Anxiety. Who has not had on occasion that panicky feeling, our heart racing as anxious “what if” thoughts flood our minds? This heightened stress response is the amygdala setting off alarm bells, preparing us to fight or to flee, telling us we are in danger.
When we are in mortal danger, we need our amygdala to ready our bodies by quickening our breath, raising our blood pressure, sending cortisol and adrenaline to heighten our energy. But what if we are simply preparing to give a presentation at work? Or laying in bed trying to sleep?
How can we calm those alarm bells? Our go-to move is usually to medicate: we avoid or distract ourselves by scrolling on our phone, binge watching Netflix, having a drink, or compulsively listening to murder podcasts. Sometimes we take it to the next level and worry about worrying!
Yet Jesus told us not to worry at all . . .
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? (Mt. 6:25-27)
The saints echo the refrain. St. Paul writes to the Philippians, “Have no anxiety at all!” (Phil. 4:6).
St. Francis de Sales, bishop and Doctor of the Church, was born in 1567 and became widely known for his profound yet eminently practical spiritual advice. In his classic Introduction to the Devout Life, he writes, “Anxiety is the greatest evil which can happen to the soul, sin only excepted” (1876, 2012, p.199).
Does it mean that I am not a good Christian if I suffer from anxiety?
Not at all. Even the saints experienced anxiety. But they did not succumb to it: they neither allowed anxiety to dictate their lives, nor did they avoid it. Instead, they placed their trust and confidence in the Lord, stepping into the fire and facing their anxiety.
What would encountering or facing our anxiety look like? To answer this, we first must ask what is causing the anxiety. On some occasions what makes us anxious is in front of us—for example, a crowded room filled with strangers to whom we must give a presentation. More often though, what is making us anxious is in our minds: our worrisome thoughts of future catastrophes or ruminating about past situations. These thoughts in particular we seek to drown out with the noise of our modern lives. But “drowning out” the anxiety unfortunately only results in amplifying it.
There is a method—one that is the direct opposite of “drowning out”—which involves encountering or facing that which makes us anxious. This is what we call “mindfulness.”
Mindfulness is the simple act of being aware of the present moment. It involves noticing where we are, what our bodies are doing, what we feel within our bodies, what thoughts we notice in our mind. Mindfulness involves noticing these things and not reacting to them.
Some readers might wonder: isn’t mindfulness a practice in yoga and Eastern meditation? Indeed, mindfulness is practiced in both Eastern and Christian meditation, but it is not the same as meditation or prayer. Mindfulness is simply being aware of the present moment—an ability to be attentive that can be helpful in prayer and, notably, to reduce anxiety. As Bishop Erik Varden writes, “To be aware . . . is not simply to notice what goes on around us, but to display a capacity for sympathetic interest . . .” (Varden, 2018, p.132). This “sympathetic interest” can help us move from anxiety to peace in the present moment.
St. Francis de Sales writes, “Examine yourself often, at least night and morning, as to whether your soul is ‘in your hand;’ or whether it has been wrested thence by any passionate or anxious emotion” (De Sales, 200). When we are being mindful, with calm attentiveness to the present moment, we are, in a sense, keeping our soul in our hand.
St. Francis de Sales vividly illustrates this with the example of a bird caught in a net:
Anxiety arises from an unregulated desire to be delivered from any pressing evil, or to obtain some hoped-for good. Nevertheless nothing tends so greatly to enhance the one or retard the other as over-eagerness and anxiety. Birds that are captured in nets and snares become inextricably entangled therein, because they flutter and struggle so much. Therefore, whensoever you urgently desire to be delivered from any evil, or to attain some good thing, strive above all else to keep a calm, restful spirit—steady your judgment and will, and then go quietly and easily after your object. (De Sales, 199)
By running away from the perceived evil, you are inadvertently reinforcing the amygdala’s view that this is, indeed, a big threat. So, let’s practice what St. Francis de Sales—and contemporary neuroscientists and therapists—recommend:
Next time you notice that you are trying to alleviate your anxiety through the medication of distraction or avoidance, try these steps to truly find calm in the present moment.
- Take a moment to notice your body: Where are you right now? Are you seated on your couch at home? Are your feet on the ground or tucked up under you? Notice the way your body is feeling right now, but try to do so without judgement of it; for example, “I am aware of the ground under my feet,” “I am aware of tension in my shoulders,” or “My jaw feels tight.”
- Look a bit farther inward. Do you notice any particular emotions in your body? Anxiety, sadness, boredom, calmness: Where do you feel those in your body? Allow yourself to just notice those emotions in your body. Simply hold them in your hand as St. Francis de Sales might say.
- Now turn to your mind. Notice the thoughts as they arise. Do you find yourself thinking, “I don’t have time for this exercise.” Allow yourself to attend to your thoughts, even if they are unpleasant—but do not engage with them either to banish them or debate them.
- Now take a deep breath, pull the air in through your nose, expanding your belly and then exhaling out through your mouth. Breath a few times, focusing on noticing simply the way it feels to breathe the air in and out.
Mindfulness is a skill just like many others; it may feel awkward at first. The best way to master a skill is to practice it frequently—preferably not in the midst of a panic attack! With some practice you will soon master the art of regaining calm and “holding your soul in your hand”—even in the midst of the storm.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Lianna Bennett Haidar and Laraine Bennett are co-authors along with Art Bennett of the new book, Anxiety: A Catholic Guide to Freedom from Worry and Fear, published by Sophia Institute Press.
Photo by Uday Mittal on Unsplash