What is Crippling Anxiety and How Can You Overcome It?

Crippling anxiety is the kind that debilitates a person. When someone has this, he or she cannot function in everyday life. It causes a person to feel isolated. Crippling anxiety involves a deep and intense fear or dread about the things that happen in everyday life.

God didn’t create you to live in a state of fear and dread. Even though the world is chaotic and can cause stress, it is not something your body was designed to engage in anxiety on a daily basis. It is important that you learn to understand what crippling anxiety is and what can be done to overcome that struggle.

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ – Matthew 6:30-31, ESV

Anxiety can manifest in many different ways for each person on a daily basis. Most people experience a mild form of anxiety at some point or other. This type of common anxiety is due to typical situations that would include meeting someone new, an important event, starting a new job, or even starting a new class at school.

But for those who are struggling with a fear of the unknown happening, crippling anxiety, also called apprehensive expectation, is real and it can be damaging to your mental health.

When you expect the worst, you are letting your mind get lost in thoughts of “what if.” When this happens you can find yourself losing track of time because you have gotten lost in the fear of something over which you have no control. There is no way you can ever know exactly what the day will hold. You can plan and make appointments, but how those events play out are uncontrollable.

Because you expect the worst and you can’t control the fear, you may find yourself staying away from everything. You make a choice to stay where you feel safe and comfortable.

What are the symptoms of crippling anxiety?

The most common symptoms of this type of anxiety revolve around behavior, but there are other symptoms to look for when you feel that you may be struggling with crippling anxiety.

Physical symptoms: dizziness, fatigue, frequent urination stomach. pain, racing heart, tension, or twitching muscles, nausea/upset stomach, sweating, diarrhea, insomnia, headache, and restlessness.

Emotional/cognitive symptoms: a sense of dread, constant worry, expecting the worst, generalizing one bad experience, and an all-or-nothing thought process.

Behavior: hypervigilance, need for reassurance, staying away from anything that causes fear withdrawn and socially isolated, compulsive behaviors, second-guessing, irritable when there is a possibility of facing a fearful situation.

Causes.

While there is no definite cause of crippling anxiety, there are several factors that can influence the risk of a person being affected by this struggle. Most clinicians tend to believe that genetics is one of the bigger risk factors. However, personality type and brain chemistry are also considered to be factors. There are also environmental factors such as losing a loved one, abuse, violent events, and chronic illness.

When a person remains isolated and alone with concerns about what might happen in the future, it can lead them to experience depression. That is why it is important to seek counseling if anxiety is becoming something that interferes with everyday living.

Wondering if you have this type of anxiety can be a symptom of the anxiety itself. It could stem from the fear of not understanding why you are anxious and cannot be around people. This can keep you from seeking the help that will help alleviate the crippling anxiety that keeps you isolated from society.

Treatment.

The great news is there are options when it comes to treating crippling anxiety. The first thing is to recognize that you need help with this struggle. Then seek a Christian counselor that will help you understand the cause and triggers using a faith-based approach.

The most common therapy is (CBT) or cognitive behavior therapy. This therapy approach helps the sufferers identify and change the thought processes and behaviors that trigger the anxiety. It involves gaining working knowledge about their condition and the skills to control this condition.

Exposure therapy is another common therapy used for crippling anxiety. This treatment plan uses slight and subtle exposure to the situations that cause the fear. The focus is to help create a healthy coping strategy to reduce the fear response to situations.

Acceptance and commitment therapy or ACT is like CBT. This uses the processes of mindfulness and acceptance to create a coping strategy in regard to negative thinking, emotions or sensations. Through this therapy a person will discover how to have better control of the negative thoughts and how to work through stressful situations. This process takes commitment to change the behavioral patterns.

Medication is also an option for therapy. There are a few that are prescribed for the treatment of anxiety. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), benzodiazepines, and tricyclic antidepressants are the most prevalent medications prescribed to help alleviate the symptoms of crippling anxiety.

Alternative options that help with reducing certain symptoms are relaxation and stress management techniques, meditation, yoga, and acupuncture. Lifestyle Changes are a big factor in controlling the anxiety.

Activities such as exercising can have a positive impact on the amount of anxiety that is experienced. Healthy eating is another lifestyle change that has been known to impact the way a person handles crippling anxiety. This would include the reduction of caffeine and alcohol that is consumed.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7, ESV

Learning to meditate or creating a space for quiet time with God’s word can help against the onset of triggers. When you take time to meditate on God’s word you can begin to change the way you see the situation.

Next steps to overcoming crippling anxiety.

Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. – Psalm 55:22, ESV

If you feel that you are experiencing crippling anxiety it is best to seek help through a Christian counseling service near you. Even though the thought of seeing a professional can be a trigger for anxiety, therapy has been shown to be highly effective in the treatment of anxiety.

A simple phone call to discuss the situation can be the next step to a healthy and peaceful life without fear of what could happen. Not all therapies or medications work for everyone so it’s best to find a Christian counselor that create a faith-based technique that will benefit you.

The most important thing is that you have a desire to change and live life that is joyful and filled with positive experiences. Making the choice to change the negative thoughts into positive thoughts are one of the biggest factors in taking the first step to getting help.

…to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. – Ephesians 4:22-24

It’s okay to seek help from a Christian counselor in your area. Crippling anxiety can leave you isolated and depressed. Sometimes it takes another person helping you understand the triggers and coping skills to overcome the fears that come with anxiety.