How to combat anxiety
The end of the semester is quickly approaching which means that students are feeling stressed and anxious. There is much anxiety involved with finals and getting in last assignments for students this spring semester. Sometimes when we are stuck in our own heads and are struggling with anxiety it can be easy to surrender to anxiety and believe the lies we tell ourselves. The only thing that will give someone lasting peace and joy in stressful situations or trials is reading God’s word.
It is important to not allow our anxiety to rule over us and steal our peace. Life is full of trials and stressful situations. In Matthew 6:25–34 Jesus Christ says do not be anxious about your life. In his sermon on the mount he commands the crowd of people listening to him to not worry about what they will eat, drink, or the clothes they will wear. We cannot control anything that happens in our life. So, instead of worrying about things we cannot control we need to lean on God who actually has the authority to control such things.
God is the creator of the universe and has the ability to control the weather, time, and the most intimate aspects of our lives. Jesus goes on to tell the crowd in Matthew 6 that if God protects the flowers and the birds in the sky he will surely protect and support you, his creation, who he created in His own image.
When we are feeling worried and fearful about the situation we are currently going through the first thing we should do is pray. It is important to remember while you are feeling overwhelmed to come before God and ask him for his help. In Philippians 4:6–7 Paul tells the church in Philippi to thank God always. When we are having a good day we are supposed to thank him, and when we are having a bad day we still give him thanks. We are supposed to let go of our anxiety and pray to him by giving him thanks and making the desires of our hearts known to him.
It is difficult to not get swept away by the cares of this world, and it is easy to not think of prayer as the first thing to do when you are stressed but prayer should be what we do when we are feeling anxious. The way to have prayer be the first thing you do when feeling anxious is to already have a foundation on God and his word. It is important to have an established foundation on God, so when you go through difficult times it will be easier to lean on Him. Reading the Bible and praying daily can help to stay firm in your faith. There is life in God’s word and through reading it we will be able to obtain God’s peace which will guard our hearts and minds.
God wants us to come to him with our burdens. In Matthew 11, Jesus says to come to him with our burdens and he will take it off our shoulders. He only wants peace for us. Listening to music or watching TV may calm us temporarily, but God’s peace lasts forever. His joy is our strength, and he is always with us.
