Tools To Fight Anxiety and Better Your Mental Health

The intersection of faith and psychology offers powerful, practical strategies for mental health and healing, especially during challenging seasons like unwanted divorce. Mental health is defined as a commitment to reality at all costs. The sources, highlighting the work of licensed professional counselor Rebecca Maxwell, emphasize that while the church has historically kept mental health conversations outside its walls, research increasingly reveals how scripture and therapy practices complement one another.

This summary outlines essential biblical and psychological tools for improving mental health, managing anxiety, and fostering healing through daily habits and cognitive restructuring.

The Complementary Nature of Faith and Psychology

Scripture is “chalk full of wisdom” for our minds and hearts concerning mental health. Therapeutic research often validates biblical practices, revealing how applicable and practical scripture is to daily life. For Christians engaging with the broader mental health movement, a “really good biblical foundation” is essential to avoid inaccurate or untruthful information that could steer them away from God. The aim is to make connections between psychological concepts (like cognitive restructuring and attachment) and biblical principles, allowing believers to approach these topics with confidence.

Foundational Rhythms for Mental Wellness

Mental wellness requires preparation and the establishment of healthy habits. These rhythms are crucial because major tragedies, such as unwanted divorce, will inevitably occur in life, and what is done now sets the tone for the tools and habits available later.

1. Prioritize the Morning Routine

The most important time of the day is the morning, when the mind is fresh and ready to absorb new inputs. Sleep allows baby neurons to form, and how these neurons are used in our first thoughts determines much about our thinking patterns for the entire day.

A recommended morning routine should focus on:

• Limiting Phone Use: Only use the phone if grabbing a Bible verse.
• Nourishing the Body: Eating breakfast, especially protein, is very important, as the gut is considered the “second brain” and helps regulate mood.
• Setting the Mind: Setting the mind on things above establishes a foundation for the day.

2. Physical Health and Mind-Body Connection

Physical actions are critical for mental health. Individuals are challenged to move their body and nourish their body with good food.

• Walking: Moving the body, like walking, is one of the best tools for anxiety and overall well-being, helping to connect the mind and body.
• Breathing: Focusing on one’s breath is the most present action. The name of Yahweh is like the sound of the breath, making breathing a natural way to connect with God, who is “as close as our breath”.
• Hydration/Cold Stimulation: Drinking cold water or holding an ice cube stimulates the vagus nerve (Vegas nerve). This stimulation connects to the parasympathetic “rest and digest” system, helping to bring calm and peace. The vagus nerve is also connected to worship, as the vibrations created by singing or worshiping can physically calm the nervous system.

3. The Power of Journaling and Gratitude

Journaling is helpful for getting bad thoughts out, but it is equally important for getting the good in. There is a neurological connection between the brain and the act of writing. When writing, an individual is implanting something in their mind.

• Journaling Steps: Write out all the negative thoughts, then go to scripture, write the scripture, and write a response to God about what He is revealing. This process creates new pathways in the brain.
• Gratitude: Finding things to be grateful for, even reducing it down to the smallest things (“I’m grateful that I’m breathing,” “I have a bathtub,” “There’s rain outside”). This practice reminds the individual that God is present in the small, giving them courage to believe He is also present in the big things they face, because “we don’t serve a do nothing God”. Genuine gratitude does not require faking thankfulness for the painful situation itself.

Managing Anxiety: Escaping “What If Land”

Anxiety is often defined as living in the future and the past—in “whatif land”. The root meaning of anxiety is being pulled between two places (future and past).

Combatting Anxiety with Presence

The move to counter anxiety is to work on being present. God has complete control over the future and past. The best help is found in the command: “Be still and know that I am God”. This means knowing that God is in control and with you.

• Mind-Body Connection: When anxious, the mind and body are often disconnected; the body is always in the present, but the mind can be anywhere. Physical tools like breathing and walking help bring the mind back into connection with the present body.
• Solvability: The majority of things worried about (around 90-some percent) never come to pass. If an issue is not solvable in the present moment, it is often anxiety playing in the mind.

Cognitive Restructuring: Taking Thoughts Captive

A critical part of mental health is realizing that while individuals have the least control over their feelings (which are automatic), they have the most control over their mind—what is coming in and what is going out.

The Second Thought Principle

When facing hurtful memories, lies, or feelings of rejection, it is important to train the brain to lead thoughts in the direction of truth. While a person cannot control their first thought (often stemming from anxiety or wounding), they can “surely control” their second thought.

• Taking Captive: The biblical principle is to “Take your thoughts captive”. This means refusing to ruminate on lies spoken by others, especially if the person speaking the lie has a history of deceit.
• The Danger of Rumination: Continually trying to make sense of something that makes no sense will cause one to “lose all sense”.

Talking to Yourself, Not Listening to Yourself

Effective cognitive health involves “doing a lot more talking to yourself right now than listening to yourself”. When the internal monologue is self-defeating or negative (“I can’t wait for this to be over,” “This is horrible”), it must be countered.

• Empty Affirmations vs. Truth: Empty affirmations like “I’m beautiful” are less impactful than declaring truth based on scripture. When looking at scripture, we see the truth: “I’m beloved, I’m chosen, I’m not forgotten”. This truth resonates with the Holy Spirit.

Boundaries as Communication and Protection

Boundaries are often misunderstood, but they serve as an effective communication tool to establish:

• What is and is not okay in a relationship.
• What we do and do not have to give.
• What we will and will not tolerate.