5 Steps To Eliminate Anxiety

Before I even start this post, I want to be clear (again) that I do not have it all figured out AND that I may be oversimplifying an issue that seriously plagues most of us at one time or another. At the risk of offending some and confusing others, I am going to offer what I believe is the cure to this problem. This problem is anxiety.

Anxiety Is Destructive

It goes by many names – stress, worry, concern, apprehension, fear, etc. Even when we only focus on the business world, anxiety takes on many shapes, sizes, and forms. Some suffer from it like a minor rash, but for others it may as well be a broken back or worse!

It can paralyze you when you need to make a critical decision. It can steal the focus you so desperately need to keep your business on track. It can be a pothole or a cliff. If you don’t suffer from it yourself, you surely know someone who does. If you or that person happens to be in leadership or a position of influence, then the results can be anywhere from frustrating to devastating.

Anxiety Defined

So what exactly is anxiety? What is at its root?

I think the root of anxiety is simply an uncertainty of the future.

At this level – simple uncertainty – there is not really a problem. Uncertainty by itself is not a big deal. Without consequences, uncertainty scares no one. I can be uncertain about the outcome of a coin toss without experiencing anxiety.

Add Consequences

However, if that coin toss takes on more significant meaning or determines what my future may look like, then anxiety can creep in. If the potential consequences of the coin toss are dire enough, anxiety can come rushing in like a flood!

The greater we perceive the consequences of the coin toss (or any event or situation in our lives), the more intense the anxiety becomes. If there are little to no potentially adverse consequences to the coin toss, then we have little to no anxiety. The reverse is also true.

When we simplify it like this (and de-personalize it), it becomes easier to see how it works (and how we can eliminate it). Do you agree?

Eliminating Uncertainty

Clearly, there are two ways we can eliminate uncertainty (and therefore anxiety). First, we could know all the details of the future, right? If we absolutely know the future, uncertainty is gone. If you have already watched a key football game, there is no anxiety in watching a recording of it again later.

Unfortunately, we do not have the ability to look into the future to see the outcome of every situation that causes us anxiety. We cannot look ahead to see if sales will reach the required quotas we have been given. We cannot look into the future to find out if a new product will succeed or fail.

The second way to eliminate uncertainty (and the resulting anxiety) is to know the ultimate future of a situation so that you can then assume the details leading up to that ultimate future. Back to the example of a football game – even if you did not watch the game, but you know the final score, you know enough about what happened during the game to relax.

Folks, I honestly believe it really is that simple for life. We can live a life without anxiety if we can only eliminate the uncertainty inherent in it. It sounds simple, right? Well it actually can be that simple.

Step #1 – Bible Is Truth

First, we must recognize that the Bible is absolutely and totally the Word of God. We must believe that it is without error or fluff. We must completely trust what God says to us through His Word (2 Timothy 3:16). It is not enough for us to give lip service to this belief – it must be part of the core of who we are.

I wish I could tell you otherwise, but this first step is non-negotiable. There is no way in the world to completely eliminate anxiety without starting here. If you cannot get past this first step, then you need to embrace anxiety as a close friend! You are not getting rid of it!

You might think you are okay with this step at this point. I hope so. However, if you find trouble later in this process, you may want to come back here and dig a little deeper. Without a rock-solid foundation here, no further steps will help you.

Step #2 – Read About Your Future

Next, we need to read what the Bible says about our ultimate future. What I believe it says is that Jesus died for me. Because I accepted this and invited Him to take over as Savior and Lord, He saved me from my sin and promised me an eternity after this life with Him (John 3:16).

This is a done deal and nothing can change it. The enemy cannot steal me from my Father’s hands. In fact nothing can separate me from Him (Romans 8:35-39)! I believe this. I believe this with all that I can muster.

If that is true, then what happens in between now and that ultimate future in heaven is irrelevant. When I look at my life from 10,000 feet and know that my ultimate future is completely and totally secure with His promise, then there is nothing in the details at 100, 50, or even 10 feet that should worry me or cause me anxiety (Matthew 6:25-34)! This called having an eternal perspective and I think it is the key to solving the problem of anxiety.

Whenever something does begin to cause me anxiety, then I simply need to remind myself that my ultimate future is in His hands and the rest is immaterial. If this is particularly hard for me to do in a given situation, then I need to dig to find out what about this situation is more important to me than my ultimate future. I may need to ask why I trust God with my ultimate future, but not with this immediate situation.

Final Three Steps

Once I can take God at His Word and look at this life from the eternal perspective, then anxiety will fade. Unfortunately, this is not always as easy as it sounds. In my next post, I will give you the final three steps to eliminating anxiety. Once you can successfully complete all five steps, I believe you will have put anxiety in its place for good!

Do you have a problem with anxiety?

Do you see how Steps #1 & #2 can begin to help?

What would you suggest for Steps #3, #4, & #5?