Dear Anxiety, Let’s Break Up: Conquer Worry & FearSýnishorn

The Human Stress Response

Sometimes when I look at my calendar, I feel overwhelmed. From soccer practice and school projects for the kiddos, to the launch of a major initiative at work, to a smattering of doctor appointments—my life is packed. All of these things are important in their own way. None of them can really be cut out or ignored, and I’m left wondering how I’m going to fit it all in and accomplish everything with excellence. Then my heart starts to flutter, and I know what that means: my anxiety is cropping up.

I’ve been in this situation countless times. My anxiety lies to me, trying to convince me that I’ll never get it all done, that I’m spread too thin, and that I’m failing at being superwoman. These thoughts are so very familiar, and I tangle with my anxious imagination every day. Even though I know that I’m not in any real, mortal danger, my body seems to think the world is ending. My heart pounds. My neck stiffens, and my hands start to shake. I know all of the things to do in order to cope with my anxiety, so why is it so stinking difficult to control sometimes? The answer lies in our stress response.

Our stress response is an innate, instinctual response designed to be a life-saving tool. It’s part of our sympathetic nervous system, which is a set of automatic responses to situations in which we feel unsafe. You may have heard of this triad of stress responses: fight, flight, or freeze. These responses are a systematic cascade of reactions instilled in us by our Creator. It’s a brilliant design really. Our stress response kicks in, our adrenaline begins pumping, our heart rate climbs, and all of our internal systems work together with one singular goal: survival. Our sympathetic nervous system is fantastically skillful at keeping us alive in life-threatening situations. The catch, however, is that our stress response has a hard time distinguishing an acute, physical, life-threatening stressor from a non-life-threatening stressor.

We don’t have to fight for our lives on a daily basis in the same way that humans who lived in the caveman days did. What we do have to deal with are non-life-threatening stressors, such as finances, relationships, and the uncertainties of the future. Nevertheless, our modern worries trigger the exact same release of stress hormones that life-threatening stressors trigger. That’s why it’s so difficult to control the stress response that is innate to our very makeup. Our bodies and emotions tell us that we are in just as much danger sifting through a stack of overdue bills while having an already overdrawn bank account as we would be when running away from a saber-tooth tiger.

What can we do when our bodies are trying to commandeer our minds? The best place to start is with prayer. Friend, he’s available all of the time. He’s our personal crisis hotline. Some people find comfort in using ice packs on their neck or face, practicing breath work, or performing muscle relaxation techniques to combat their body’s uncomfortable stress response. With time and practice, we can learn to interpret what our bodies are trying to communicate to us without letting anxiety run the show.

We must learn to recognize when to trust our body’s stress reaction. Just like our anxious thoughts can lie to us, our bodies can lie to us too. Next time you are feeling anxious (and trust me, there will be a next time), listen to what your body is trying to communicate to you, and then use both your wisdom and God’s truth to plan your next move.

My innate stress reaction is outside of my control, but how I handle my anxiety is completely within my control.

Reflect

What are three physical symptoms of anxiety that I experience? In the past, how have I dealt with these? In the future, what new technique can I try instead?

Prayer Time

Father God, thank you for creating a life-saving system like my stress response. Help me learn to recognize my emotions and physical symptoms and distinguish between when I am truly in danger and when I am not. Amen.

More devotions to help you break up with anxiety—for good, can be found in Dear Anxiety, Let’s Break Up: 40 Devotions to Conquer Worry and Fear by Amanda Porter, Ph.D. Learn more here.