A Biblical Guide to Anxiety
Anxious Faith
We’ve heard lots about anxiety; both from those who experience it, and those who help treat it. We’ve talked to doctors and pastors and counsellors and sufferers and everyone in between to find out how they experience anxiety, and what we can do about it. But what about exploring the very concept of anxiety, as a whole, in light of God’s Word? How should Christians deal with anxiety? And why is it such a struggle for so many of us? Who better to ask these questions of than the guy who wrote the book on it? We’re joined this episode by Paul Grimmond, the Dean of Students at...
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Blokes, We Need to Talk
Anxious Faith
Men are notoriously bad at understanding our emotions—let alone actually sharing about them with someone else—and it’s to our detriment. Here in Australia, it’s Movember; a month where the titular charity encourages guys to raise money for Men’s Mental Health by growing a moustache. And awareness like this is sorely needed — because men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women. So how do we as men learn to open up and start talking about what we’re going through? And…why should we? Does the Bible tell us to? What better way to open up this...
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I'm a Girl and I Struggle With Porn
Anxious Faith
Contrary to what many of us have grown up believing, porn addiction is not a “guys’ issue”. It’s a human one. Join us as we chat to Amanda Anaestad, cofounder of The Victory Collective, a ministry centred around community and resources for women struggling with a porn addiction. Amanda was first exposed to pornography by accident in middle school, and it grew into an addiction that had a hold on her for many years. She shares with us how she only ever heard of porn being discussed as a problem for men, and how her feelings of shame and isolation stopped her from reaching...
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Intrusive Thoughts, Faith, and OCD Therapy
Anxious Faith
As we began to branch out in topics here at Anxious Faith, we were surprised by the number of people who resonated with the episodes and blog posts we’ve done around OCD, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This often-misunderstood condition can be so hard to live with, and yet there are therapeutic approaches that can offer hope and relief for those living with OCD. One of those approaches is called Exposure Response Prevention, or ERP, and we were intrigued to meet Justin Hughes—a licensed professional counsellor in Texas—who talks about ERP not just as a therapy for OCD, but as an...
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Self-Aware or Selfish?
Anxious Faith
Self-awareness is something that we all need; in order to be healthy, loving, thriving people, we need to understand a bit about ourselves and how we interact with other people, the world around us, and even God. And, for those of us who struggle with our mental health, learning how and why we function and react to things the way we do can be a key part of working towards healing. But is there a point where leaning into self-awareness is actually just…selfish? Tinged with pride, and putting too much emphasis on ourselves? Today we’re chatting with Steve Mitchell from the UK,...
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When Mental Health Hurts Not Just You
Anxious Faith
When someone is struggling with their mental health, whether that’s dealing with stress, anxiety, or a diagnosed mental health condition, it’s not just them who feel the effects of it — there’s often a flow on effect to the people around them; their partner, children, family, friends, colleagues… The list goes on. So what’s it like to be struggling with your mental health, only to feel the added weight—and often, guilt—of knowing that what you’re dealing with is also impacting the people you love? How do you navigate those dynamics when there are seasons of your...
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Suicide Was My Plan B
Anxious Faith
CW: Keola’s story covers his struggles with self-harm and suicide ideation, so please be wise as you listen and mindful of who you’re listening with. Today we’re hearing the story of Keola, a young guy from Las Vegas in the US who thought he was living the dream — scouted out of high school for Division 1 baseball college, and on his way to making it as an athlete. But moving to that college wasn’t the highlight he was expecting it to be, and instead, it became a time of anxiety, fear, and dread. As Keola fought against these newfound mental health challenges, they worsened;...
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How Can a Good God Let Us Suffer?
Anxious Faith
“Nothing is certain except death and taxes,” or so the saying goes. But there’s something else that we’ll all face in our lives, regardless of our background, finances, upbringing or culture: suffering. Whether it’s suffering brought on by mental illness, physical illness, financial pressure, issues with relationships or family or any number of other things, at some point in our lives, things are going to be hard. Messy. Painful. When we face suffering, it’s easy to wonder where God is. We can feel lonely, isolated … even abandoned by Him. Why is this happening to me?, we...
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Does Gaming Affect Mental Health?
Anxious Faith
Video games can be a contentious topic. There are the people who love them, and those that don’t — or simply can’t understand the appeal. And then there are the stories we hear in the media about gaming addiction, social isolation, and a growing concern for the way gaming seems to lead to a whole range of mental health challenges. So, what do we think? Does gaming affect our mental health? Perhaps it’s not quite so black and white. Today we’re chatting with Jacob, a life-long gamer, who shares how gaming has affected his mental health — both negatively and for the better....
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It's Lonely Out There
Anxious Faith
When we think of non-physical problems that affect people, we’re pretty immediately drawn to the common ones — anxiety, depression, and the realm of mental illness. But there’s something just as insidious that can cause significant issues to our mental wellbeing, quality of life, and faith. It’s loneliness. There are some mind-boggling statistics around loneliness. One in four adults around the world report feeling lonely. Our ministry recently did a study of 18-35 year olds here in Australia, and 44% of the overall respondents reported struggling with loneliness and a lack of...
info_outlineThe topic of suicide is so often hidden away or only talked about in hushed conversations. But with all the fear and stigma surrounding it, those who might be struggling with suicidal ideation or the pain of losing someone to suicide run the risk of feeling like they’re alone; and here at Anxious Faith, we’re working to stop that.
This month, as part of opening up the conversation around suicide, we’re hearing from Pippa, a mother of two living in Newcastle, Australia. Four years ago, Pippa’s faith was challenged as she and her husband dealt with their teenage son’s deteriorating mental health. Sadly, they lost that son to suicide.
Pippa is raw and honest as she shares her family’s story of unimaginable grief and pain, but she also encourages us that God is no less with us in the messiness of life. Four years on, Pippa says her pain is still as deep, but that she’s been able to see glimpses of colour creeping back into her life, and though it’s still a journey of daily rebuilding her trust in God, Pippa maintains that He is good.
Our team, as well as Pippa and her family, pray that God will speak to you through this powerful episode. If you have questions about suicide or want to explore this topic more, we have a new page of Suicide Resources on our website that will help you unpack the main theological thoughts on suicide, look at where we see it in the Bible, hear from others who have lost someone to suicide or attempted themselves, and learn how to help those who might be struggling.
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Read a blog post version of Pippa’s story
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Anxious Faith is a production of Our Daily Bread Ministries. If you, or someone you know, are struggling with anxiety or your mental health, we’d really encourage you to speak to a doctor, mental health professional, or reach out to one of the organisations on our Help page.