Is it Bad to Feel Anxious or Struggle with Anxiety?

There is a question I hear asked from time to time, and in my opinion, it is a big question. That question is, “is it wrong for Christians to feel anxious or struggle with anxiety?” I’d love to spend some time exploring this today in the hope that it can help you, and I will do so by looking at both our human bodies and Jesus and Scripture.

Lately I have been learning about the nervous system. There is a lot of research coming out about the nervous system, how it works, and how it affects every part of our bodies. Without trying to be too technical or also too simplistic, let me explain. Our nervous system can be in different states. Our default nervous system state is called the parasympathetic nervous system, which can also be known as ‘rest and digest’. This is the state our nervous system is in when we are safe and is the state our body needs to be in to digest our food, to sleep well, to fight illness, to heal and repair itself amongst other things.

When things happen in our lives that cause stress, our nervous system becomes aroused. This is called the sympathetic nervous system, or ‘fight, flight and freeze’ mode. When this is activated, the body goes into a mode of preparing to respond accordingly to any danger. Blood pressure is elevated, blood flow is directed from non-essential organs like the digestive system to other areas, and your body produces more adrenaline amongst other things. In this state of being, the decision-making part of our brain also switches off, making it harder to think clearly, as your body deems this part of your brain non-essential in this state because escaping danger is the higher priority.

There can be complexities and complications around these modes due on the effects of trauma or ongoing stress in someone’s life which can affect someone’s nervous system and health, but for the sake of what we’re talking about today, that’s a very brief nutshell of how our nervous system works.

As we go through our day, our nervous system naturally ebbs and flows. For example, when you are concentrating on a task, your nervous system will produce a small amount of stress to give you what you need to complete that task. This doesn’t mean you go into fight or flight mode; it’s just how we are created to function. Each person has a range of what is required for normal everyday functioning. This is known as our ‘window of tolerance’.

When we experience times of danger or stress in our lives, our nervous system moves out of that window of tolerance. When that happens, we enter that sympathetic nervous system mode, fight, flight or freeze. It can also cause feelings of nervousness, anxiety or overwhelm, and it is a sign that we are either in actual danger, that we perceive we are in danger, or that the circumstances going on in our lives are greater than our bodies’ ability to handle.

Why is this important or relevant? Because sometimes life can be more than we can handle, and it can cause us to feel overwhelmed. I would argue that this is neither wrong nor sinful, but simply part of life at times.

Jesus, who was literally God in a human body, also experienced these times of being overwhelmed. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus experienced extreme anxiety regarding what he was about to face. Jesus was in fact so anxious and stressed that he also experienced a rare medical condition called hematidrosis, where your sweat is either blood tinged sweat or completely blood. The exact cause of hematidrosis is not fully understood, but it's often linked to extreme stress, anxiety, or psychological trauma. In other words, Jesus was so anxious, so overwhelmed and so outside of his window of tolerance that he literally sweat blood.

Think about this for a minute. Jesus, God in a human body, the perfect, sinless one, felt anxiety and overwhelm to a level many of us have never experienced, yet he was still sinless and perfect.

I believe it’s the same with us. Being overwhelmed or anxious is not wrong. If you are feeling anxious or overwhelmed right now, I do not believe God is looking at you with condemnation. In fact, I believe He is doing just the opposite. Hebrews 4:15 says that “This High Priest of ours [Jesus] understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.” What does it mean for Jesus to understand our weakness? In our suffering, he feels the suffering as his own even though it isn't. This doesn't mean his invincible divinity (the fact that he is God) is threatened. It means that his heart is drawn into our sadness and weakness. His love is a kind of special love that cannot be held back when he sees his people in pain.

I believe the key is in how we respond. We often can’t control how life can at times overwhelm us, but, when the going gets tough, where do we turn? When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, what did he do? He turned to the Father. He poured out his heart to Him. He admitted how he was feeling. He was real before the Father. He also reached out to those around him and asked them to be praying for him too. Of course, they didn’t exactly come through for Jesus in the moment, but he was still willing to ask.

When you are overwhelmed, where do you turn to? If you’re having trouble answering that question straight away, stop and think about what you do when you are in those situations? What is your first response? That can be many different things – food, alcohol, binge watching TV, mindlessly scrolling through social media, pornography, doing things to distract yourself, shopping, keeping busy, the list goes on. But this is the key. When we feel overwhelmed and outside of our window of tolerance, we can take this to God. He knows what it is like to experience that, and He is waiting to help us.

I came across this quote recently that encouraged me. “When we step outside of our window of tolerance, God doesn’t step back. He steps in.” God isn’t disappointed or ashamed with us when we are anxious or overwhelmed. He is waiting to actively help us, and Scripture confirms this.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46:1

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9

Feeling overwhelmed is not a sin. It is not a weakness, a failing, or a lack of faith. It is a place where your Creator longs to meet you—with safety, love, and attunement. Attunement means to ‘bring things into harmony.’ Perhaps in your feelings of overwhelm, God is waiting to show you how He is with you so that you can rest in His love for you, His nature, His character and His promises. Perhaps it is an opportunity to experience Him in new ways and to walk with Him in harmony.

So, if something is overwhelming you today, do just that. Take it to Him! He is waiting.