Proverbs 18:10 

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it and is safe.

Shortly after I graduated high school in 2011, I had my first anxiety attack. I remember the feeling like it was just yesterday. My arms and legs were tingling, my heart racing, cold sweats, feeling disoriented, and this awful, overwhelming feeling of doom. In that moment, I thought I was having a heart attack. Little did I know, that was the start of many anxiety attacks to come.

Statistics show that it is estimated that over 41% of the population worldwide have reported having high stress levels and over 300 million of those people have anxiety disorders. This number is most likely higher due to the number of people that don’t participate in surveys or polls. The numbers only seem to increase as time goes on. I used to think that I was very much alone in dealing with these attacks, but the reality is, many people suffer from them. It may not necessarily be a normal thing, but it can be common, even in the life of a believer.

In my life before Christ, my escape was medication and sleeping the day away, which was only putting a band aide on the problem.  I didn’t know much about the living, breathing word of God, let alone how to take my thoughts captive or how to let his perfect love cast out fear. Once I gave my life to God, I came to know his word, his love, and his peace. The anxiety attacks I once knew seem to dissipate overtime. For 5 years, I have still struggled with generalized anxiety, but the attacks were a thing of the past up until about 3 weeks ago. I began to think that I must have failed God in some way or wasn’t walking spiritually as I should, being the reason why this is happening to me, but I have to remind myself that this is a familiar lie the enemy plants many times.

I’ve realized that our bodies are a very complex design, created only by God. Our mind, heart, spirit, and body are all connected. By no means are we broken in a sense, but sometimes parts of us become dysregulated. In the past of my own personal life, healing had to first take place and recently, I’ve had many changes with trauma that has resurfaced. I know in my heart and spirit where the problem lies, as well as my solution. By that being said, a simple prayer doesn’t erase one’s problems, but prayer, being in the word of God, and having faith is the best start. Nurturing every part of ourselves is essential and sometimes that can mean taking advantage of available resources, such as therapy and unity with other believers, family, and friends. For some, it can be prioritizing your time to focus on healing and eliminating the things that may be causing the stress and anxiety. At the end of the day, apart from the changes I’m making to better the physical, mental, and emotional parts of my life, it is my time with God that is my main focus because ultimately, He is the only one that can make me whole and give me the strength that I need while I navigate through the obstacles of my life.

Throughout my ups and downs, God has been constant in my life. The enemy has tried so many times to weaken my faith and to pull me away from what is most important, but my God will always prevail. If you have personally experienced this in your own life, know that you are not alone and no matter where you are in your life, God is for you, and he is with you. He is your refuge and your defender, your shelter in the storm. There is no place in this entire world where he can’t reach you and make you complete. He promises to remain with you and His love and strength are available to all who believe and call upon the name of the Lord.

“I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”

Psalm 91:2