family member who is currently suffering from bouts of anxiety and I feel helpless in this situation as I can’t alleviate her pain and I want to help her through it.

I just got around to reading the Jan/Feb issue of Living Lutheran and interestingly enough, it contained an article on this very subject. I read it at an opportune time and it gave me hope that I may be able to offer more assistance.  While the article focused on anxiety in children, while reading it I substituted the name of my family member and it made the article more personal and meaningful for me.

The article tells us that anxiety is based on fear and specifically, fear of the future and its unknowns.  All of us have certainly had plenty of those unknowns this past year so those people who tend toward spells of anxiety have had even more factors about which to be worried.  I have had conversations with her about not worrying, but that is usually not helpful.  She doesn’t want to worry, but it seems her worries have a mind of their own and she is unable to turn off the “worry” switch.  It has now manifested in her inability to sleep and we all know that is a very unhealthy result.  That in turn leads to more angst as sleep deprivation leads to less mental capacity to fight against the underlying problem…anxiety.

When I read this article, I thought of the anxiety Jesus must have felt in those 40 days he spent in the wilderness and then the week after he arrived back in Jerusalem to face his impending death.  While He knew what the future held for Him, He knew the agony He would endure would be horrific. Jesus was human after all and suffered just as we as humans do.  He prayed to His Father for guidance through this difficult time and his prayers were answered.

What He knew however and what we know and need to remember is God is big enough to handle all of our worries, big or small.  In 1 Peter 5:7 we read that no matter what, God is with us and we can cast our cares on Him and He will handle them all because He cares for us.

While I have suggested deep breathing exercises, trying to focus on something else, and of course “not worrying”, the main thing I can do is pray for her well-being and pray for help in easing her mind. I can pray with her for guidance during this difficult time and for her to turn her problems over to God as He can and will handle them. Thanks be to God for his unconditional love!

Patty