"June 18^th, 1989. I can vividly recall the day it started. I was sound asleep, then suddenly bolted upright in bed. I didn’t know what was happening. I couldn’t breathe , my head was spinning, and I thought I was going to die. I grabbed the side of my bed, wanting to hang on to something, anything, to assure myself I wasn’t losing my mind.

“After about 15 minutes, my heart stopped pounding in my throat. The feeling of suffocation disappeared and my head began to clear. I fell back onto my bed terrified and bewildered by what had happened.

“What just happened? I thought. A heart attack? Should I go to the emergency room?”

On that June morning, Natalie, a committed and mature Christian, suffered what millions of people have experienced: she had a panic attack. According to the federal government’s National Institute of Mental Health panic attacks are part of a large group of anxiety disorders that includes Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Social Phobia (or Social Anxiety Disorder).

Approximately 40 million American adults have an anxiety disorder. Approximately six million American adults have a panic disorder.

Natalie’s first panic attack occurred more than 20 years ago. After a battery of medical tests and a proper diagnosis, Natalie earnestly took her situation to God in prayer and began to research her condition. Here is what she found.

Whether it’s a student facing an exam, coping with the pressure of a work project deadline, or a parent worrying over household bills, anxiety, stress, fear, and worry pervade every facet of our lives.

We’ve all experienced the familiar “butterflies” just before a situation involving risk and reward. Most times, we know the cause of our anxiety and can identify the external triggers. It also helps to understand our personality and emotional makeup.

The National Mental Health Information Center states :

The NMHIC also states:

For Natalie, fear of another panic episode and avoiding it became her life’s focus. Fearful of work-related travel and crowded places, her once outgoing and high energy personality became a shadow of its former self. While conducting her own research, she found out that during a panic attack her body’s fight or flight response would be triggered without any apparent reason. Those who tend to be “fighters” lean toward feelings of anger; those who tend to “run” will experience fear. When the accompanying stress hormones and adrenaline were released they had nowhere to go and her body was left with an abundance of chemicals. Panic and anxiety disorders typically affect those with “type A” personalities and workaholics. They can also surface in the lives of children or begin later in life. Because they are hard to diagnose—stress is a significant symptom, but physical trauma, depression, and grief also can trigger their onset—Natalie realized she needed professional help.

Natalie scheduled appointments with nutritional and counseling professionals. The nutritionist recommended vitamin and mineral supplements to help balance her central nervous system. The counselor helped her understand the circumstances that contributed to anxiety, including the effects her perfectionistic personality had on her mental wellbeing. During one of their sessions the counselor told Natalie, “You can’t just snap out of this; your brain is being triggered by something outside of your control. There are different types of medication available that can help you, so be sure to contact your doctor and discuss these with him.” Her words greatly helped Natalie because they alleviated thoughts such as There must be something wrong with me; if only I could figure out what I’m doing wrong, I could fix this.

Because God is the center of her life, Natalie trusted him to be her source of comfort and healing. Through prayer and Bible study, she gained God’s perspective on worry and stress and learned to go to him with her concerns.

A study of Luke 8:4-14 helped her see how God wanted her to experience daily life. Verse 14 states, “The seed [God’s Word] that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.” Natalie understood that leaning on her own understanding instead of God’s promises (Proverbs 3:5, 6) caused her to become self-reliant. Self-reliance often opens the floodgates to anxiety and worry, which can lead to a host of psychological, emotional, and physiological ailments. It also hindered her spiritual growth by causing her to focus on her shortcomings and failures. From that point she was determined to find God’s plan for overcoming the effects of anxiety.

Natalie realized that, although her panic attacks were outside her control, she could control her worries and concerns. These are often rooted in unbelief—we don’t trust God to take care of us. She started looking for areas where she did not trust God. When worry crept into her mind, she reminded herself that if God cared enough to feed the birds he would take care of her as well (Matthew 6:26). When feeling anxious about future events, she remembered to ask herself, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (verse 27). “The things I worried over last year are but dim memories,” she told herself. “God has always come through for me and he will continue to do so.”

As Natalie meditated on Matthew 6:25-34, she reveled in a new understanding of God’s love. With each care she turned over to God, she noticed a dramatic decrease in her anxiety levels. The more she focused on seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (verse 33), the less time she spent worrying over her own affairs. As this realization grew, she started comprehending that nothing in her life could separate her from God’s love (Romans 8:38, 39), including panic attacks.

As Natalie continued counteracting negative thoughts with Scripture, adding vitamins to her diet, and engaging in physical exercise, she sensed God’s presence in ways she had never felt before. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6) became one of her favorite verses. When she added verse 7 to her memorization list, she realized God was making an incredible promise: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Meditating and putting such verses into practice brought Natalie an ever-deepening sense of peace. Although life itself was still stressful—a fulltime job, ministries at church, and a new marriage—God was faithful in guiding her through.

God’s Word really is powerful, Natalie reminded herself recently. Not only has my relationship with God deepened, I have his peace available to me every day. And amazingly, my panic attacks have grown few and far between!

Truly, God is faithful to his Word. |L