I was recently asked to facilitate a contemplative prayer and breathwork session with a women’s small group at a local church. I love these types of things so I gladly agreed! The conversations started and questions were asked about who needs these types of practices and would this practice help with anxiety. Absolutely! These two practices are my favorite faith-based anxiety management activities!
My Anxiety Story
You’ve probably read and heard me talk about anxiety a lot because I have a lot of experience with it. Most of my clients struggle with the daily, sometimes debilitating frustration of anxiety. And I also struggled with anxiety fifteen years ago. My struggle started with my first job.
I was new to being a dietitian and I was thrown into the cardiac rehab as the only dietitian. I loved what I was doing, but I lacked confidence. Every day my digestive system would cramp up and I would be in pain all afternoon. After unsuccessful doctor’s appointments, I became my own advocate and searched for the answers myself. My detective skills were strong and I self-diagnosed anxiety.
From there I quickly said: “Not today Satan!” and I got to work using the anxiety management activities below.
How I Healed My Anxiety
I knew my anxiety was multifaceted so I took multiple approaches. I first changed my diet and supplemented with needed nutrients (here are some recommendations for supplements). I then went to work on my mind and that’s where the changes really started to happen.
I noticed I was very negative to myself with my thoughts. I would continually tell myself I wasn’t good enough for that job. That they should have hired someone else. And that they will soon find out I don’t know what I’m doing.
When I recognized these were schemes of the enemy attacking my mind, I got mad. I put the work in to combat those thoughts by focusing on the truth of each lie as soon as it entered my mind. With each inhale, I spoke truth. And with each exhale, I let go of the lie.
Anxiety Management Activities
My anxiety was healed rather quickly after those changes were implemented. I’m not saying I don’t ever feel anxious anymore. I do because I live in a broken world that is sometimes scary. But I know how to combat those thoughts and the anxious feeling. And I teach others how to do the same using the same technique I used.
Some of the anxiety management activities I used were faith-based, and some were not.
Faith-Based Anxiety Management Activities
My favorite, and in my opinion most helpful activities, are the faith-based anxiety management activities. I think they are the most helpful because we can’t do this alone! When you invite our helper and redeemer alongside you in this, He is the only one that can truly fix the situation.
Most of the time, when praying, we are talking AT God. But that’s not what it takes when healing from anxiety. It takes shutting out the (really loud) noise going on in your head, sitting still, being quiet, and listening. I love breathwork and contemplative prayer for that.
Using Contemplative Prayer as An Anxiety Management Activity
Contemplative prayer is a way of quieting your mind and joining in on the eternal conversation happening between God and the Holy Spirit within you. To do this, you read through a passage of scripture, pick out something (word or verse) that speaks to you. Close your eyes and meditate on that word or phrase; repeating it on your inhale and exhale.
Using Breathwork as An Anxiety Management Activity
And speaking of inhale and exhale, breathwork is amazing for anxiety. It can be a faith-based anxiety management activity because you are using the tools and the design of your body to calm your nervous system and think clearly. By taking deep, intentional breaths and changing your focus to your breath, not the chaos in your mind, change happens in your body. You switch to the parasympathetic part of your nervous system. You can then think with your frontal lobe and can reason and respond, not react. Muscles can relax, the mind slows, and tenseness melts away.
Breathwork and contemplative prayer can be combined! You can change the way you breath WHILE meditating on the words you’re praying.
If you love a good DFY (Done For You) I do too! I love recommending and using this book to help guide me and my clients during contemplative prayer sessions.
Let’s Connect!
And that’s it! Incorporating faith-based anxiety management activities into your day is easy but oh so powerful! I’d love to hear, have you ever done contemplative prayer? Respond with your experience with it or questions on how to get started.
If you found this helpful, will you please share it with someone else? And if you need help tackling your anxiety, or other life altering symptoms, reach out here. I’m here to help!
