Anxiety is real. Anxiety affects so many more people than you’d ever expect. For those who don’t have anxiety, consider yourself very blessed. You might think you know what anxiety is. You might confuse it with what it’s like to be anxious. No.  Anxiety is not that simple.  For those of you who have it, you know that it can come over you in waves and that some days are better than others. Some days it can take control of you and make you feel completely inadequate about doing simple things.

It can make you want to hide away from the world or at least your friends and family, so you don’t burden them with your anxiety. Some days it can cause your body to become tense, no matter how much you want to relax. It can even cause you to get sick from bodily pain.

It can also cause you to lose interest in the things that used to excite you. Even worse, it can scare you out of doing things that anybody should be able to do. It can make you look at yourself in the mirror and question things about your life.

Anxiety can also plague you by making you feel as though you aren’t hungry, even though you know your body needs food and nutrition to function properly. Anxiety also can cause headaches and racing thoughts and even panic attacks from the added stress that it puts on your heart, your mind, and your body. It is emotional, mental and physical and even spiritual torture.

It can cause your mind to race with countless thoughts of “what if’s”, such as “what if I’m not good enough at (name task),”, “what if I’ll never get through this and this anxiety is something I have to deal with for the rest of my life?” “What if the things people think about me are true-what if I’m not good enough to succeed at this career I’m in?” Or it could be something like, “what if I never see one of my friends or loved ones again?” “What if I’m not a good enough driver?” “What if I never find a good enough job?” The list of what if’s could go on for days if you choose to let it.

Some of the other thoughts that might come into your head are, “where is God when I need Him?” “Why isn’t He here or why isn’t He answering me? Where is He in the midst of all this chaos?” “Why can’t I seem to hear His voice or hear what He is telling me?” “Why does He seem so distant? Does He even hear my calls for help?”

The important thing to remember is to pray about and over your anxiety and remember that God is the one in control of your life. He is the one that is helping you get from point A to point B every single day, no matter how you’re feeling. Remember His plans for you are good and far outweigh any anxiety that you might be experiencing in your life. He wouldn’t have brought you this far if He didn’t love you or have a great plan for your life.

When people ask you what’s wrong, you don’t have to feel like a burden to them. You don’t have to be afraid to talk to them about your anxiety, especially if you trust them and know that they genuinely care about you. If they want to be there for you, then by all means, let them be there for you.

Some days all you need is a listening ear, a prayer to be whispered for you and a hug to get you through the day. God placed those people in your life for a reason. You can open up to them without feeling like you’re wasting both your time and theirs by talking about your insecurities.

Open up to God about the way you’re feeling especially on your hard days. God can help you turn away from your fears and focus on Him. When you start to lose confidence in yourself, turn to Him. Tell someone, anyone the way you’re feeling instead of suffering in silence. Your thoughts can have so much power over you, especially with anxiety as a part of your life.

But you are in control of your thoughts too. Use your thoughts and say positive things about yourself like, “I’m more than capable of (insert task here).” I can do things with God’s help. Even though I’m scared, I can and will beat this anxiety. I will not let the anxiety beat me.”