The Problem with Fear

In the last post, Meditation for Anxiety, I shared around the anxiety many people experience towards the end of the year, leading up to the start of each year. In this post, I thought I would expound a bit more on this topic.

Here's my two gripes with fear:

1. Fear paralyses and causes you to stagnate.

2. This paralyses causes you to move outside the will of God by choosing a path that seems more favourable i.e. Fear causes disobedience.

I have watched my self over the years overcome fear by dealing with the root cause of the fears I have experienced. This I did by:

1. Taking time through introspection, prayer and professional counselling to get to the root causes of the fears. This is extremely important. Dealing with fear on a superficial level is not sufficient and one ends up dealing with symptoms rather than the root cause.

2. Once I had dealt with the root causes, I was able to tackle the symptoms through transforming how I think about the issues and the manner in which I address them.

3. Finally, I actively chose to trust God throughout this entire process. This, in part, meant that I needed to release the need to always feel in control of my circumstance.

As mentioned earlier, at the start of each year, so many people struggle with the fear of the unknown, the possible challenges that might encounter and the things people around them might say/do that could negatively impact them. A few years ago, this was my yearly challenge, navigating the anxiety that came with the start of each new year. Today, by God's grace I am able to start my new year without the anxiety simply because I choose to surrender that which I can't control into the hands of a loving Father and approach the year with a heart filled with hopeful anticipation of the future that awaits me. Whatever challenges and problems that will ultimately arise will be faced with the belief and mindset that:

1. My God is able to carry me and help me through those challenges.

2. If I could overcome all that I have previously overcome then I can surely overcome whatever will be thrown my way this time round.

If you are struggling with anxiety at the start of each year, I encourage you to start by identifying the root causes of the fears within you and if needed getting counselling to address those fears.

'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 through Christ Jesus.'

Philippians 4:6-7

FN

"In Him we live & breathe & have our being"