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When Unruly Thoughts Refuse to Be Taken Captive
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

When Unruly Thoughts Refuse to Be Taken Captive

Violent, deathly images flashed through my mind. I gripped the cold porcelain and gritted my teeth as the images pelted me. I first imagined myself holding up a shield against them, yet they simply punctured it. Then I sought to gather each of them up and stuff them in a cage like vermin, but they continued to break free.

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When My Thoughts Lie to Me
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

When My Thoughts Lie to Me

When my inner world was so gray and cloudy, was it any wonder that I perceived everything around me through the same dark lens? Was it any wonder that, a few months before this when my therapist tasked me with making a list of 100 good things in my life, it took me almost a month to do so?

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6 People in the Bible Who Struggled With Their Mental Health
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

6 People in the Bible Who Struggled With Their Mental Health

Each of these people in the Bible is a reminder that those of us who struggle with our mental health are not alone. But beyond that, we can also learn valuable lessons from those who’ve gone before us in how they dealt with and responded to their struggles. Let’s take a look.

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I Wish I’d Known It Was Religious OCD
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

I Wish I’d Known It Was Religious OCD

I grew up in an unhealthy church environment, and I believe that is one of the reasons my OCD latched onto faith. It started with scary, intrusive thoughts about the devil, and crippling doubts about the reliability of scripture and whether Christianity was something I truly believed.

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I’m Haunted by Intrusive Thoughts
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

I’m Haunted by Intrusive Thoughts

Intrusive thoughts are far more prevalent than many of us realise. Perhaps you’re one of those people who struggles. And perhaps like me, these thoughts rattle you and your faith at times. What’s wrong with me? How can I, one redeemed by Christ and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, experience these kinds of disturbing, violent, or sexual thoughts?

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With Trauma Came OCD, but Then Came Jesus
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

With Trauma Came OCD, but Then Came Jesus

I knew I had anxiety, but I couldn’t help but notice mine was different to what my friends would describe. While theirs seemed to be about a consistent worry or fear, mine changed when something more traumatic or worrying than the last thing reared its ugly head.

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My Healing From Depression Came Slowly
Ethan Toll Ethan Toll

My Healing From Depression Came Slowly

Depression came for me when I was 16. Not overnight, but over a period of months; a gradual descent into a darkness so deep that it consumed everything in my life. I withdrew from friends, and disconnected from church. The things I used to love doing took energy I didn’t have, and I stopped enjoying them.

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Help! I Can’t Stop Overthinking!
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

Help! I Can’t Stop Overthinking!

This issue of destructive thought patterns has been on my heart for some time, and I have learned that we can claim back our imaginations—we have to! The reality is, our feelings are extremely misleading and can’t always be trusted.

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