I grew up in a Christian home and have always heard about Jesus. But it wasn't until I started experiencing panic attacks in college that I really started studying the Bible. I have always been the type-a, perfectionistic type who likes things to be just right. My identity was in the works. Was I registered for the right classes? Was I choosing the right career? I was also working part-time and babysitting a ton to make some extra cash. All that on top of just being sixteen and figuring out life for myself. I took myself way too seriously.
My mind became the battlefield. I became too consumed in just doing things right and I started experiencing anxiety which led to panic attacks. If anyone has experienced a panic attack, you know how scary and debilitating they are. With the anxiety came the migraines and the stomach pains. I was now in this vicious cycle of being worried about my health. I told my mom and we went to the doctor to run some tests. Everything came back fine.
Nothing was wrong with me.
It was "just" anxiety.
This is where my passion for natural health began. I started learning about about the effects of stress on the human body. I started attending natural health seminars (at sixteen!). I started eating better. I gained this passion for nutrition. I signed up for yoga in college. Things seemed to get better. But there was still this heaviness and I would still find myself feeling anxious.
This is when I made the deal with God. I told Him if He would help, if He would set me free from these intense feelings of anxiety, I would share it with people.
Shortly after, I started finding Bible verses about the mind and would study them, speak them out loud, write them out, and reread them over and over again. I watched sermons on anxiety and learned the power of thoughts. When I would wake up crippled by fear, I would read a certain verse and it would give me hope and strength to get through that day. I would feel the fear but would still do whatever I needed to do. I started believing God's Word. I would replace scary thoughts with good, uplifting thoughts. The book that played a significant role was Joyce Meyer's Battlefield of the Mind and its study guide. I listened to worship music and found a mentor who prayed for me. I started taking better care of myself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually any way I knew how. The anxiety was diminishing.
Today I am so thankful I have been on this journey. I believe that God brings us through certain situations so we can overcome them and help others. I'm still on a journey in finding my identity in Christ instead of in the works or in the things of this world. I still get into seasons of anxiety and can get into a hamster wheel of doing too much and not taking good care of myself. But now I am super good at recognizing it and quickly jumping out. The anxiety no longer scares me. And now I can punch fear in the face ;) The peace I now have is something so precious to me! Whatever the enemy meant for evil, God intended for good! (Genesis 50:20)
Here are some of my favorite Bible verses on anxiety and peace:
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27
"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
The whole Psalm 91 is my favorite!
"Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.
If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
No evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home." Psalm 91:1-10
Life
