You don’t need a clinical diagnosis of anxiety to experience it. In fact, it can be argued that anxiety is a modern-day epidemic impacting the vast majority of the American population. The question is not so much whether you deal with anxiety, but to what degree and how well.

Anxiety is no respecter of persons, and it’s equally pervasive in its coverage area. It seems nothing is off limits when you consider that anxiety can interfere with your:

Anxiety Can Interfere With Your:

Physical Well-Being

• All sorts of stomach & digestive issues
• Clenching your jaw & teeth, especially when sleeping
• Shortness of breath, breath-holding
• Too much or too little sleep
• Weight gain all over, or just in the stomach
• Weight loss, control issues with food
• Hair loss, hair pulling
• Nail biting
• Skin issues
• Impacts on muscles or nervous system, all-over tension

Emotional/Social/Relational Well-Being

• Mood swings, easily irritated
• Unhealthy social life, technology-use
• People-pleasing
• Loss of patience
• Lack of deep friendships
• Avoidance
• Addiction tendencies
• Escapism instead of true rest

Spiritual/Mental Well-Being

• Negative thoughts, black & white thinking
• Believing lies that contradict God’s truths
• Poor grades or performance
• Inability to focus
• Loss of productivity
• Low self-worth, shame
• Lack of joy

So What Can You Do?

1. Don’t be caught off guard about the presence of anxiety in the world, in your body, in your mind, or in your spirit.
2. Instead, arrange your responsibilities and specific lifestyle through prayer so that when the peace of God guards your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6-7), everything else will have His protection too.
3. If your anxiety is so heightened right now that you can’t concentrate your prayers in this way, please discover more about reducing anxiety or consider counseling to help you learn how to manage it successfully.