How Fighting Against Worry Gave Me My Life Back

I remember when my first book, Breaking Busy came out, we were in the middle of our craziest and most worry-filled season ever. My husband, Mark, had been diagnosed with a severe illness, the cause of which was a mystery, and we were confused by the ever-changing treatment plan. On some days he felt like himself, perfectly healthy and normal. But on the days (and weeks) where his illness got the best of him, life essentially stopped, for all of us.

We felt like we had lost all control, like life would never get better, and our faith was shaken. The last thing I felt was gutsy. I felt afraid.

Instead of heading out to tell others about the book I’d written to help women find peace in a world of crazy, here I was in the middle of my most out-of-control moment, losing the fight to my worries. I canceled interviews and appearances out of fear that he would get sick again the moment I left.

I was supposed to be the person with the answers on how to find peace and purpose, but I was frozen by my own fear, afraid of the future. My thoughts were full of “what-ifs.” What if he never got better? What if we couldn’t pay for all the medical treatments? What if I kept disappointing everyone?

My worries and my “what-ifs” were stealing life away from me. Even when he was healthy, I couldn’t help but worry about when he would eventually get sick again.

I knew I had to fight back, but how? What are we supposed to do when worry and fear have completely taken over our lives?

In the season that followed, God taught me three things about how to fight back against the anxiety that was stealing my joy and making me live out of fear.

I had to learn to be gutsy and release myself from the worry that told me I would never get my life back.

How to Fight Back Against Worry and Win Every Time

1. Fighting Worry Means Feeling Our Feelings

The easiest way for me to cope with the season of worry was to become so busy that I couldn’t be bothered to think about what was happening. If I was busy, it meant I didn’t have to stop and feel the sadness, anxiety, and worry that felt like it would overwhelm me.

Over time, I realized I was numbing myself from being able to feel what I was so scared to let in. I was letting fear control my life. I learned that I took my life back from worry by allowing myself to feel my feelings. Once I started to feel, I started to heal.

2. Fighting Worry Means Facing Our Faith

On the days that were the worst for me, the tools that were the most powerful were prayer and worship. It was in those desperate prayers, and in very loud and joyfully off-key worship that I was reminded that I was not fighting for a victory, but in His victory.

Jesus rose in victory from the dead (can I get an Amen?)., because of that, I know we can trust and believe that He is in control and is working all things according to the victory He has already secured for us!

3. Fighting Worry Means Facing Our Foe

The source of all of our anxieties are our thoughts. It was in my thought life where I all too often believed the lies the enemy fed me. It’s in our thought life that the battle for control over our lives is either taken by worry and fear or overcome by faith and trust.

There comes a time when we have to decide to believe all the things God tells us about himself, to believe what he tells us about ourselves, and to stand tall and pronounce to the enemy that we are not women to be messed with!

I fought back by deciding that I would trust God even when it felt like He wasn’t anywhere to be found. Because when we are in the middle of a worry storm, it is way too easy to feel like God isn’t around, but feelings are not truth.

Mark’s health didn’t improve for a very long time, though eventually, he went into remission. But long before his healing came, I took my life back from worry by fighting some pretty hard fights. Talk about being gutsy!

Gutsy women are women of faith who fight back against fear.

Are you ready to fight against worry and get your life back? I’m with you friend and know you can do it. Release control to God, fight back with worship, and allow your faith in His goodness and provision to give you strength.

We don’t have to live in fear or constantly worried. God is in control; He has only goodness and hope for our future; and we can trust Him as a good Father.

God is the God of miracles, of healing, of love, and you can trust Him to bring you everything you need! It’s with that fierce faith that we overcome worry and live with confidence!

Watch this Video from Alli

Written for Faith.Full by Alli Worthington, author of Fierce Faith.

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Your Turn

Do you battle worry as I do? What-if’s can be absolutely crippling, right? I want to be a gutsy, Godly woman! Don’t you? Join me today in fighting back against worry and trust that Jesus is in full control! Come share your thoughts on our blog! We would love to hear from you! ~ Laurie McClure, Faith.Full