It's the Most Stressful Time of the YearUzorak

Anxiety, Stress, and Depression 

Matthew 6:34 "Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Anxiety, stress, and depression are rampant in our culture, and here are some numbers to back that up.

Anxiety Disorders - affects 21.8 million adults or 9.9% of the U.S. population.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - affects 7.7 million adults or 3.5% of the U.S. population.

Depression - affects 7.3 million adults age 18 or older in the U.S. (264 million worldwide)

While these numbers are sobering, there are probably double this number of untreated people. Everyone has stress in their lives, but not everyone who thinks they have anxiety, PTSD, or depression does. God knew we would struggle with this and spoke about this often in scripture. Our scripture verse seems to know our innermost thoughts because it hits right where many of us live - worried about tomorrow. 

Worrying about tomorrow robs us of the joy that could be taking place today. Even though some talk about it as 100%, I found that about 90% of what we worry about never comes true. If I told you there was a 90% chance that you would not win a race, you might not even bother. But we seem to treat worry as if that 10% chance is more like 100% certainty. 

So what can we do to reduce our anxiety, stress, and depression? Well, in today's world, if you have a problem, there is a pill for that. While medication may be needed in some cases, we run to that as a fix-all too soon. 

I'm not trying to downplay these issues, but our first step should always be to take these worrisome issues to God. He knows about them already, and the conversation and time spent in prayer may open our eyes and hearts. So then, let the Holy Spirit minister to you and suggest changes, new habits, and support. 

Uncommen Questions:

Have you prayed about this situation before you sought treatment?


Are there some obvious changes that should be made before medication?

Have you spoken to loved ones and friends to ask for prayer, counsel, and support?


Have you spoken to a professional about medication and its benefits and drawbacks? (there are several)

Uncommen Challenge:

I challenge us all to be aware of situations that cause anxiety, stress, and depression and take the appropriate steps from a Godly standpoint.