According to recent data from the National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement, an estimated 31.9% of adolescents have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder—and the prevalence of these types of disorders is 38% higher for females. Take note: girls today are experiencing higher rates of diagnosed anxiety than ever before. They need our help.
Thanks to the Bible, we know how God cares for those afflicted with anxiety. After the death of Moses, Joshua was without a doubt anxious about his own future. But God said to him “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
God calls everyone to live a life of greatness—a life and plan He has laid before us to implement. She may not be leading Israelites to the promised land like the prophet Joshua, but what is God calling your daughter to do with great courage? How is her self-discouragement crushing her? How are you supporting her along the way? Take the first step, become her prayer warrior.
Listen to the Raising Godly Girls Minute with Patti Garibay:
My girl who is 15 is suffering from generalized anxiety disorder and it’s effect her ability to create and maintain close friendships, pursue her abilities in music and art. She constantly worries what others think of her and has negative beliefs that her friends don’t like her. She’s also pulled out of some activities and no longer comes to church with us because of this strong negative feelings she has associated with our church that really has no basis for. She has said she would attend a different church but making the decision to uproot our whole family to another church has been hard.
I’m not an expert in this area, but I have a daughter with anxiety that hindered her creativity as well. There are three main tools I used. 1) prayer and 2) Seek help. 3) Find tools for her to use. For us, it has helped to 1) pray for her. I don’t just mean, the cliche, “Yeah, I’ll pray for you (if I remember).” I mean intentional, all-encompassing prayer. “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4) I spoke to her Bible teacher to pray for her and let her know what’s going on. I spoke to other adults that are important and close to her. I brought her sister in to pray for her. With resources from her Bible teacher, we educated her on ways to deal with anxiety. Finding the right thing is unique to each individual. This provided a safe place for her to express her feelings, whether it is a trusted friend, a journal, a teacher, a pastor/priest, or a family member or a professional counselor. 2) Seek help. I spoke to other AHG moms so that I had the support I needed. The main thing is that she learned that it’s not bad to have anxiety. Christians do get anxiety and depression. It’s not a weakness to ask for help. ” Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye: shall find” Matthew 7:7. One of the things we did was let her talk, not judging, not diminishing her fears, but encouraging her. Even if you think her fears are unjustified, let her talk. Her feelings are real despite the evidence. It can be hard to see the positive when you are wearing negative glasses. Shine the light on the good things. I keep a journal of miracles/prayer answered, I have books of miracles, readers digest stories, and movies to review when I need an encouragement story. “We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power and the wonders he has done” Psalm 78:4. Research teens and anxiety. Have her rater her anxiety, try a tool, and rate it again. Even if it is just a little bit better, it is progress. It doesn’t matter how fast she gets better, it just matters for her to have progress. Some tools are mindfulness, reading, listening to music, making music (playing an instrument and/or singing). coloring, journaling, an app called “Stop Breathe, Think” etc. Remember, go at her pace.