Treat Anxiety As a Friend?

It was an eventful October weekend in Chicago, and my friend Angela and I scurried to our flight. When we landed back in Nashville I learned it would be thirty minutes before we could deplane. This was the same trigger of my first panic attack twelve years prior—back of the plane, fear of being trapped, unable to exit. Because the lower brain can’t tell time, my trauma sent me right back to that initial moment of panic, all those years ago.

You'll read what happened next in Building A Resilient Life, but suffice it to say, anxiety became the friend that taught me resilience. In the past, I'd run and hide, but that day I had to face it head on. Turns out, my resiliency techniques worked. Once the panic ran through my body, I stayed in that same spot another thirty minutes, and felt perfectly calm.

I learned something pivotal that day- the attack itself isn’t the bully; it’s the terror I feel during the attack that makes me avoid it. When we gently turn toward our pain and discomfort, we experience less of it.

I’ve learned the pain of anxiety is my friend, a barometer that reveals all is not well. It asks me to take a closer look at my life and what needs to change.

Pain also affirms my dependence on Jesus, how his peace leaves me tender, full of gratitude and love. I meditate on Scriptures and pray bold prayers, which cultivates a greater resilience.

• Where in your life are fear and anxiety present?

• What scriptures, friend, or counselor can help you develop strategies for dealing with pain?

No matter your anxiety, invite God into it. He is ready and waiting to give you freedom and a more resilient life.