The Secret to Overcoming Anxiety (Students)

What is anxiety?

The definition of anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.

Anxiety usually comes in a cycle that can be broken into four steps. The first step, obviously, is a feeling of anxiety.

Do you ever deal with anxiety?

Share a story about a time when you felt anxious.

The second step is trying to avoid that feeling of anxiety. We don’t want to confront it, so we run from it and try to do everything we can to avoid feeling anxious.

In the past, what are some things you have done to avoid anxiety?

Why do you think that is your escape?

The third step of the anxiety cycle is temporary relief. When we avoid feeling anxious, we can sometimes escape it for a short time. But, it never lasts long.

The fourth step is more anxiety. Avoiding anxiety is not a long-term solution because it always comes back stronger than before. And then you start the cycle all over again feeling more anxious than ever.

Have you experienced this anxiety cycle before?

Describe how you feel when temporary relief wears off.

God doesn’t want us to be anxious. Anxiety does not come from God, in fact, He wants to free us from anxiety. But how do we do that? God gives us an answer in Philippians 4:6-7.

Philippians 4:6-7 – Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

What did you think when you first read this verse?

How does this verse make you feel? Hopeful? Angry? Confused?

This verse outlines a different cycle that is the solution to all of our anxiety. This “peace cycle” can be broken down into 4 steps too.

The first step is to overthrow worry and it can be found in the first part of the verse: “Don’t worry about anything”. We need to recognize what anxiety is and get in the right mindset to overcome it. God doesn’t want us to live anxiously, so we need to identify when anxiety comes so we can continue on in the peace cycle.

Before today, did you believe anxiety came from God?

What does it mean to “overthrow worry”?

What does it look like to get in the right mindset and not be controlled by worry?

The second step is to replace anxiety with prayer. As the verse says: “…instead, pray about everything”. Prayer is just talking to God. God cares about our problems, and He wants us to bring them to Him. This means it is OK to talk to God about what is on your mind, especially if it is anxiety. And we can pray anywhere at any time. We don’t need to have our eyes closed or use special words, we just need to talk to God.

Do you believe you can bring all your worries to God?

Have you ever prayed to God about your worries?

How did praying to God help versus just avoiding the anxiety?

The third step in the peace cycle is to verbalize your needs. The verse says: “Tell God what you need…”. God doesn’t just want us to tell Him we are anxious, He wants to get into the details with us! Getting specific with God about what you need can be a great way to calmly evaluate and process your anxiety. And just like a good friend, the more vulnerable you are with them, the closer you grow with them!

Do you verbalize your needs with your friends? Family? Yourself?

Are you vulnerable with God? Is it easier or harder than with your friends/family/self?

Leaders note: If they say no, challenge them on why they aren’t vulnerable and point out the dangers of suppressing feelings.

The fourth step is to thank God for the wins in your life. As the verse says: ““…thank him for all he has done.” No matter what we are going through in life, there is always something to be grateful for. And when you thank God, it changes your focus from you and puts it on God. And since anxiety is all about us, this will help us realize how small our problems are compared to God.

How often do you thank God for all He has done in your life?

List 10 things that you can be grateful to God for.

How do you feel when you are thanking God? Peaceful? Happy? Anxious?

Today, we learned 2 different cycles that can be used when we feel anxious. The anxiety cycle and the peace cycle.

What were the steps of the anxiety cycle?

What were the steps of the peace cycle?

What was the most impactful thing you learned in today’s discussion?

Bonus: What was something that someone else said today that stuck out to you?

Memorize Philippians 4:6-7 and repeat it to yourself next time you feel anxious.

Anxiety is not from God, but the answer to it is. When we feel anxious, we can either fall into the anxiety cycle, or fight it with the peace cycle. Philippians 4:6-7 gives us all the tools we need to combat anxiety. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” So the next time you feel anxiety, fight it with God and experience His peace.