Cure Your Anxiety.... With the Bible? (depression, detox, sleep, symptoms)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Apparently anxiety is an easy fix! Who knew?! And it came straight to my e-mail box!
“Good News for Anxiety”
That was the headline and I'm thinking, “Hey, I could use some good news.” So I kept reading.
“If you’ve ever struggled with worry and fear, then you know how overwhelming and confusing it can be.”
This made me pause for a minute because it seems they are getting anxiety mixed up with something else entirely. But I kept reading.
“Thankfully, the Bible is filled with hope for anxious hearts and minds. But, with such a big book, where do you begin?”
Oh, the Bible. Obviously I already knew where this was going. The e-mail was from the app where I downloaded a Bible onto my old phone a few years ago.
“Try one of our Featured Plans on Anxiety: short devotions that help you find peace in God’s Word, even on the most difficult days.”
One of those “featured plans” was named “The 7 Day Anxiety Detox: Practical Tips For Biblically Overcoming Anxiety” by Britney Moses. And I'm thinking, is that her real last name? Then I thought, Wow. Seven days? She's going to make it sound easy. The blurb under her name read
Quote:
“This 7-day anxiety detox is designed to help restore a healthy, biblical mindset by walking through your thought patterns, exchanging fear with faith and providing practical tips for maintaining a sound mind. This devotional series integrates practical self-help therapies and actionable steps to make it useful for you. So you will have real tools for real life.”
There was a button on the side of the page to “Start Your Plan.” So I figured I needed to at least get an idea what it was about although I actually had a pretty good idea what it was going to be about. So I clicked the button which led me to a sign up page. I hate to sign up for all kinds of stuff. It's how I got this e-mail to begin with. But I signed up wondering if they were going to ask me for a credit card number at some point.
The next page asked if I wanted to share my plan with others or keep it private. I clicked on private which is ironic if you've read my Facebook page. The next page was more about privacy and by now I'm getting irritated. I clicked to keep it private -- again -- and it took me to the first page telling me about this great seven day plan to rid my life of anxiety! I was more anxious then than I had been before! But I took it as a sign not to worry about what Mrs. Moses had to say anyway.
Now I'm not saying reading the Bible can't help those of us with real, actual anxiety that was diagnosed by a medical professional. A lot of us seek comfort in the Word when we find ourselves at a low point. But the implication here is that the Bible should be the only line of defense. And let's talk about how they interchange “worry and fear” for anxiety.
In psychiatry, anxiety is defined as
Quote:
“a nervous disorder characterized by a state of excessive uneasiness and apprehension, typically with compulsive behavior or panic attacks.”
I'm not trying to downplay worry or fear, but to me both are to anxiety what sadness is to depression. Not the same thing. Worry and fear can be symptoms of anxiety, but not be the underlying cause. I know there are plenty of times I find my anxiety rising and I can't pinpoint a reason for it. But that's the point. There doesn't have to be a reason you can point to and say, “That's why I feel like this.”
So the Bible First crowd is doing a real disservice to those of us with real anxiety. There is already a stigma placed on us (often by us, for that matter) and some may be looking for a reason not to seek professional help. Only a small percentage of Christians wouldn't go see a doctor with chest pains. The vast majority would not read the Bible and hope to pray away the coming heart attack.
Anxiety is real, folks. If you suspect what you're going through is more than just “worry and fear,” seek professional help. Don't let that **** fester because it only gets worse if you do.
I've never owned or read the bible...The 10 Commandents yes, but that's been it and a lot of work on myself over many years.
A friend has locked herself up with the bible for years and I hope it's helping her. I wonder sometimes. There are MANY ways to reduce anxiety and so much folks.
Apparently anxiety is an easy fix! Who knew?! And it came straight to my e-mail box!
“Good News for Anxiety”
That was the headline and I'm thinking, “Hey, I could use some good news.” So I kept reading.
“If you’ve ever struggled with worry and fear, then you know how overwhelming and confusing it can be.”
This made me pause for a minute because it seems they are getting anxiety mixed up with something else entirely. But I kept reading.
“Thankfully, the Bible is filled with hope for anxious hearts and minds. But, with such a big book, where do you begin?”
Oh, the Bible. Obviously I already knew where this was going. The e-mail was from the app where I downloaded a Bible onto my old phone a few years ago.
“Try one of our Featured Plans on Anxiety: short devotions that help you find peace in God’s Word, even on the most difficult days.”
One of those “featured plans” was named “The 7 Day Anxiety Detox: Practical Tips For Biblically Overcoming Anxiety” by Britney Moses. And I'm thinking, is that her real last name? Then I thought, Wow. Seven days? She's going to make it sound easy. The blurb under her name read
There was a button on the side of the page to “Start Your Plan.” So I figured I needed to at least get an idea what it was about although I actually had a pretty good idea what it was going to be about. So I clicked the button which led me to a sign up page. I hate to sign up for all kinds of stuff. It's how I got this e-mail to begin with. But I signed up wondering if they were going to ask me for a credit card number at some point.
The next page asked if I wanted to share my plan with others or keep it private. I clicked on private which is ironic if you've read my Facebook page. The next page was more about privacy and by now I'm getting irritated. I clicked to keep it private -- again -- and it took me to the first page telling me about this great seven day plan to rid my life of anxiety! I was more anxious then than I had been before! But I took it as a sign not to worry about what Mrs. Moses had to say anyway.
Now I'm not saying reading the Bible can't help those of us with real, actual anxiety that was diagnosed by a medical professional. A lot of us seek comfort in the Word when we find ourselves at a low point. But the implication here is that the Bible should be the only line of defense. And let's talk about how they interchange “worry and fear” for anxiety.
In psychiatry, anxiety is defined as I'm not trying to downplay worry or fear, but to me both are to anxiety what sadness is to depression. Not the same thing. Worry and fear can be symptoms of anxiety, but not be the underlying cause. I know there are plenty of times I find my anxiety rising and I can't pinpoint a reason for it. But that's the point. There doesn't have to be a reason you can point to and say, “That's why I feel like this.”
So the Bible First crowd is doing a real disservice to those of us with real anxiety. There is already a stigma placed on us (often by us, for that matter) and some may be looking for a reason not to seek professional help. Only a small percentage of Christians wouldn't go see a doctor with chest pains. The vast majority would not read the Bible and hope to pray away the coming heart attack.
Anxiety is real, folks. If you suspect what you're going through is more than just “worry and fear,” seek professional help. Don't let that **** fester because it only gets worse if you do.
.
Frankly, someone who appreciates how the Bible could help would also know that they can get help without going through all that rigmarole by visiting their local church or clergy. Free of change too BTW. Sad website trying to pull sad suckers into their webs.
I listen to the audio bible on youtube if/when experiencing any anxiety. put it on autoplay. It helps me fall asleep. Exercise and eating organic whole foods also helps.
I listen to the audio bible on youtube if/when experiencing any anxiety. put it on autoplay. It helps me fall asleep. Exercise and eating organic whole foods also helps.
Sounds like a recipe for a healthy life, the evidence is quite clear that a spiritual worldview is better on every level. Its the best kept secret in psychiatry today. If it wasnt true it would be on the front pages of the newspapers, make no mistake.
Sounds like a recipe for a healthy life, the evidence is quite clear that a spiritual worldview is better on every level. Its the best kept secret in psychiatry today. If it wasnt true it would be on the front pages of the newspapers, make no mistake.
I get along better without biblical verses. Last time I read any, I experienced anxiety.
Same here. I grew up in a Calvinistic form of Christianity, which is very dark and has an emphasis on death, sin, and hell. I developed OCD as a six-year-old when my same-age cousin died because I didn't pray for her correctly (no one said that, but I was told that if I prayed she would get better. She had leukemia. I had no idea she could DIE, so I figured I must have done something wrong.) Crying and "being so emotional" was frowned upon, and I was frequently yelled at for crying too much, so I made sure I didn't cry when Kathy died.
I subsequently developed some very odd thoughts and behaviors that I know now is OCD, an anxiety disorder, and I thought that this Dark Thing was following me around and was going to get me, because if God had killed my cousin, he might be looking to kill me, too. I could prevent the Dark Thing from getting me if I took a certain number of steps down the hall, or counted to a specific number, or saying certain phrases in my mind, etc...
For most of my childhood and young adulthood I tried to get rid of the anxiety by reading the Bible and praying to stop having bad thoughts so that God wouldn't kill me. It just made things worse. The messages in the Bible just confirmed that I was no damn good and that God was just watching and waiting to jump on me for sinning. That's the short version.
I wouldn't recommend Bible reading as an anti-anxiety device. It is a medical issue. Get professional help. Took me until I was in my 40s to find out what was wrong with me, and life has been better ever since.
My life has also been much better since I swore off all religion.
The bible isnt religion, its a spiritual book that religions are founded on.
But i wouldnt recommend it as casual reading.
There are some very good books by the american psychologist william james or emmet fox.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
