Understanding anger and anxiety
Suggestions for coping with fear or anxiety
Use up your body’s adrenaline in legitimate ways (go for a run, thump some cushions, chop some wood, jump up and down).
Identify the threat. What made you get anxious and why? What are you really afraid of?
Dispute your view of the fear – is there another way of looking at it? Ask other people to give you their view. Try to get to the truth. For example, I went through a period of being afraid to drive in snow and ice after seeing several accidents. By disputing my fear I realised I am a careful, experienced driver who has already controlled a number of skids so the truth is that I am less likely than others to have an accident in the snow.
Fear is sometimes a friend. It will stop you running into danger. You need to learn when to listen to the fear and when to ignore it.
If you have an ongoing problem with anxiety or fear, keep a diary recording when and why you feel afraid each day. This can help you identify patterns.
Work out a strategy to help you reduce and manage your anxiety. Get wise friends or counsellors to help you with this.
Ask God to help you and give you courage.
The way out of most fears is through them. Choose not to run away but to fight your fears and face them. Choose to be brave.
Fears of specific things such as spiders or snakes are called phobias. They come about because at some stage we have experienced fear in relation to that thing, or the idea of it. Counselling and/or healing prayer can sometimes be effective in reducing the level of such fears.
Fear in the Bible
Fear of rejection or being told off can spoil our relationships. Adam said to God “I was afraid and I hid…” If he had confessed immediately and openly he would have felt God’s love and wouldn’t have felt the fear all day.
Throughout the Bible we are encouraged to fear God. This doesn’t mean being scared of him but having a respect for his power and authority. Fear of God is the opposite of fear of man.
Proverbs 29:25 says, “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”
At each step we have the choice of acting in faith or acting in fear. Decisions taken out of fear are nearly always wrong.
In 2 Tmothy 1 v 7 Paul said, "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." This reveals that there is a spiritual dimension to fear. Being filled with the Holy Spirit brings boldness but people can sometimes be trapped by a spirit of fear which can be removed by a combination of repentance and the authority of Jesus Christ.
1 John 4:18 says "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…" The only perfect love is the love God has for us. The more content and secure you can be in understanding God’s love or you, the less fear you will have.
Suggestions for coping with anger
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