The Covid Effect
At a time when there are so many things unknown about the coronavirus: its origins; if and when life will return to normal, understandably we will have concerns. Unfortunately, as the time in lockdown, self-isolation or quarantine wages on, it can take a toll on our minds and anxious thoughts creep in.
Now we know it's perfectly normal to feel some anxiety about something, someone or situations at this time, but we also have to remember that if we are not careful, this negative emotion can take over our lives and rob us of our joy and peace.
To tackle the problem, let's first understand what anxiety is and how it can affect us.
Anxiety's Angst
According to Healthline.com anxiety "... is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear or apprehension about what’s to come..." (Healthline: 'Everything you need to know about Anxiety.')
So that's basically all of us. At some point in our lives we will be fearful or anxious about something and in some ways it can be good if we use it to motivate us to do well, whether it's in a new job, promotion at work, getting married or overcoming an illness.
The problem is anxiety can become a mental disorder. Healthline notes that if you have anxiety that lasts longer than six months and you're feelings of fear are an ongoing, every day occurrence, there is a problem. You may have an anxiety disorder.
An anxiety disorder may cause you to be so fearful that you stop doing things you love for fear of losing that privilege. Extreme cases of anxiety may prevent persons from carrying out every day routines such as going outside, crossing the street or even taking a taxi. If left unchecked, the anxiety may get worse.
Unfortunately, anxiety disorders are the most common form of emotional disorder and can affect anyone at any age. According to the American Psychiatric Association, women are more likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder than men (Healthline).
Some type of anxiety disorders are:
- panic disorder: experiencing recurring panic attacks at unexpected times. A person with panic disorder may live in fear of the next panic attack.
- phobia: excessive fear of a specific object, situation, or activity
- social anxiety disorder: extreme fear of being judged by others in social situations
- obsessive-compulsive disorder: recurring irrational thoughts that lead you to perform specific, repeated behaviors
- separation anxiety disorder: fear of being away from home or loved ones
- illness anxiety disorder: anxiety about your health (formerly called hypochondria)
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): anxiety following a traumatic event (Healthline)
- cherophobia: The fear of being happy or the fear of the general feeling of happiness. A person that's Cherophobic might feel guilty about being happy. (Urban Dictionary)
- An elevated heart rate
- Fast, shallow breathing
- restlessness (agitation)
- trouble concentrating
- difficulty falling asleep Some people may also experience something called an anxiety attack.
- feeling faint or dizzy
- shortness of breath
- dry mouth
- sweating
- chills or hot flashes
- apprehension and worry
- restlessness
- distress
- fear
- numbness or tingling
- Continuously pray
- Help others
- Trust God
- Seek time to relax and rest
- Think positive thoughts
- Block out negative influences (social media, etc)
- Study the scriptures; learn about God
- Be a blessing to others
- Exercise/be engaged in activities that lifts our spirits
- Consult a doctor if necessary
- Healthline, 'Everything you need to know about anxiety. Retrieved April 25, 2020. 'https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety#disorders
- Lyrics of 'Holding back the years', Songwriters: Mick Hucknall / Neil Moss © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management
- Urban Dictionary, Cherophobia. Retrieved April 25, 2020. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Cherophobia
- Gaultiere, Bill. 'Fear Not! 365 days a year.' SoulShepherding. Retrieved April 26, 2020. https://www.soulshepherding.org/fear-not-365-days-a-year/
According to Healthline, an anxiety attack "is a feeling of overwhelming apprehension, worry, distress, or fear. For many people, an anxiety attack builds slowly ... [and] may worsen as a stressful event approaches." (Everything you need to know...)
Some symptoms of an anxiety attack are:
Fear not!
Holding back the years
Thinking of the fear I've had so long
When somebody hears
Listen to the fear that's gone...
Holding back the tears
Chance for me to escape from all I know
Holding back the tears
'Cause nothing here has grown
I've wasted all my tears
Wasted all those years
Nothing had the chance to be good
Nothing ever could, yeah
I'll keep holding on
I'll keep holding on
I'll keep holding on
I'll keep holding on, so tight...
(Holding back the years by Simply Red, released 1985, album Picture Book)
(Holding back the years by Simply Red, released 1985, album Picture Book)
As this song 'Holding back the years', written by Mick Hucknall of Simply Red depicts, fear and its offspring anxiety can have a crippling effect. We end up wasting time, fretting over things which may or may not happen instead of doing what uplift us and others (Read Matthew 6:34). Fortunately, there is a remedy to this dilemma: fear not!
The Bible reminds us repeatedly not to fear because God is with us. In Isaiah 41:10, God says: "do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (NIV)
At the time this was written the people of Israel faced great trials being oppressed by Babylon. A once great people became slaves, forced to serve an ungodly nation. They were in despair, and felt God had abandoned them, but He had not. He used his prophet to bring reassurance: He was still with them. They need not fear.
'Cast all your anxiety on Him because he (Jesus) cares for you.' (1 Peter 5:7, NIV)
When the Apostle Peter wrote those words, Christians across the world faced tremendous persecution. Many of his colleagues in the faith would have already been killed or imprisoned, but he wrote these words of comfort drawing from his own experiences with fear.
In Matthew 14, we read the account of several events that boggle the imagination, but we're only honing in on one here. Jesus had just finished feeding the multitude with five loaves and two fishes, and instructed his disciples to depart in a ship while he sent the people away and went up into the mountain to pray.
Later on, when the ship was in the middle of the sea, Jesus decided he would walk on water towards them. As he approached, they saw him and cried out, thinking he was a duppy, but he said: "Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid." (Matthew 14:27 NIV)
Peter afterwards asked to come out of the boat, to do what Jesus was doing. He stepped out on faith and was walking towards his Master on water! But then, he looked around; saw the raging seas tossed by the wind, and fear crept in, he started to sink. Jesus caught him in the nick of time, but He admonished him:
"You of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:31, NIV)
Philippians 4:6,7 also reminds us:
6. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (NIV)
We have no need to be anxious if we place all our cares in the hands of Jesus.
Also, as Christians we must remember that:
"... God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV)
There are even more scriptures that instruct us not to be anxious or fearful. In fact, bible scholars note that there are over 500 scriptures that exhort us not to fear (Soul Shepherding: Fear Not! 365 days a year).
Armed with this information what should we do?
Remember that as human we will have fear and we will be anxious but we should not allow anxiety to rule our lives. We must remember that God is in control, He loves us and wants us to know that He is with us and will guide us. He will never let us sink. Whatever we are anxious over we should pray to Him, asking for His intervention in our circumstances and give Him thanks that He is faithful and hears us when we pray. And then we patiently wait.
What do we do while we wait?
Fear not! "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV)
Edited: June 26, 2021.
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