What Can I Do About Anxiety Right Now? 5 Biblical and Practical Steps
Nearly 48 million adults in the United States have reported being treated for, or experiencing, depression and anxiety. That is 18.3% of our population. Of that 18.3%, how many people take the time, in the moment, to ask themselves “what can I do about my anxiety right now?” This article puts together 5 biblical and practical steps on how to fight against anxiety.
Be Still and Mean It
Before anything else, stop. Slow your breathing. Put your phone down. Anxiety thrives in noise and speed. Take the moment that is meant to divide you from the world, from the people around you, from God, and instead of letting that moment fuel racing thoughts, give it to God. The first step to fighting anxiety isn’t doing more. It’s stopping long enough to remember who’s in control.
“Be still and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10
Pray and Cry Out, Honestly
In a world filled with filters to make your life look like something it sometimes is just not, you don’t need a filter before you talk to God. The Psalms are full of raw, unfiltered desperation. Psalm 46 opens with a world falling apart and ends with God on the throne. That’s not a contradiction. That’s the point. You do not need to have it all together for God. In fact, God invites you to depend on Him, especially at your weakest moments.
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” — 1 Peter 5:7
Here is a simple prayer you can pray right now, wherever you are:
“God, I’m overwhelmed and I don’t have this figured out. I’m bringing You what I’ve been carrying. I trust that You are in control of what I cannot control. Calm my mind, steady my heart, and help me take the next step. I am Yours. Amen.”
You do not have to carry your anxiety alone. Call out to God, and if you are comfortable or desire, let us help. We are here to join you in prayer.
Submit Prayer Here: https://valor.churchcenter.com/people/forms/1127366
Get Outside, Because Creation Recalibrates What Feels Catastrophic
In states like Alaska and Washington, many people use light therapy lamps during the long dark months of winter. Those lamps are specifically designed to mimic natural daylight in order to improve mood, increase energy, and regulate sleep patterns. In other words, we are engineering substitutes for what God already gave us.
Science backs this up. A landmark 2015 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that people who walked in nature for 90 minutes showed significantly reduced activity in the part of the brain associated with rumination and negative thought patterns, compared to those who walked in an urban setting. Additional research from the University of Michigan found that time spent in natural environments measurably lowers cortisol levels, the hormone most directly tied to stress. That is not a coincidence. That is God’s design, and science keeps catching up to it.
A walk, sunlight, fresh air: these aren’t just nice ideas. They are built-in reset buttons placed in creation for your benefit.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” — Psalm 19:1
Write It Down and Journal Your Way Through It
Anxiety lives in the abstract. Journaling forces it into words, and words can be examined, challenged, and surrendered. Here is a simple format to try the next time anxiety spikes:
- Write down exactly what you are afraid of, in one sentence per fear.
- Next to each one, write: “What is actually true about this right now?”
- Then write a one-sentence prayer and surrender it to God.
- Close with one thing you are grateful for today.
You may be surprised how much smaller the list looks on paper.
And here is something worth noting: science has found that the physical act of writing by hand, on actual paper, produces stronger memory consolidation and emotional processing than typing. A 2023 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that handwriting activates more brain regions involved in learning and emotional regulation than digital input does. Once again, the slow, tactile, deliberate act of putting pen to paper turns out to be exactly the kind of practice that serves the human mind best. God designed us for it long before the research confirmed it.
Talk to Someone Trained to Help
Anxiety is real, and sometimes you need more than a good devotional or something to go alongside it. Biblical counseling combines the truth of Scripture with the wisdom to help you understand why you feel what you feel and what to do about it. It also gives you the chance to express yourself to another person, rather than trapping anxiety inside your own racing thoughts.
“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” — Proverbs 15:22
If you are interested in biblical counseling, we offer biblical counseling connections at Valor. Follow the link below to get connected.
https://valor.churchcenter.com/people/forms/727408
You Don’t Have to Figure This Out Alone
Anxiety tells you that you are on your own, that the situation is permanent, and that nothing will help. None of that is true. God is near, help is available, and the next step is smaller than anxiety wants you to believe. Take it.