The Anti-Anxiety

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” - Philippians 4:6

I’ve often thought of this verse as Paul’s strategy for fighting anxiety: the antidote to anxiety is thanksgiving.

Now, before I say anything else: I don’t mean the kind of anxiety that keeps you from functioning normally in everyday life and requires therapy and/or prescription medication. I’ve never experienced that, personally. I have seen it up close, though, and, as far as I’m concerned, professional medical help’s often necessary—and it’s a gift from God! Don’t hesitate to ask a health professional if you need help.

But for those every day worries, dreads, and hypothetical scenarios of doom, Paul seems to offer thanksgiving here as a way to fight back. Don’t be anxious: instead, pray with thanksgiving. Then peace from God will come in and guard your heart and your mind. (4:7)

Why would gratitude help us experience peace? Because thankfulness requires an awareness of God’s presence, help, and blessings in your life. When you pray with thanksgiving, naming those gifts, you are reminding yourself of God’s actual goodness and faithfulness. Remembering the very real gifts of God is a powerful counter to the baseless fears about life we often dwell on. You don’t know if any of your fears about the future will materialize, but you do know, from personal experience, that you’ll face the future alongside a loving Father.

I realized recently, though, while reading M. Robert Mulholland Jr.’s wonderful book, Invitation to a Journey, that there’s more going on in these verses. Thankfulness is not only an antidote to anxiety; it’s an inoculation against it.

What I noticed for the first time while reading Mulholland is that Paul doesn’t recommend gratitude as a response to anxiety. He envisions it as the abiding attitude of our hearts, in good times and bad. “Rejoice in the Lord always.” (4:4) “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (4:6) Paul challenges us to make acknowledging and celebrating God’s goodness in our lives our default—always, in everything.

If you do that, then thanksgiving isn’t a helpful response to anxiety. It’s the state of mind in which anxiety finds you. That’s why it’s an inoculation: when worries and dread come knocking, you are already in the habit of paying attention to the things that bring peace. That default attitude can serve as a defense against anxiety’s incursions, instead of those feelings finding you totally unprepared for their assault.

So, if you’re not kept up at night by fears and What if?s, then now is actually the perfect time to start fortifying your heart and mind with gratitude. Pay attention to the good things in your life. Name them. Give thanks for them. Taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps 34:8). If this is your regular approach to life and prayer, prior to feeling the first tinge of worry, then, when moments of anxiety do come, you’ll be more mentally and spiritually prepared for that battle.