Are you anxious?
If so, about what?
Are you afraid?
If so, why?
What are your biggest fears?
How do you respond when you feel those fears?
How do past hurts influence your present decisions?
What can you do to work through those hurts in healthy ways?
Where is God in your story?
Who should you talk to?
Are you willing to set up an appointment with someone who can help you?
What five suggestions would you give yourself?
These questions are very timely for the season of life I am in. To answer them completely I would have to write a book. I don’t feel anxious, but I feel uneasy. As my last semester on campus is coming to an end I am feeling the weight of finishing schoolwork, the emotions of this transitional period, and the busyness of my day to day life. This season has shown me a lot about relying on the Lord and leaning on him for strength. I have also found myself going to those around me when I feel like the world is crashing down. I am thankful for those people. As I am looking back over the last few weeks, I have five things that have helped to get through these feeling. The first, take it to God. The second, read his truth over the situation. The third, confide in those you trust. The fourth, create a routine to keep yourself regimented. Last, Breathe deeply often.
Yes, I am anxious most of the time. I care about things to a level and extent that I have no control over yet feel responsible for. I don’t think there’s enough space in this text box to tell you everything I have been anxious about over my life, but practically everything at one point or another sums it up. In general, I would also say I am afraid; most anxiety comes from a place of fear. I fear disappointing people, not measuring up, that those around me will think of me how I think of myself most of the time. I make jokes about my fears to cope with them and hope people don’t realize I’m not really joking. I have been hurt and I try not to let it affect me, but it does, some in ways that you would never even realize if you didn’t know. Sadly, in the past I wouldn’t let God have a place in my hurt. If I got hurt my walls would come up and not even God was allowed through them. If I could give five peices of advice to myself, I would want to give them to younger me, specifically like freshman year of high school me. 1) You aren’t anyone else, stop judging yourself by their standards. 2) Changing to outside won’t fix the hurt on the inside. 3) If they really cared you would see it in their actions, not just hear it in their words. 4) Life is going to feel pointless at times, but there are moments that make the pointless feel purposeful. 5) Change can hurt like nothing else and still be a step in the right direction.
I really appreciate how you worded and framed these thought-provoking questions. They tap into the complexities of human emotions and experiences, which often go unexamined. As someone who has struggled and to an extent still does struggle with anxiety, I find the challenge of balancing fear, past hurts, and reliance on faith to be deeply relevant. This blog post encourages reflection and provides clarity on how addressing fears through a combination of trust in God and self-awareness can lead to healing. I particularly resonate with the suggestion to confide in trusted individuals.
These questions are so key for deep self-reflection. They help us evaluate our struggles and they can be grounding to help us see what we are dealing with in the present. Becoming aware of present emotions is important for good mental health but also for our spiritual health. Becoming aware of who God is in our life and the priority he is is so deeply important for our spiritual walk. We have to share with trusted people when we are struggling otherwise those feelings that we reflect on can remain and it is much harder to move through them.
I enjoyed you bringing up these challenging and provoking questions. To answer briefly, I think one of my largest fears which causes much of my anxiety is that I will never be whole and will never be perceived by others as whole. When I feel those fears I usually try to compensate with achievement. Recently, I have felt God calling me to stop running from these fears. To stop compensating and living in a state of avoiding, hiding, and performing. That is very difficult. But God is here in my story guiding me as I come to know and truly believe my identity in Christ.
The first two questions got my attention. I beleive l am anxious and afraid, I am moving into a new chapter in my life and everything is part of the unknown for me. I know things feel pretty normal but I really need to put my faith in God’s plan and trust in Him.