Overcoming Extreme Anxiety: Tips from a Christian Counselor in Texas

Anxiety affects millions of people in the United States annually. Extreme anxiety can lead to physical and mental conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stomach issues, headaches, panic attacks, and unexplained aches and pains.

Extreme anxiety can interfere with your job and relationships. It can keep you from taking action on good opportunities or attending special events. Anxiety can rob you of your confidence and self-esteem.

God created your body to react to stress to protect you from danger and predators. Unfortunately, our minds perceive danger to also include stressful events or late mortgage payments. Other factors, like brain structure or function, brain chemical imbalance, genetics, family history, trauma, or environmental factors, contribute to increased levels of anxiety.

You can learn to control extreme anxiety through lifestyle changes, professional treatment, and support.

Tips for Overcoming Extreme Anxiety

Overcoming extreme anxiety means looking at the condition from all angles. You need an approach that addresses physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. If you rely solely on one, you risk neglecting other areas.

For example, if you concentrate on using exercise to fight anxiety and depression without addressing negative thoughts and challenging old beliefs, the thoughts will continue and fuel your anxiety.

Think of your brain like a giant computer. Anxiety is like an open tab running in the background. Perhaps you are not working on that screen currently, but it is still running and consuming power and resources from your computer. Anxiety is like that underlying tab, leaving you feeling worried, on edge, and mentally frazzled.

The following are several tips for overcoming extreme anxiety.

Seek counseling

Counseling provides the opportunity for a safe space to delve into the root of your anxiety, identify anxious thoughts, challenge negative beliefs, and learn how to reframe thoughts to result in positive outcomes.

Talk therapy is most commonly known in counseling, followed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT is used widely for various mental conditions. It is based on identifying and analyzing negative thoughts. These anxious thoughts influence emotions and behaviors. By changing the way we think, we increase the likelihood of feeling and acting differently.

Exposure therapy is a method that gradually introduces the client to a situation to assist in the desensitization process. For example, for clients with extreme anxiety in social situations, a counselor may suggest minimal exposure initially. This might look like a short trip to the drugstore to purchase one item or walking into a café to buy a coffee on the least busy day.

Your counselor will customize a plan for your situation and the severity of your anxiety symptoms.

Lower stress

We have all been told to manage stress, but doing it is easier said than done. Engaging in activities that lower stress will activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This lowers adrenaline and cortisol levels, and improves blood pressure and resting heart rate.

You can lower stress right away by practicing deep breathing. When you feel anxious, take a few minutes to inhale through your nose for the count of four, hold the breath for the count of four, then release through the mouth for the count of four. Repeat as necessary. Take note of any tense muscles and try to relax them as you exhale.

To lower stress for the long term, take a look at your schedule and responsibilities. Is there anything you can delegate to others or delete? Are you taking on too much? Have you set unrealistic expectations for yourself? Learn to set boundaries and say no. Prioritize tasks that align with your beliefs and values, and stop striving using your own strength. As we know, our own strength is nothing compared to God’s strength. Let Him lead you.

Make exercise a habit

Exercise lowers stress hormones and releases a flood of endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters. This combination boosts mood, improves cognitive function, strengthens cardiovascular processes, and builds confidence.

To receive the most benefit, make exercise a part of your daily routine. It should become a habit just like brushing your teeth. If you want to make the habit stick, stack the habit onto another well-established one.

For example, stretch for 10 minutes after brushing your teeth in the morning. Or, slip your workout clothes on as soon as you arrive home after work and lift weights for 30 minutes before making dinner. You are more likely to stick with it if it’s part of your regular schedule.

Turn bedtime into a routine

Sleep should be a priority. You will have a harder time regulating emotions if you skimp on sleep. Sleep can also elude you due to anxious thoughts, making it challenging to fall and stay asleep during the night.

Create a bedtime routine to initiate sleep. For example, shower or change into pajamas after dinner to signal to your brain that it is time to unwind. Choose two or three habits you will incorporate into this routine. You could choose to turn off your devices, brew a cup of herbal tea, and read a book before bed. Choose relaxing activities. If you exercise, complete your workout at least three hours before bed, so that the endorphin rush does not interfere with sleep.

Eat healthier food

We have all heard the suggestion to eat healthier food, but we may not realize that nutrition plays a part in mental health. The foods you eat can influence how you feel. Some substances worsen anxiety and depression symptoms. Some ultra-processed foods dull cognitive function, leading to brain fog.

Aim to eat nutritious, balanced meals of lean proteins, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Avoid over-consuming alcohol, caffeine, and sugar. If possible, choose whole foods over packaged items.

Join a support group

A support group for participants struggling with extreme anxiety can provide you with community, structure, encouragement, and advice from others with anxiety disorders. Often led by a counselor, these groups encourage participants to share their struggles and how they have overcome anxiety.

Many support groups engage in activities that bring the group closer. You may role-play or brainstorm solutions to participants’ problems. These sessions are an excellent opportunity to share what has worked for you and to help others.

Consider your inner circle

Toxic friendships and relationships can create extreme anxiety. Consider the relationships you have with those in your inner circle. Is there mutual respect and honor? Is there a form of abuse? If you are in an abusive relationship, seek help immediately.

Remove or limit connections that leave you feeling anxious, drained, or depressed. A counselor can help you shift from these toxic connections to more beneficial ones.

Turn your anxiety over to god

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. – 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, NIV

The Bible reminds us that we are never alone. The Lord will never leave us. There will always be trouble. Fear and worries may try to overtake us, but God can give peace that no one understands. Jesus reminds us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” (John 14:1, NIV)

Don’t give up even when extreme anxiety fills your mind with panic. Pray and ask God to bring you peace and joy like no other. Jesus can handle all of your worries, anxious thoughts, and fears. He can handle all of it. Take it off your shoulders and give it to Him. You can overcome extreme anxiety through Him.

Do you need help with extreme anxiety?

If you have experienced episodes of extreme anxiety or panic attacks, contact our Christian counseling center today to speak to a representative. Our center will connect you to a counselor specializing in anxiety disorders, who can facilitate an assessment and help you create a mental health care plan to overcome extreme anxiety using effective psychological methods and Biblically based principles. Call us today for an appointment.