By  Amber Swinehamer

I’ve dealt with anxiety my entire life, even before I knew that’s what it was. Since I became a Christian, I’ve learned to lean into my faith and lean on God. I’m not debating that medication and therapy are effective treatments for many people. I have friends who utilize either option (some utilize both), and their choices have worked well for them. But that just hasn’t been the case for me. 

Anxiety already makes me feel like a burden and a bother to my family at times, so the idea of sitting and talking through situations with a professional made me feel uneasy. The way I’ve learned to process and work through my anxiety is by praying unceasingly. That idea came from Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

The great, awesome thing about utilizing prayer (either solely or in combination with other methods) is that it is always available to you. God is always there for you—at 3:00 a.m. in the darkness of your bedroom, at 4:15 p.m. while you’re stuck in traffic. Everywhere and anywhere, I speak to God and talk through what is causing my anxiety (though sometimes, I don’t even know. I just ask for guidance and for relief sometimes). I usually immediately feel some relief, though sometimes not completely.

I’ve learned to live with the anxiety because I don’t always see it as a bad thing. Sure, it would be great not to overanalyze every situation or panic when things spiral out of control, but it has helped me relate to others. I worked with teenagers for a few years, and they would come to me from time to time with various issues. I’m happy that I was able to lend an ear or help with situations, rather than just suggest that “everything will be OK, just don’t worry about it.” I feel as though God has used me through these experiences. I am so grateful for a God that has helped me to recognize the benefits of my life experiences that I would likely consider to be faults without His guidance. 

Beyond just praying through my anxiety, the knowledge that God will be there through whatever comes up has helped me handle my anxiety as well. Knowing that I’m not walking alone and that God is there in every battle has helped to lessen my fear of the unknown. I’ll stop short of saying that my anxiety has been completely cleared. From time to time, I struggle. But the amount of weight that has been lifted off of me since I began to trust in the Lord is indescribable.

I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know I won’t be alone. I’m not even alone while writing this blog post. While I was looking for inspiration, I came across Matthew 6:27: “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” Matthew is probably one of my most-read books of the Gospels, yet I don’t know that this verse has ever really stood out to me. Just another instance of God showing up for me in what seems to be an insignificant moment. It’s never insignificant, friends. I’m praying for everyone who feels the weight of anxiety upon them to cast their cares upon God, to know they are not alone and to fear the unknown of tomorrow a little less every day.

Amber Swinehamer is a stay-at-home mom and resides in Bluffton, South Carolina, with her husband David and two sons. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, live music, Atlanta Braves baseball, and all things Washington, D.C.