In my journey of overcoming anxiety, I had to learn what to stop doing as I also learned what to start doing and applying. Sometimes we need to put an end to destructive ruts that keep us frustrated and going in cycles.
These three things are habits i needed to stop. They got in the way of my freedom and I know it will help you as well as you look to overcome the anxiety battles you face.
Allow me to exhort you on three things to stop when it comes to anxiety:
1. Stop beating yourself up for having anxiety.
First of all, more people than you realize are battling this issue. I have to constantly remind many of this. You are not alone in this battle. Many others are facing the very same struggles.
Recognizing that this anxiety issues faces many people helps to remind you that you are not crazy and you are not alone. Don’t let shame get the upper hand, making you think that you are less than others because you struggle with anxiety. In fact, most likely you struggle with anxiety because you have a sensitive heart. And that can be used for greatness, especially as you learn to overcome.
It is important for you to remember, you may have a struggle with anxiety, but you are not anxiety. Anxiety is not who you are.
You already have enough that you are facing. You don’t need to add more anxiety by becoming hard on yourself in self-condemnation.
It’s ok. You’re gonna figure this out. It will just take some time. But beating yourself up for having anxiety will intensify the problem every time.
2. Stop asking God to take away your anxiety.
Like so many others, I got nowhere asking God to take anxiety away from me. Although this is an understandable request; it kept me from the growth and learning I needed to engage.
For God to simply make fear, anxiety and worry go away defeats the process in which we need to grow. Fear is something that needs to be faced and that includes anxiety. When I changed my mindset from “God take this away” to “God arm me to overcome,” it changed everything.
God did not put this anxiety on you, but He also wants to raise you up as a victor. He is here with you right now, to back up your steps of faith to face what you are battling. What you learn in the overcoming is priceless, unleashing a boldness and confidence that no one can steal.
If you are constantly asking people to pray your anxiety struggle off, you may have the wrong mindset. It’s like asking God to remove a thief out of your house for you, when in reality, you need to kick him out.
I want to encourage you to pray for the grace and power to overcome. Position yourself for the learning. Set your heart in a place to receive the love that casts out fear. For years, we have been training believers to have the wrong mindset. We pray for God to rescue us, while we retreat with great timidity. Instead, ask for grace to learn and apply what needs to change for the “new you” to rise up.
3. Stop looking for the quickest way out.
When I look back, I realize that more than anything else, I just wanted relief. But in reality, I wanted to find the easiest way out. It’s understandable. But I needed to learn how to get stronger in the process of overcoming.
We love to take shortcuts in our transformation process. But no matter what anyone tells you, there is no shortcut for your journey. Ironically, people who are always looking for a quick fix or short cut from the process actually end up adding months and years onto the process. If they’d just settle in and allow the process to take as long as it takes, they’d see more fruit.
Many Christians I run into object over taking medication for mental health issues. Yet at the same time, they seek for a “pill like” solution in their quest.
We want relief and the easiest breakthrough possible. But some of the greatest triumphs come about through some deep and challenging journeys that we allow ourselves to go through.
You cannot fast forward the journey, as everything in transformation happens in process. I have learned that I can actually lengthen the process in my attempts to find quick fixes.
Here’s something most people do not recognize: If God just took all your anxiety off of you, most people wouldn’t know what to do with themselves, because most of their life and thinking has been built on those anxieties. It takes time to rebuild, relearn and renovate the inner life.
The quicker I came to peace with my personal process, the journey became way more fruitful. I remember the day I said to God, “I’m going to take my peace with the process. So, I am willing to let it take as long as it needs to take.”
Interestingly enough, when I made peace with process, the speed of breakthrough actually increased!
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