Having Faith Can Help Your Anxiety

How can having faith help anxiety? Let's talk about why having faith works, what faith is, how to have faith, and faith's effect on anxiety.

When you struggle with chronic anxiety, you may find that you are constantly worried about things that may happen. Your mind may think about all of the different possibilities, becoming worried about what could happen in the future. 

This is something I have always struggled with. I find myself thinking about the past, and it clouds my thoughts about things happening in the present. Or I find myself worried about what might happen in the future, and that also clouds my thoughts about things that are currently happening. When this happens, even though I know it is important for me to stay grounded, I find myself getting caught in the endless loop of worries.

Why Having Faith Can Help Your Anxiety

When I started to realize how problematic this could be for my mental health, I realized that I needed to do something to keep myself from spinning out of control. I've always tried to practice what I preach, and helping others with anxiety has always meant to me that it is important that I use the strategies I teach others about, especially if they have been helpful.

I have found that my beliefs, and the faith that I have, have been extremely helpful for me. Maintaining faith has helped me to believe that things will get better, particularly during times that I have been under quite a bit of stress and when things have been difficult. When I am very anxious about something that is currently happening, it is easy for me to fall down the rabbit hole of worry and regret. Memories and worries about the future can easily cloud my judgment and make me feel extremely anxious. But having faith helps me to focus on the here and now.

How to Have Faith to Help Your Anxiety

I'm using the word "faith," but I am using this a bit flexibly. I am not referring to religion, and I do not necessarily mean a higher power. We do not all have the same beliefs, and that is okay. We can all have faith in something, believe in something, and allow that belief to encourage us, inspire us, and help us to persevere. Instead of focusing on things that you are fearful about, having faith in something that motivates you, helps you to feel inner peace, gives you purpose, and can help to calm your anxiety.

Have faith in something, whatever that may be. If it is a higher power, then that is great. If it is simply the belief that things will work out eventually, then that is great, too. Whatever works for you is what is important. The goal is to anchor your thoughts, feelings, and emotions onto something that will help you to stay grounded, stay in the moment, and know that the storm will pass.

Share anything you do to maintain your faith to help your anxiety in the comments below.