Anxiety has these four components:
• Feeling of uneasiness, agitation, or discomfort
• Some physiological sign (specific to each individual but can be things like sweating, increased heart rate, tightness in chest, butterflies in stomach, restless movement — pacing, moving foot, clicking a pen, etc.)
• Uncertainty about the reality or nature of the threat (I don’t know exactly what I am dealing with — fear of the unknown)
• Self-doubt about my ability to cope or deal with the problem effectively (I don’t know if I can do this)
We live in a world that is focused on performance — being the strongest, fastest, smartest, most beautiful, and most successful. Even the church, which is supposed to be a place of acceptance and grace, a safe community in which we can take a deep breath and relax and just be, is often instead another place we feel pressured to perform. “Don’t do that,” “yes, do that,” and “you need to do more of that” is what we hear.
Is it any wonder why so many people — including Christians — suffer from anxiety and depression?
–Melissa Haas, Emotions 101