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Q&A - How
can I overcome anxiety and panic attacks?
Answer 1:
A panic attack is not a mental disorder caused by a
chemical imbalance or any other scientific reason.
God is the expert at treating our soul (mind, emotions, will) as Christians. His
Spirit gives us power, love and a sound mind. He gives us good fruit of love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentless, goodness, self control.
The way to freedom is to trust in the Lord, that He is with you and in control
of every situation you are in. Here is an excerpt from a presentation we did on
anxiety:
•Anxiety disorder
–Psychiatric diagnosis and treatment: take a drug for your chemical
imbalance. You have a disease.
Biblical diagnosis and treatment
–Anxiety can either be sin, or a normal part of human experience. Either way,
anxiety becomes an accountable and correctible behavior, not an uncontrollable
disease.
•“For whatever is not from faith is sin.” Rom. 14:23
•Many Psalms describe King David’s anxieties regarding his enemies, and his
petitions to the Lord for help.
–Start with the physical…
•Some behaviors could be a direct result of a physical problem – consult a true
medical doctor who runs objective medical tests.
–Then the practical…
•Diet, Exercise, Sleep, Stress
–Then the spiritual…
•Prayer, thanksgiving, trust
•“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds though
Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6-7
•“Cast all your care on Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Pet. 5:7
•“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Prov. 3:5-6
But it's one thing to know the Scriptures in our heads, and it's quite another
to put them into practice in the form of active faith and obedience.
Whether it's fear or panic attacks, it takes an act of the will to say to
ourselves, "I will not fear, I will not panic," trusting that the Lord is there
with us, and He is for us, and He will bring us through it no matter what. The
challenge is to align our wills with His will through the power of the Holy
Spirit as we take our eyes off of ourselves and our feelings, surrender
ourselves and place our complete faith and trust in Him.
Panic attacks relate to anxiety, and you can do a word search on anxious or
careful to find appropriate verses (e.g. Phil. 4:6-7, 1 Pet. 5:7, etc.).
Anything that is not of faith is sin (including anxiety and panic), and the
Bible promises that those who abide in Christ will not sin. So the key to not
sinning is to maintain an ongoing relationship with Christ throughout the day,
keeping that connection with Him (abiding in Him).
These are our thoughts. Hope they help! 
Answer 2:
First
off, congratulations on tapering off the Klonopin and Prozac!! I bet it was
difficult. Remember how difficult and painful it was, the next time you
consider going back on them. These drugs are extremely dangerous,
ineffective, and produce terrible side effects and permanent brain and organ
damage. Many stay on them for life because they don't want to deal with the
pain and difficulty of withdrawals. You've done it, though! Again,
congratulations!
Remember, your mind controls your emotions and your physical condition, not
the other way around. Mental drives the physical, but physical does NOT
drive the mental - unless of course you have a true disease like Alzheimers or
a brain injury/tumor. So the key is to get into the habit of thinking the
way God would have you think, and the rest of your life will fall into
place. That is why the Bible says "we have the mind of Christ" and exhorts
us to "renew our minds." You can search on these terms at
http://www.psychologydebunked.com/backissues.htm
to learn more.
What are
some things you can do to think the way God would have you think? Here are
some ideas:
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Adopt an attitude of thankfulness. Thank Him for anything
and everything in your life. Thank Him for all the blessings you have. Thank
him for all the challenges as well, since you know these are developing and
strengthening your faith. The more you thank Him for what He's given you,
and what He's done for you, the less you will worry about what could happen
here, or what he/she said there, etc. You realize He will take care of you,
just like He's always done in the past.
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Realize that God is on the throne of the universe and
nothing happens, good or bad, without His knowledge. When bad things happen,
God is allowing it for His good purposes, and since you know His character
is perfect and loving, with no darkness or evil in Him, you know He will
work it out for your ultimate good eventually. You serve a good God.
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Realize that if you're a child of God, God owns your life.
Your life is not your own; you've been bought with a price. You are His
property now, His prized possession. He knows what He's doing. He has a plan
for you and He's going to fullfill that plan. Your job is to believe that,
and trust Him. He knows every thought you have, every word you say before
you say it, and the number of hairs on your head. It's His life now, not
yours. This helps take the pressure off.
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Having said this, God does expect you to do your part. Do your best,
pray it's blessed, and God will take care of the rest. I've found
comfort in the times when I've not done something I should have done, or
failed in some area, God stepped in and took care of it. He covers us
because He loves us. His mercy and grace fill where we are lacking. We don't
need to have high or perfectionist expectations of ourselves--that's a
miserable way to live. God doesn't expect that of us, so we shouldn't
either. Do we know more than God?
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Spend consistent, dedicated time in the Word and in prayer each day.
I've noticed that when I stop doing this for a week, I get anxious about
life. My thoughts are on this world rather than on Him. On the flip side,
when I continue in the Word and in prayer, I find I tend to "let go" more
and God's peace fills my heart. Try reading through the Psalms. You might
also try singing a favorite worship song to the Lord during your quiet times
with Him. His peace will flood your heart when you worship Him in the
Spirit.
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When anxious thoughts knock on the door of your mind, just don't
answer the door! Refuse to entertain the thought. Stay your mind on
the Lord, and His presence with you at that very moment. The battle is truly
in the mind, and that's where Satan gets his victories. But only if we let
him. The devil can do NOTHING to us when we walk in the Spirit, walking in
faith. But he can gain influence when we walk in the flesh, focused on self
and our feelings. Determine to surrender your will to the Spirit, and His
peace will keep you. But it's your decision as to which you will surrender
your will to: the flesh or the Spirit. |
I hope
this advice helps you. Please keep in touch.
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