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When is anxiety healthy and helpful, and when does it cross the line into hurtful? How do I help my children walk through anxious emotions? Is there anything that the Bible says about anxiety? These are just a few of the questions that are discussed in this first episode of the anxiety and depression series.
As host, Greg introduces Brent, Matt, Rebekah, and Katie.
Matt shares first and talks about how previous generations took the approach of keeping their anxiety internal, whereas in our current generation, anxiety and struggling with anxiety is more of an external conversation that could be heightened by things like the pandemic and social media.
Rebekah, Brent, and Katie join the conversation by thinking through how to walk children through their anxiety as they learn and grow and take in new information. Rebekah voices how important it is to really listen to your children as they walk through their feelings and emotions, and both Matt and Katie articulate that it's necessary to let your children have their emotions and feelings even though your instinct as a parent might be to shield them from that.
Brent moves into some of the science behind anxiety, and shares how God instilled a fight-or-flight in us as His creation. He gives the Biblical example of Mary and Martha to show how worry can lead to us missing things from the Lord. Brent also shares how sin causes us to have a disconnect from God and each other, and can spiral into other psychological issues. Katie says that anxiety often points back to a desire for control.
Katie helps listeners think through "Is my anxiety beneficial or is it harmful?" by looking at three different things: Frequency, intensity, and length. Greg chimes in and says if you have anxiety before a job interview, that's normal, but if you’ve been in a new job for say 10 weeks and you still have lots of anxiety around that, your anxiety is a bigger issue and no longer beneficial. He also states that generally, we think of anxiety as something you experience in a certain season of life such as when you're a student or in college or a young adult. Rebekah adds that newness can often bring about anxiety.
Katie and Rebekah transition into talking about anxiety and stress as a new mom, and how it's easy to have an identify crisis as a new parent. In a similar vein, Brent and Matt speak into where they see anxiety show up in young adult men, especially when these men feel they're falling behind.
Rebekah then spends some time talking through unhealthy anxiety, and how it can grow when you don't seek help. She voices that anxiety can distort how you see yourself, others, and the world around you.
Greg brings the conversation back to what the Bible says about anxiety, so Brent references the anxiety of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, and Matt references 2 Corinthians 12.
For more information on this podcast, visit podcast.fellowshipknox.org
Listen to Katie and Matt as they have conversations with the Biblical Life Counseling Team and special guests from our community over topics that deeply matter in the way you relate and respond to all seasons of your life.