Is your answer to any of these questions yes?
Do your friends say that your anxiety is excessive or unrealistic?
Can you control your anxiety?
Do you feel like your anxiety has taken over your thoughts for more days than not for several months?
Do you suffer from restlessness, fatigue, tremors and muscle tension?
Do you have shortness of breath, dry mouth, trouble swallowing, or stomach problems?
Do you feel nervous, have trouble concentrating, have trouble sleeping or falling asleep, and are you irritable?
Answering yes may mean that your daily life is sometimes overwhelmed by anxiety. We all experience stress, worry, and anxiety. Times of stress, worry, and anxiety can be caused by a job change, a move to a new city, the arrival of a new family member, or other life transitions. Changes in life can generate worries and fears about the future. Unhealthy anxiety manifests itself physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally; Anxiety can consume everything and affect all areas of our lives.
Anxiety doesn’t just affect busy adults. It can also infiltrate your child’s or adolescent’s life and prevent them from reaching their full potential.
A child may experience second-hand anxiety through the anxiety of a parent or guardian, as well as first-hand anxiety caused by their own situation at home or school. Anxiety can affect a child’s confidence in school and his ability to be independent from his parents. Children do not have the words or the ability to understand what anxiety is and why it sometimes impacts us. Children sometimes need help understanding how to normalize their fears and how to come up with creative coping methods. It is also important to ensure that children do not feel responsible for their worries and do not make anxiety part of their identity.
Adolescence can be difficult enough without the constant nagging of anxious thoughts. Anxiety can affect a teen’s ability to make healthy friends, participate in classes, and try new activities. Teens should have the power to ask for help when they need it and to question the fears that enter their thoughts. Allowing them to work through their anxiety is a wonderful stepping stone that prepares them to deal with future struggles.
Adults often mention anxiety as a common symptom. Anxiety can control adults’ decisions in the workplace, their ability to have romantic relationships, and their fears about making the right decisions for the future. Working on anxiety problems can involve undoing years of pent-up subconscious fears and negative internalized thoughts. As an adult dealing with unhealthy levels of anxiety, you need to redesign your personal coping skills in order to effectively deal with the anxiety that normal life events can bring. You can take steps to deal with your anxiety and reduce how often anxiety occurs so that you can function normally in your daily life.
The good news is that we are not meant to be consumed by anxiety. In Philippians 4: 6 we read: Do not worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, present your petition to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. God wants us to live a full life and trust him for our future needs and plans. Help is available and we can learn to live with change and without life affecting anxiety.