“Too many assessments and assignments all due in the same week! It just seems so stressful. If I do this or wear that, I know I’ll be judged. I’ll never fit in: “what do I do?” Most of us as teens will have most likely experienced similar thoughts and feelings to what I have just described like this.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety – it’s a highly relatable emotion many of us teens face today, whether it is related to school, friendships, hardships or insecurities. It refers to as a feeling of fear and uneasiness. Most of us probably doubt ourselves too much, which is, understandably, a common cause of anxiety. I’m sure we’ve all experienced some worries throughout our lives. But how do we as Christians deal with it?
Teen’s Views of Anxiety
Some examples of an average teen’s worries include what we should wear the next day, how we look, stress from assessments and other people’s thoughts about us. These worries can lead to these very same teens feeling anxious and self-conscious, and eventually leading to show our lack of trust and faith in God.
‘Do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?’ (Matthew 6:25)
When we look at the verse above, it’s likely we can associate and relate to it as it is this very worrying that we may be doing daily in our lives. The verse shows how our feelings of anxiety can take control of us without realising it. Think of the cartoon character, Anxiety, from Inside Out 2. She took over Riley’s life. Riley felt pressured to be accepted by girls on the hockey team. She wanted to fit in and become the best hockey player. Anxiety thought that she was doing what was best for Riley, not realising that she was executing her plans badly. As Anxiety took control of Riley’s life, everything went off course. In our own context, anxiety can and often takes control over us. Thoughts like “if I do this, I will get judged by others” or “How am I supposed to fit in?” are caused by this change of mindset. This verse however reminds and tells us that we should not let our own worries dominate our lives and decisions. Rather, we should let God rule over our lives.
How can we overcome our anxieties?
‘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 4:6-8
Now let’s break down this verse:
- The first part of Philippians 4:6-8 tells us to turn our worries into prayers. It explains how we must surrender all our anxious thoughts, struggles, worries and self-doubt to God, knowing that we can trust Him. But first, we must recognise that we need God’s help because we cannot overcome our struggles ourselves. It is only through God that we may overcome our struggles. We need to stop claiming ownership of our anxiety and take it into our own hands. We must lift it into God’s hands and humbly pray to Him.
- The second part tells us to guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. We must become His followers and stick close to Him. True peace isn’t simply found in our good feelings, positive thinking or relationships with others but is only found in God. Guarding our hearts means to be wise and discern in our lives. Protect yourselves from the temptations of this world and turn towards God.
Why does God let us go through anxiety and worries?
Have you ever wondered why God allows us to go through anxiety and not prevent it in the first place? Is it because God doesn’t love us, so He wants us to go through suffering? The answer is NO. God does love us. There are multiple reasons why God lets us experience our anxiety and worries such as:
- So that we can spiritually grow and seek a greater relationship with God –>
When we go through our anxiety and worries, only God can help us resolve it and comfort us. By relying on God through our times of distress, we then learn to turn towards God leading to a stronger dependence on His grace. It’s like how a mother would tell her child to not run on the wet concrete, but the child runs anyway. Then the child ends up falling and grazing their knee, so they go to their mum for her comfort and love.
- To build gratitude for when we are not going through negative moments –>
After going through anxiety and worries, we learn to be more grateful for when we are at peace. We acknowledge God’s grace and stop taking it for granted.
- To test our trust in God’s plan –>
Through our anxieties, we learn to place our faith in God and not take control of our uncontrollable lives. For God should be, and can only be, the one in control as our Creator. It tests whether we accept that God is the only one who can help us.
How can we apply this to our own lives?
First of all, we must remember that whenever we feel anxious, we can turn towards God and pray to Him. Second of all, we should also guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus and His Word. He will never leave our sides. He comforts and supports us.
A few years ago, during lockdown, my closest friend was going to move schools. I was worried that when online learning stopped, and when we would go back to school as normal, that I wouldn’t be able to make new friends easily as she had now left. Although I had multiple friends from school besides her, I was scared I wouldn’t have a true friend to hang out with. However, my parents told me to pray and trust in God. So, I did what they said for a couple of days.
Then on the first day of school after lockdown, I joined one of the friend groups in my school. God answered my prayers, and I made multiple friends on that one day. From one close friend who left the school, to a group of seven friends all by God’s grace and love. Whenever we feel anxious, worried, or doubt ourselves, we must remember that God is a loving and trustworthy God. He will never leave our sides. When we are going through struggles, we must not forget that God knows what is best for us. There is a purpose and reason to why we are going through the struggles.
Just remember that God will always be there for you, no matter the circumstances. Hence, we should never doubt God whenever we feel anxious. Even though it’s hard we can do this through the Holy Spirit!
