There are many different reasons why people struggle with anxiety, just as there are different ways to recover. Inner healing prayer is one way for us to heal from issues that are buried within us.
Prayer is a powerful way, but it does not mean it’s the only way to find healing in something as complex as mental health. Many of us struggling with anxiety have found healing through a holistic approach of prayer, community, counseling, healthcare, and other means such as lifestyle changes.
I’ve struggled with anxiety for many years and have learned to manage it through a holistic approach.
Anxiety attacks
I get anxiety attacks in different and often unpredictable ways. Sometimes I’d get anxious in the middle of the flight. It is especially so when I’m sitting by the window and suddenly feel trapped by the other passengers sitting next to me.
Once during boarding, I had this anxiety attack as soon as two other passengers sat beside me. I got up and tried to run out the door, but was stopped by the flight attendants.
Another time when I sat in the middle, the passenger next to me decided to chat away. He keeps talking about how fun life is with his friends and his musical pursuits. But the more he talked, the more anxious I’d get as I felt trapped.
Since then, I’ve been praying over this, and God has been healing me and showing me what changes I need to make.
Stressed out lifestyle
Living a stressed-out life at a frantic pace will not help with our mental health. Sooner or later, we will break down. This is one area I’ve been focusing on as I pray about handling my mental health.
Just because we know God does not make us immune from the daily stress that comes with life.
One area that I used to get so stressed out with is work deadlines, but over time I’ve been able to let go and instead enjoy the ride. No matter what happens, it is a job at the end of the day, and there are far more essential things to take care of.
My change in perspective comes from knowing God is more significant than work-related challenges I’ll run into, and nothing can compare to knowing Him and serving Him. It’s when I let go and depend more on Him that things began to change.
Often, there’s a spiritual root to how we view things and respond to life events. By ignoring these spiritual roots, we’ll go from one thing to another, trying to find an answer. The reason I get stressed over work is because of deep fears and insecurity. These deep-rooted issues are what drive me and how I view work.
Another struggle we often run into involves being in the heat of the moment and losing perspective – getting sucked into the moment and getting completely stressed out. If we don’t pull ourselves away and rediscover our perspective, we will remain stuck in that cycle.
That’s why we need the discipline of rest, sabbatical, and reflection to understand what’s essential and not simply respond to all the urgent tasks in front of us. These tasks will be never-ending and if we allow them to dictate our pace in our life, we will remain in that stressed-out cycle.
Is everything spiritual?
The root cause of many of our struggles is our spiritual condition and what’s happening within us more than what’s around us. When we neglect our spiritual life, we’ll end up struggling in other areas, such as our motivation, purpose, and goal in life.
These areas will then affect how we view our health, daily life, and even our future.
When we’re spiritually empty, it will show up in our lives in the form of anxiety, worries, and fears. We can turn to entertainment or keep ourselves busy all day.
But sooner or later, that will leave us with that empty feeling when we realize that our innermost needs cannot be met by anything this world has to offer.
So, while we should pursue spiritual deep healing, we cannot neglect the other practical aspects of life that will also help us.
For example, we know it’s spiritual brokenness that causes people to commit crime and ultimately all criminals can be restored spiritually if they choose to but that does not mean it’s the only way to solve all crime-related issues.
In the same way, most health problems we encounter have a spiritual root behind them but we do need practical solutions when it comes to healing.
Sometimes the problem has to do more with our physical condition, environment, people around us, or even our lifestyles.
That means if someone is injured in an accident, he will need an ambulance right away, instead of more bible verses. We do pray for people when they’re in an accident but we hope the medics will rush there and help them.
Practical and immediate solutions do help
I get stressed whenever my family runs late, and I start thinking of being stuck in traffic and the discomfort of waiting in long lines.
One thing that has helped me is by simply stepping away and focusing on something else while they’re getting ready. These little things have helped me deal with stress and anxiety when it comes to dealing with daily life situations.
Stepping away to destress might not sound spiritual, but it works in dealing with the issue at the moment.
The long term solution then is to grow in patience and love for others. That often takes time and can be a lifetime growth pursuit where we learn to grow while acknowledging that we will fail from time to time. We do this by faith and by depending on God’s power to change us from the inside out.
That’s why when people wonder why so many suffer from mental issues even when they pray and know so much bible, my answer is that they’re not doing other practical things that are needed for healing.
If you’re not exercising, learning to sleep well, or eating well, no amount of prayer can make you healthy. We’re to care for our physical and mental health as much as our spiritual health. In fact, the pursuit of physical and mental health is a spiritual exercise that honors God when done correctly.
“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
Prayer:
“Thank you for the plans you have for my life. I pray over my health today and I will take care of the time and the resources you have given me. I will chase after the plan you have for my life by taking the first step of trusting you and moving forward in faith.
I will care for my physical and mental health by doing what I have to. I will rely on your power to get me through my challenging moments.”