Is your answer to any of these questions yes?

Do your friends say your anxiety is excessive or unrealistic?
Can you control your anxiety?
Do you feel like your anxiety has taken over your thoughts most days for several months?
Do you suffer from restlessness, fatigue, tremors and muscle tension?
Do you experience shortness of breath, dry mouth, difficulty swallowing, or stomach problems?
Do you feel nervous, have trouble concentrating, have trouble sleeping or falling asleep, and are you irritable?

Answering yes may mean that your daily life is sometimes overwhelmed by anxiety. We all experience stress, worry, and anxiety. Times of stress, worry, and anxiety can be caused by a job change, a move to a new city, the arrival of a new family member, or other life transitions. Life changes can lead to worries and fears about the future. Unhealthy anxiety manifests physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally; Anxiety can be all-consuming and affect every area of ​​our lives.
Anxiety doesn’t just affect busy adults. It can also infiltrate your child or teen’s life and keep them from reaching their full potential.

A child may experience secondhand anxiety through the anxiety of a parent or guardian, as well as firsthand anxiety caused by their own situation at home or school. Anxiety can affect a child’s confidence in school and her ability to be independent from her parents. Children don’t have the words or the ability to understand what anxiety is and why it sometimes affects us. Children sometimes need help understanding how to normalize their fears and how to find creative ways to deal with them. It is also important to ensure that children do not feel responsible for their worry and do not make anxiety part of their identity.

The teenage years can be difficult enough without the constant nagging of anxious thoughts. Anxiety can affect a teen’s ability to build healthy friendships, participate in class, and try new activities. Teens need to be able to ask for help when they need it and to question the fears that enter their thoughts. Allowing them to overcome their anxiety is a wonderful springboard that equips them to face future struggles.

Adults often list anxiety as a common symptom. Anxiety can control adults’ decisions in the workplace, their ability to have romantic relationships, and their fears about making the right decisions for the future. Working on anxiety issues can involve unraveling years of accumulated subconscious fears and internalized negative thoughts. As an adult dealing with unhealthy levels of anxiety, you need to redesign your personal coping skills so that you can effectively deal with the anxiety that normal life events can bring. You can take steps to deal with your anxiety and reduce how often it occurs so that you can function normally in your daily life.

The good news is that we are not meant to be consumed by anxiety. In Philippians 4:6 we read: Do not be anxious about anything, but present your request to God in everything, by prayer and supplication. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. God wants us to live full lives and trust him for our needs and future plans. Help is available and we can learn to live with change and without life affecting anxiety.