We’ve all found ourselves at one point or another feeling nervous and out of sorts. The situations may vary, as might the intensity of those nerves, but we all have situations or environments where we find ourselves with a racing heart, sweaty palms, or with butterflies in our stomachs.

Anxiety can sometimes play a positive role, but there are many times when it becomes a concern that needs to be addressed for one’s wellbeing. When it starts to disrupt daily life and function, it is time to get help. Christian counselors who are trained in counseling for anxiety are available at Rockwall Christian Counseling in Rockwell, Texas. They will be happy to help you sort through your anxious thoughts and feelings.

Get connected with a Christian Counselor
Please contact our reception team at
(972) 694-0137

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Is Anxiety a Good Thing or a Bad Thing?

If you’ve ever found yourself feeling anxious before something like a date, an exam, or an important job interview, you probably saw that anxiety as inconvenient and unwelcome. Who wants to be sweating just before a date, when all you want is to make a solid first impression? Anxiety seems to take you off your game and can be seen as bad.

However, anxiety has a constructive purpose in our lives. It helps you to remain alert and to avoid danger. When you’re hiking and come across a dangerous creature, the fight-or-flight response triggered by anxiety helps you to hustle out of its way. Anxiety does the same thing when you’re crossing the street, and a car comes speeding toward you. In this way, anxiety performs a life-saving function.

Even in cases when our lives aren’t under threat as such, anxiety helps us to focus and pay attention to our surroundings. That’s why before something like an exam, a date, or a job interview, anxiety can help you by making you more aware of your surroundings. It can give you a boost of energy to push through whatever obstacle you’re facing. Thus, anxiety is a good thing, but too much of it can become an unhelpful thing.

There are forms of anxiety, however, where it is so intense in particular settings that it begins to disrupt daily functioning. One’s anxiety can become so thorough that it’s diagnosed as an anxiety disorder or a phobia.

Anxiety has several physiological, emotional, and mental effects on a person. Triggering the fight-or-flight response, when your brain determines the existence of a threat, it leads to several things, such as:

  • Rapid heart rate and breathing as your body supplies oxygen to vital organs
  • Your muscles tense in preparation to act in response to the threat
  • Your skin flushes or goes pale as blood flow to non-essential areas is reduced
  • Bodily aches such as a stomachache or headache may ensue
  • You may start to sweat
  • You feel restless and struggle to concentrate as adrenaline is released and puts your body on high alert
  • The state of hypervigilance caused by anxiety often means struggling to fall or stay asleep
  • Lack of sleep can make you irritable and fatigued

Anxiety, especially when it is deep set and becomes an anxiety disorder, can change the way you think by making your brain hyperactive towards threats and biased toward paying attention to the negative. That means that even situations and events that are neutral can wind up being perceived as threatening. This can result in excessive worrying.

Anxiety can end up having a negative impact on a person’s wellbeing. It affects their sleep, their ability to concentrate, and it can affect their mood. This means that everyday life can become harder to navigate, and some situations nearly impossible to function in, especially if one’s anxiety is tied to specific situations.

Anxiety and anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder can be addressed in several ways. You can do a few things at home that can help you address your anxiety, including consuming less caffeine and alcohol as they can trigger or stimulate it. Eating less processed and refined foods can also be a huge help in reducing your levels of anxiety.

In addition to these, regular exercise helps to decrease the levels of the stress hormone cortisol that’s in your system, which can result from anxiety being triggered. Too much cortisol can strain your body past its limits. Practices such as meditation and mindfulness can help to calm you when you’re feeling anxious.

In addition to these interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy can help you better understand your anxiety as well as learn healthy coping mechanisms. The counselors at Rockwall Christian Counseling can help you discern any negative patterns of thinking that can trigger or exacerbate your anxiety, while replacing these with healthier patterns that promote your wellbeing.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is usually coupled with medications in situations where anxiety feels overwhelming. These medications can provide relief from the symptoms of anxiety and minimize its impact.

Getting Help

If anxiety is affecting you and your wellbeing, it is likely time to speak to someone about it. If you’re looking for counseling in Rockwall, Texas, the counselors at Rockwall Christian Counseling can walk with you as you find healing calm amid the storm of anxiety.

Get connected with a Christian Counselor
Please contact our reception team at
(972) 694-0137

Schedule an appointment