Anxiety

 Anxiety is on the rise for many people, and I am one of them. When I was younger, I never struggled with anxiety. These days, however, the amount of pressure that I am under (and often put myself under) has caused me some trouble. As a teacher, there is a great deal of pressure from every side. Working with a room of High School students can be stressful, and the ones who are defiant cause anxiety to increase. Add parents and society at large, combined with the pressure of test scores and student achievement, I struggle with anxiety every morning.

It feels like we are all constantly in the public eye, thanks to cell phones and social media. People can take pictures and videos of you almost anytime. Cameras are everywhere, and any mistake you make is quickly posted. If you park badly, your car will be posted all over social media with comments about how stupid and incompetent you are. If you posted something wrong when you are young, it comes back to haunt you. Add cancel culture and the eagerness of many to be offended, and anxiety is just a reality.

I have found that many people deal with anxiety in very unhealthy ways. The younger generations that I work with have dealt with anxiety through forms of abandonment. They don't care, they don't try, they don't participate, and they don't show up. The concept of "quiet quitting" is an example. When the anxiety gets too high, the pressure to perform in order to get ahead, they quit doing any extra. They do exactly what is expected of them, and nothing more. I believe this is a result of the pressure and anxiety combined with the feeling of always being watched and on display.

There are healthy ways to deal with anxiety. First, understand that anxiety is a part of life but it doesn't have to be a driving force. Like anger, sadness, or regret, these negative emotions can be felt but not allowed to control your life. If you feel anxiety, understand that it doesn't have to control you. You push through it and move forward. Anxiety doesn't control you. As you feel the anxiety, call it what it is, a feeling. On a deeper level, anxiety is a low-brain emotion. Anxiety exists to keep us safe and give us pause. It should be the feeling you have when you are walking through the woods and see a bear. Your first instinct should be to not get mauled, not to pet the bear. These emotions are in the lower parts of your brain, the fight or flight areas. These are instincts, but they don't have to control you. In the higher parts of your brain, you have rational areas that can think through the issues. Bears are dangerous, but a room full of high school students who don't want to listen is not a threat to my health and safety.

Anxiety is a low-brain reaction, and faith is a high-brain reaction. A great way to push through anxiety is to remember what the Bible says. We remember what Paul tells us in Romans 8, and if God is for us, who can be against us? We remember what Paul says in 2 Timothy, that God has not given us a spirit of fear. God has given us the ability to push through our anxiety through rational thinking, faith, and perseverance. Keep moving forward, trust God, and know you have it within yourself to overcome.

Finally, some anxiety needs some medical attention. If you have crippling anxiety, know that is a medical issue and you need to talk to your doctor. Our brain is a very specialized tool, and sometimes the calibration is off. The neurotransmitters can be unbalanced causing anxiety and depression. This isn't something you can just overcome with willpower, so talk to your doctor. There are tools and resources to help you, like medication or types of therapy. Know that this will not take 100% of the anxiety away, but it will get you to a place where you can begin to use the higher brain functions of faith and perseverance. Sometimes it takes a combination of things to get through the day, so don't be ashamed if you need those tools.

Life is hard, and anxiety is real. My goal today is not to downplay or dismiss what you feel, because your feelings are real. My goal today is to encourage you that even though you feel anxious and it is hard to get going, you can do it. God has given you what you need, and moving out of that "fight or flight" and into using our faith and confidence we can find in Christ. You can do this, just one step at a time.