Take Every Thought Captive: How to Deal with Stress and Anxiety

Stress and anxiety seem to be the hallmarks of living in the early 21st century. There are economic and social pressures, and we are constantly connected to the media and what’s happening around us. We are informed as much as we are misinformed, and all this makes completely avoiding stress and anxiety quite unlikely.

As unlikely a prospect as it is to avoid stress and anxiety, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re at the mercy of our circumstances. Our culture has its priorities and values, and these often drive our behaviors, as well as our anxieties. In opposition to these strongholds, the believer is to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV). This is a godly, effective way to deal with stress and anxiety.

As you go about trying to reduce your stress and anxiety levels, it’s important to understand them, be able to recognize the signs of stress and anxiety, and have tools that will enable you to tackle and manage them effectively.

The Reality of Stress and Anxiety

Stress and anxiety are common experiences for many people in the US, and indeed across the world. You feel stress when you encounter an experience that stretches or challenges you. Such experiences can leave you feeling mental, physical, and emotional tension, and your body has physiological responses to that tension. Under stress, for instance, the body releases cortisol, which affects your immune response and your fight/flight response.

Anxiety is another common experience, with the National Institute of Mental Health saying that around 19.1% of US adults had an anxiety disorder in the last year. Anxiety is how we respond to uncertainty or to potential threats, and it also produces a physiological response quite similar to the stress response.

There are several common sources and causes of anxiety and stress, and these include pressures and issues such as financial pressures. The cost of living is skyrocketing, while income isn’t keeping pace. There’s economic uncertainty and debt from college or other sources to deal with, and these add to the hardships.

Another source of stress and anxiety is work. Whether it’s a lack of job security, hustle culture, long hours, unrealistic deadlines, or stifling work environments, work-related demands can generate a lot of stress and anxiety.

People also face societal and social pressures, which can ramp up stress and anxiety. Perhaps you’re carrying others’ expectations for your success, or you’re constantly bombarded by social media and comparisons with other people’s lives. Family obligations and expectations, including getting married, having children, buying a home, and having a steady job, can all play a part. These can make you stressed and anxious for not reaching certain milestones.

Relational pressures can also be a source of stress and anxiety. Fractured relationships, constant conflict, and challenging dynamics in a relationship can all add to the stress and anxiety levels in that situation. The thought of going home or connecting can cause your heart to beat faster or make you feel like the walls are closing in.

Other possible sources of stress and anxiety include health concerns and uncertainty about the future. If you’re sleeping poorly or you are unwell, that can be a cause for stress and anxiety. Facing uncertainty about the future can all fuel anxious thoughts and feelings.

Something you can do in the face of these varied stressors is to make a list of them, so they aren’t swirling, undefined concerns. Then, you can try to identify which stressors and sources of anxiety you can control, and what sorts of things you have to let go of or begin to approach differently.

Signs of Stress and Anxiety

How can you tell if you’re experiencing stress and anxiety, and more than that, how can you recognize that you’re struggling and possibly buckling under the pressure? There are several important signs that you can look out for in this regard, and they include the following:

Changes in your appetite whether you’re eating too much or too little compared to your usual food intake

Struggling to fall and stay asleep You may find yourself facing constant exhaustion because you aren’t getting adequate rest. You may also be struggling to sleep well because of frequent nightmares.

Finding yourself frequently feeling irritable or having emotional outbursts If you’re angrier than usual, more irritable, or more prone to outbursts, that could all point to anxiety and stress.

Getting sick more often If you find yourself feeling sick more often than usual, that could indicate a weakened immune system. Cortisol, the stress hormone, can weaken your immune system if you’re constantly feeling stressed.

Avoidance and withdrawal If you find yourself avoiding the people, places, and activities you once enjoyed, and you’re more withdrawn than before, that could also indicate you’re experiencing stress and anxiety.

Persistent feelings of being overwhelmed Stress and anxiety can also leave you feeling like everything is too much, and the tasks or situations you’re facing are too big for you. Consequently, you may feel overwhelmed, perhaps even paralyzed and unable to act.

If three or more of these signs apply to you, it’s a good idea to implement stress and anxiety-reducing strategies to take care of your well-being.

The Everyday Impact of Stress and Anxiety

If you’re experiencing stress and anxiety, that’s a natural response to stressors and situations that are less than ideal. The issue with anxiety and stress is when it becomes chronic, when it’s intense, and when it gets to the point where it prevents you from functioning well in daily life. You can be so stressed or anxious that you stop thinking clearly or rationally, and you stop doing things that help you flourish. That’s a problem.

When you’re stressed and anxious and can’t find ways to alleviate or reduce these feelings, they can affect you in several ways. This includes making it hard to concentrate, lapses in your memory, and racing thoughts.

Physically, stress and anxiety can leave you feeling tired, experiencing digestive issues, headaches, muscle tension, and a weakened immune system, leaving you more prone to getting sick. Emotionally, you may be more irritable, feel helpless and overwhelmed, sad, and you may also experience sudden mood swings.

Stress and anxiety can also affect you spiritually. You may feel distant from the Lord and lose your motivation to be still and pray to Him. The effects of stress and anxiety are significant, and taking steps to identify the patterns, triggers, and effects on your life is a helpful exercise.

Taking Every Thought Captive – Effectively Handling Stress and Anxiety

Taking every thought captive can entail consciously assessing your thinking and habits, and taking the time to align these with what is true. Dwelling on what is true, beautiful, and good, while refusing to allow fearful, unhelpful, destructive thoughts and patterns, can help you face stress and anxiety better.

Taking thoughts captive to address stress and anxiety could include paying attention to specific thoughts, probing them for truthfulness, and reframing them where necessary. Challenge thoughts that may not be true or tend toward fearfulness rather than faith in the God who can move mountains. Replace those thoughts with constructive, faith-filled solutions to problems.

You can also adopt healthy habits such as getting adequate sleep, exercising, and eating balanced meals. This takes intentionality and won’t happen automatically. You need to plan meals, which means thinking carefully about your grocery shopping. You’ll need to carve out time for exercise and ensure you practice good sleep hygiene.

Another helpful practice is to set clear boundaries, as this can help you stop taking on more than you can or should. Saying no might induce anxiety, and it takes practice to say those words without feeling guilty or that you’re letting people down. You need to say no to others and to yourself. Have a simplified routine and know your limits.

In addition to a simplified routine, you can reduce stress and anxiety by breaking your tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces. It also helps to change your mindset to focus on progress over perfection. You can also effectively reduce your anxiety and stress that comes from trying to get everything right.

You should also give some thought to your use of social media. Social media can be a place where you constantly compare yourself with others. Unplug or take breaks from it to allow yourself room for perspective, and to connect with people in the real world. Schedule breaks from your tech and make intentional plans to touch grass or be in the same space with someone you care about.

By incorporating one new habit each week until it becomes part of your routine, you can begin reducing your stress and anxiety levels. Small changes applied consistently over a long period can make a huge difference in your life.

A helpful step is to share your struggles with someone. Someone with a different perspective can point out flaws in your reasoning that can keep you trapped in unhelpful patterns. Praying and meditating on Scripture can help you with this, as God’s word can impact your thoughts, intentions, and actions (Hebrews 4:12). It’s also valuable to talk with a friend or a professional counselor about your experiences.

A counselor can help you develop an action plan to reduce stress and anxiety and to begin retraining yourself to think differently. Talk to a counselor to address your stress and anxiety and bring it under control.