Since the fall of man and the entry of anxiety into his affairs, anxiety has brought diverse ailments into the life of man.
Dr. H. R. Brellinger in his book, The Secret of Mental Health, has this to say:
“Many studies have shown that fear, anxiety and worry can cause the following physical conditions: digestive disturbances, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, increased action of the kidneys, muscle tension resulting in spasm and pain, increased sensitivity of the nerves with an over-response to sound, light, touch, etc ., chronic fatigue, headaches, pains or aches anywhere in the body and such chronic illnesses as eye complaints, stomach ulcers, asthma, heart disease, eczema and arthritis.”
The effect of anxiety on the human body is devastating. Some of the illnesses listed above may look like an exaggeration of the effects of anxiety, but Dr. Brellinger explains further:
“Worry may become such a habit that you do not realize you are worrying and thus your bodies are kept in a continual state of tension. This is often the cause of chronic fatigue. The reason why some people feel tired all the time is often just unrecognized, continual worry.”
So many things appear to be crying for your attention, each of them making demands on your time and energy. When you load your mind with indecision, vague wishes, procrastination, unsolved troubles, grudges, jealousy, real or imagined wrongs and dissatisfactions, they ‘ferment’ and cause nervous and emotional tension and anxiety.
It is this tension that affects the working of the different parts of our bodies and leads to some of those ailments mentioned earlier. It will be unwise to regard the symptoms as the root cause and begin a search for a natural cure, when the problem is actually anxiety.
It is for this reason that many people go to the hospital for treatment but come back without any improvement, because they are not aware that such illnesses are effects of anxiety.
The spiritual implications of anxiety are just as devastating, if not more so. When you give room to anxiety, your fellowship with God is broken. You no longer can come boldly before the throne of grace as the scriptures recommend in Hebrews 4:16 … to obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. If God does not help you, how then can you survive? That explains why they say often, the man who is anxious merely exists, not living because he is not enjoying the fullness of life.
Having identified the problem, you must learn to deal with it.
Read John 10:10 from your Bible
Anxiety is introduced by the enemy and it is meant to steal your joy, kill your peace and destroy your confidence in God. Thank God that as the thief comes, Jesus does not leave. No, He supplies more joy, more peace and more confidence in God! That is why the above scripture says, I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.
In my next write-up I will be discussing on What The Effect Of Anxiety Does.
Shalom!
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