Be Anxious in Nothing: Thoughts on Mom Anxiety

2020 seems to be the year to remember. So many things have happened in these long 7 months that it’d take a whole blog post to rehash it all. But this post is not for that. Instead, I want to give some thoughts on my mom anxiety that I hope will help you if you’re having any anxiety as a mom.

I truly began my battle with anxiety when I started college, but I can remember a few instances prior where I first experienced physical symptoms from being so anxious. Throughout my life, I have always been able to turn to God and find comfort in Him. He would give me scriptures, songs, and friends with encouraging words that I would ease my fears and worries.

The Breaking Point

I had my firstborn son in February, and I’ve experienced anxiety like never before. We started off nursing, but neither he nor I was very good at it, so he ended up losing 13 oz. My momma heart couldn’t take it, and I worked so hard to get his weight back up. We achieved getting back to his birth weight in just 2 weeks with supplementing. After this, however, my anxious heart wasn’t the same. I began to fear everything with him.

The endless worry over my baby consumed me. But the anxiety didn’t stop there. Just a few weeks later we went into quarantine. My husband did all the shopping while I stayed home safe with the baby. We didn’t see anyone, not even my parents who live 1 minute down our road. Life with a new baby was hard enough, but being asked to live it alone, without any help, was almost too much to bear. With my husband’s new job that took him away for a night or two at a time each week, COVID 19, riots, etc., my anxiety was at a new all-time high. New fears entered my heart as I read the news and watched videos on social media as new things to worry about popped up every month.

The Shift

When our states began to open back up, my fear subsided a little and I felt better about going out and visiting people. Our church opening back up seemed to help the most. The fellowship with who I like to call “my people” helped me feel more like myself (while I still kept my distance and stayed cautious) and gave me comfort. But I was still missing that peace within that passes all understanding. I still was struggling with new mom anxiety on top of everything else.

Sometimes in life we feel this impression but feel lost as to how to go about it. The Bible seems like a monumental undertaking for finding just the right scriptures, and sometimes we aren’t even sure how to ask others for help. This is where I was. My thoughts on my anxiety in motherhood were abundant. But God knows the desires of our hearts, and He certainly led me to where I needed to be.

I was browsing Facebook the other day and an Ad popped up. Now, most of the time I move along and ignore ads, but this one was about Bible studies so I paused. It said a “HUGE” sale was going on, so I figured, “why not?” I clicked on the website and began perusing through their sale items. There I found a Bible study focusing on anxiety for five dollars…. FIVE DOLLARS!!! When I saw it, I felt a prick in my heart. This is what I had needed all this time. Not the Bible study so-to-speak. But through all of these months, what I really needed was to spend time with Jesus. I ended up purchasing $30 in products from this sale, encouraged by all of the items I saw. If you would like some ideas for starting a Bible study, then check out this post here.

The Encouragement

I love the scripture the author uses in my “It Is Well” Bible Study on anxiety (found at The Daily Grace Co. I’m not an affiliate, but I genuinely love their studies!):

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Wow! Talk about what I needed to ear! God has given me His spirit, His Holy Ghost, that He specifically said He’d pour out for us, and it gives us power! Not super strength in our arms, but super strength in our minds and souls! Jesus said that He had to go so that the Comforter would come. That sweet Holy Ghost, the spirit of Jesus and God the Father, is there to comfort us, and to be a strength to us as troubles come in this life. So when life gets hard and the mom anxiety gets real, we can find solace in Him.

Luke 24:49 “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you..."

He gave us power in His spirit! Not the spirit of fear. Or worry. Nor of doubt. Or anything else not of Him. And if we follow in His footsteps, and take on His spirit, we will see the fruit of it!

As my mind began to open to various scriptures relating to 2nd Timothy, one stood out as it always does:

Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose."  

This scripture is reassuring me that even though at times I fear and worry which result in anxiety, that same fear and worry can be turned around into a testimony of victory. How many times have I been anxious, prayed earnestly and fervently to God, and He answered? How many times have I come out on the other side of my worries and fears and realized Jesus had walked with me the entire way?

Perhaps my thoughts on mom anxiety can be summed up to this: When doubts and fears assail you, turn your thoughts to Jesus and what is sure. Don’t keep your thoughts on what hasn’t happened, but instead think on the goodness of God, the blessings He’s given you, and what’s made Him real to you.

Final Thoughts on Anxiety

Friends, Readers, I will leave you with one more passage. These scriptures, if applied right, can ease those doubts and fears and settle that stormy sea of your mind down into a still, crystal clear oasis. I encourage you today to search the scriptures, and to make the choice to think of God and His loving mercy, and His loving grace, and to put off those thoughts that are not like Him, and to put on His power, and His love for that sweet, sound mind. And make time for Jesus every day. As a busy mama, I know it can be hard to make that time, but read this post for tips on how to make time for God.