Ep24 - We Are Not Our Feelings

Many of our guests have shared that they’ve experienced some form of anxiety since childhood. But that’s not always the case; for some people, anxiety or any other mental illness might not show up until later in life, seemingly out of nowhere. That was the case for Akos.

It wasn’t until his 30’s that Akos faced anxiety for the first time, in the form of a panic attack while seated on a small aircraft. That seemingly isolated incident led to a second panic attack, and a third, until his anxiety worsened.

Despite having a strong faith and a good understanding of mental health—Akos was working in ministry and married to a psychologist, after all—he wrestled with recurring anxious thoughts and couldn’t seem to control his feelings. And that led to a shift in his understanding, as he learned that he was not his anxious feelings — they were separate from him, much like how we can be confronted with sinful temptations that are not a part of our identity. 

By seeing his anxiety as something outside of who he is as a person, Akos has been able to come to terms with the uncontrollable thoughts he sometimes has and yet choose how to respond to them. 

Today, he shares with us how he sees the Bible’s “heroes of the faith” also being confronted with trials and suffering outside of their control, but choosing to remain faithful to God and trust in His promises.

Akos has written several pieces on our blog, including 10 Surprising Things I’ve Learned About Having Good Mental Health and As a Christian Bloke, Here’s What I’ve Learned About Dealing With Difficult Emotions.

And, if you want to see more of how Akos engages with faith, mental health, and culture, you can check out his personal blog here.