Focus on the Truth: How to Relieve Anxiety & 3 Reasons it Works

Happy Friday and happy Spring everyone! I hope you’ve had a fabulous week!

Today I want to talk about something that many people (myself included) struggle with: anxiety. I want to offer a way that I have found to help relieve anxiety and explain why it has worked for me.

Before I do, I have to offer a disclaimer:

Although this blog is generally directed to a Christian audience, if you don’t subscribe to Christian beliefs, you are welcome here, and I hope you keep reading. I want you to know that you are not alone in your struggle. Anxiety can be debilitating and unbearable. But, there are so many people who understand your pain. There are countless ways you might learn to cope with anxiety throughout your life, but the truth is we cannot have a hope for healing without knowing Christ. Knowing him doesn’t necessarily mean we will never face challenges or even experience anxiety again (I’ve been a believer all my life and I still struggle). However, we are promised a hope that carries us through the dark times of life.

This hope is what I cling to when I find myself overcome with anxiety. My hope is in the fact that Christ has saved me from my sin which leads to death; he will give me new life with him in eternity; a new life free from sorrow, pain and fear. From now until then, I just have to keep seeking him and his truth. That is a daily process of reminding myself who my hope is in. That hope is the light at the end of the tunnel that I always have to look forward to.

Now, on to coping strategies!

It won’t come as any surprise to you that Bible Journaling is my coping strategy of choice. While my hope is in Christ, sometimes I need to be reminded of who is in control and what is true. That’s where Bible Journaling comes into play. I want to share three reasons why I have found Bible Journaling to be a successful coping strategy for me.

*Side-note if you aren’t the creative type, just opening your Bible and reading would have the same effect. It’s much less about creating art, and more about digging into scripture.

1) Bible Journaling redirects my thinking:

When anxiety strikes the hardest thing to do is stop thinking. Your brain in on high alert and there is a lot going on. The wheels start spinning and your brain just cannot stop. The first thing I know I need to do is redirect my thoughts away from my anxiety.

When I sit down, open my Bible, and start reading and creating, I’m able to redirect my thoughts to something more productive. My thoughts are redirected not to just anything(tv, social media, etc.), but to words and ideas that are true. Anxiety has a way of making our minds believe things that are exaggerated or just plain not true. When I start to focus my attention on the True Word of God, my thinking shifts from fear to what God tells me is true in scripture.

2) Bible Journaling centers my thinking:

I’ve learned it’s not enough to just turn my attention somewhere else. I need to take that truth and get it inside of me. Once my thoughts have been redirected to truth, I can meditate on those truths through Bible Journaling.

Let me explain because that may sound a little odd in a Christian context. In some religions meditation is seen as the process of completely emptying yourself. Christian meditation is different because it involves an emptying of oneself in order to be filled with God. It’s an emptying to make room for the Holy Spirit to take over. As I create a page and focus on the words of Scripture, I am able to empty my brain of non-biblical, false thinking and fill it with what I know to be true of God.

3) Bible Journaling is an opportunity to give God my anxiety:

Bible Journaling is a time to read the Bible, worship my Creator, and to talk to Him through prayer. The act of Bible Journaling, to me, is an opportunity to take my worries, fears and struggles and lay them at the feet of God. He is the one who sees me, knows me, and knows what I need. He is the one who is able to help me through the challenges I face.

If I don’t take time to worship God, if I don’t take time to talk to Him and build my relationship with Him, I cannot hope to overcome my anxieties. God already knows what my anxieties are, but he delights when I take them and lay them down. He want’s to take them on, but He won’t take them forcefully. Until I can surrender them to Him, they are my problem to fix. Once I have laid them down, they are His.

And let me be honest, this need to surrender comes every day. It’s not a one and done kind of thing. I have to continue to be willing to lay it all down each and every day.

Just Remember It Won’t Last Forever:

Jesus started the work of salvation in His death and resurrection, but one day he will return and all things will be made right. The one true fix to all of life’s struggles and anxieties is when Christ returns and God makes all things new. That’s when anxiety and all things bad will be overcome with good. Until then we must keep fighting the good fight, continually putting our trust and hope in the Lord. Bible Journaling has been an avenue for me to stay connected to God and His truth. I encourage you to find a way to get into the Bible and dwell in the truth it’s filled with, whether that be through Bible Journaling or just reading.

What are some ways you cope with your anxiety? Share some tips below to encourage one another.