What IS Anxiety?

I’m so excited for you to begin this study! Anxiety is such a widespread issue, and it’s something I have personally battled in my own life. Thankfully, over the years, God has shown me that it is possible to manage anxiety with His help.

Before we discuss how to deal with anxiety, it’s important to understand exactly what it is. Anxiety is a common human response to stressful situations—we all feel anxious, worried or concerned at times, whether it’s about our relationships, jobs, finances or anything else. For some, anxiety can also be the result of a medical or chemical issue, so when therapy or medication is warranted, we should not feel ashamed about getting the help we need.

However, anxiety and worry often begin with our day-to-day trials. In fact, I think one reason people end up with serious anxiety or depression disorders is that they don’t address the anxiety we all face daily—they let it build until it becomes unhealthy or unmanageable. That’s why it’s so important to learn from God’s Word how to deal with our daily situations. The quicker we refuse to worry when we are tempted to do so, the less likely we are to have serious problems with anxiety.

My husband, Dave, almost never worries. Part of the reason for this is his natural temperament and part is his trust in God. He truly believes God will take care of him, and he has a genuine revelation of 1 Peter 5:7, which says to cast …the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully (AMPC).

I’ve learned that although some people seem calm, they may internalize their frustration and worry. This can actually be more harmful than expressing their negative emotions. I’ve heard that people either explode or implode if they don’t learn to deal with their emotions properly. For years, I was the type to explode, but eventually all of my explosions also caused me to implode!

In December 2017, after years of unreasonable stress caused by many situations, I fell apart, so to speak, and became extremely ill due to a condition that had taken years to develop and took more than 18 months to recover from. The illness turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It was a turning point in my life, and it provoked me to make changes I had needed to make for a long, long time. If excessive stress is left unaddressed, it will build to the point where our bodies, minds and emotions simply can’t deal with it any longer, and we will reach a crisis point of some kind. Sooner or later, we must admit, “I just cannot do it all anymore.”

Trusting God to take care of the things we cannot do anything about—and trusting Him to give us the direction we need to handle what we can do ourselves—should be our normal response to problems. When we try to solve our problems through worry and reasoning (trying to figure out in our minds why something has happened or what to do about it), we don’t get answers, but we do get frustration and more stress.

I believe the Bible gives us an easy and understandable formula regarding how to stay in peace instead of being anxious when we have problems that create stress. It’s found in Philippians 4:6–7 (NKJV), and I will reference these verses throughout the study. It says:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

If we are going to live free from anxiety, it all begins with bringing our worries and concerns to God and asking for His help. Because He is the only one who can give us peace that supersedes anything going on in our lives. God’s will for us is peace, not worry and anxiety, and it all begins with Him.

Adapted from the book The Answer to Anxiety by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2023 by Joyce Meyer. Published by Hachette Book Group, Inc. All rights reserved.