Understanding Anxiety: When the Mind Sounds the Alarm

For many people, the holidays and the arrival of a new year are portrayed as seasons of joy, celebration, and fresh beginnings. Yet behind the lights, gatherings, and goal-setting, many experience a noticeable rise in anxiety. If this has been true for you, you are not alone, and more importantly, you are not failing. Anxiety often increases during this time of year, not because you are weak or ungrateful, but because the season itself carries unique emotional, relational, and psychological demands.

The holiday season brings heightened expectations. There is pressure to be joyful, generous, connected, and present. When real life includes grief, exhaustion, strained relationships, or limited resources, the mismatch between expectation and reality can intensify anxiety.

Family dynamics also play a significant role. Holidays often place people back into old roles, unresolved conflicts, or environments that the nervous system associates with stress or lack of safety. Even the anticipation of these interactions can activate anxiety before a single gathering occurs.

Financial strain is another common factor. Gift-giving, travel, hosting, and time away from work can create worry, shame, or a sense of inadequacy; especially for those already navigating financial stress. Anxiety increases when people feel pressured to perform celebration without adequate support or rest. Additionally, the disruption of routine during the holidays can affect emotional regulation. Changes in sleep, eating patterns, exercise, and increased stimulation or alcohol use can all contribute to heightened anxiety, even when nothing feels “wrong” on the surface.

As the calendar turns, reflection becomes unavoidable. The New Year invites self-evaluation of what was accomplished, what was lost, and what remains unresolved. For many, this internal audit brings up regret, disappointment, or fear of falling behind. There is also significant pressure to change. Messages about resolutions, productivity, and reinvention can subtly communicate that who you are right now is not enough. When growth feels forced rather than chosen, anxiety naturally follows. Even positive change can activate anxiety because the brain prefers familiarity. Questions about health, finances, relationships, purpose, and the unknown can feel especially heavy at the start of a new year.

Understanding Anxiety: When the Mind Sounds the Alarm

Anxiety is one of the most common and yet misunderstood of human experiences. At its core, anxiety is the body’s natural alarm system. It is designed to protect us, alerting us to potential danger and preparing us to respond. The challenge arises when that alarm sounds too often, too loudly, or without a clear threat. In today’s fast-paced, high-pressure world, many people are living in a constant state of internal alert. Deadlines, responsibilities, grief, uncertainty, trauma, and even spiritual striving can keep the nervous system from ever fully resting. Understanding anxiety is the first step toward healing and regulation.

What Anxiety Really Is

Anxiety is not weakness, lack of faith, or failure. It is a physiological and psychological response involving the brain, body, and nervous system.

When anxiety is activated:

• The brain scans for threat

• Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline increase

• Heart rate rises

• Muscles tense

• Breathing becomes shallow

• Thoughts speed up or spiral

This response can be helpful in true emergencies. But when it becomes chronic, it can interfere with daily life, relationships, decision-making, sleep, and spiritual well-being.

Common Signs of Anxiety

Anxiety does not look the same for everyone. Some experience it primarily in the mind, others in the body, and many in both.

Emotional & Cognitive Signs

• Persistent worry or fear

• Racing or intrusive thoughts

• Difficulty concentrating

• Feeling overwhelmed or on edge

• Catastrophizing or “what if” thinking

Physical Signs

• Tight chest or shortness of breath

• Rapid heartbeat

• Headaches or stomach issues

• Muscle tension

• Fatigue

• Restlessness

Behavioral Signs

• Avoidance of people or situations

• Over-preparing or perfectionism

• Procrastination driven by fear

• Difficulty resting or being still

Anxiety and the Inner Narrative

One of anxiety’s most powerful tools is the story it tells. Anxiety often speaks in absolutes and urgency:

• “Something bad is going to happen.”

• “I can’t handle this.”

• “If I stop, everything will fall apart.”

Over time, these internal narratives shape how we see ourselves, others, and even God. Anxiety can distort perception, making safety feel like danger and rest feel irresponsible. Healing begins when we courageously enter an autonomous space grounded in acceptance and intentionality. When we gently challenge false narratives and replace them with truth, compassion, and grounded awareness, the narrative shifts from fear to hope. Anxiety narrows our field of vision, training the mind to scan for threat, anticipate harm, and prepare for worst-case outcomes. Hope, by contrast, widens perspective. It does not deny fear, but it refuses to let fear have the final word. A perspective of hope is essential because it restores balance, agency, and meaning in the face of anxious uncertainty.

Faith, Anxiety, and the Myth of “Just Pray It Away”

For people of faith, anxiety can bring guilt or shame. Many believe that feeling anxious means they are not trusting God enough. This belief often deepens anxiety rather than relieving it. Prayer, scripture, and spiritual practices are powerful, but they are not meant to replace the body’s need for regulation or the mind’s need for support. Faith and mental health are not opposites; they are partners. Throughout scripture, we see faithful people experience fear, distress, and anguish, yet still walk in obedience and purpose. Anxiety does not disqualify you from spiritual depth; often, it is an invitation to deeper care and compassion.

Book of the Month: Good Anxiety

This month’s recommended read is Good Anxiety by neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki, which reframes anxiety not as something to eliminate, but as something that, when understood and regulated, can be harnessed for growth, focus, and resilience.

As Suzuki writes, “Anxiety is not your enemy; it’s your superpower” (Suzuki, 2021).

Rather than fighting anxiety, this perspective invites us to listen to it, work with it, and redirect its energy toward insight and intentional action.

Pathways Toward Healing and Regulation

Healing anxiety is not about eliminating all fear; it is about learning how to respond differently when anxiety arises. Below are some self-stewardship strategies for whole body care when you are experiencing anxiety.

1. Regulate the Body

• Slow, deep breathing

• Gentle movement or stretching

• Adequate sleep and hydration

• Grounding exercises (noticing what you can see, hear, feel)

2. Reframe the Mind

• Name anxious thoughts without judgment

• Ask, “Is this a fact or a fear?”

• Replace catastrophic thinking with balanced truth

3. Restore Safety

• Create predictable routines

• Set healthy boundaries

• Limit constant exposure to distressing news or media

4. Integrate Spiritual Practices

• Breath prayers

• Meditative scripture reading

• Silence and stillness

• Lament as well as praise

5. Seek Support

• Therapy or counseling

• Trusted spiritual leadership

• Supportive community

Asking for help is not a lack of faith, it is wisdom.

For More Support

If anxiety is impacting your daily functioning, you do not have to navigate it alone. The following trusted resources offer education, tools, and support:

• Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) – https://adaa.org

  
  

  Evidence-based information, self-help tools, and therapist directories.

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – https://www.nami.org

  
  

  Education, advocacy, support groups, and crisis resources.

• Mental Health America (MHA) – https://www.mhanational.org

  
  

  Free mental health screenings, educational materials, and wellness tools.

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (U.S.) – Call or text 988

  
  

  24/7 confidential emotional support for individuals in distress.

• Psychology Today Therapist Directory – https://www.psychologytoday.com

  
  

  Search for licensed mental health professionals by location and specialty.

If anxiety feels overwhelming, persistent, or debilitating, reaching out for professional support is a courageous and life-affirming step.

A Closing Word of Hope

Anxiety may be loud, but it is not the final authority over your life. With understanding, support, and intentional care, anxiety can be managed, and often transformed into insight, empathy, and resilience.

You are not broken.You are not weak.You are responding to life.

Healing is not instant, but it is possible.And you do not have to walk the journey alone.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you… Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”(John 14:27)

Reference

Suzuki, W. (2021). Good anxiety: Harnessing the power of the most misunderstood emotion. Atria Books.

-Blog Written by Rev. Dr. Sha'Leda A, Mirra, Ph.D., M.Div., LCSW, CAP January 1, 2026 (all rights reserved).