Now Available: Newly Revised Book on Anxiety

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In my last blog, I mentioned a few changes that I made in the newly revised version of my book on worry. Feel free to read about the first change here.

The other changes you’ll find in the newly revised version involve how our brain and autonomic nervous system functions when we are struggling with anxiety. Since we are both body and soul, understanding how the body works can be helpful for all of us who struggle with anxiety.

Here is another brief excerpt from the book about anxiety and the autonomic nervous system followed by some helpful tools to navigate anxiety and better regulate the nervous system:

The Anatomy of Worry

You may remember learning about the autonomic nervous system at some point in school. Our nervous system is hard-wired to keep us alive. It is all about survival. That is a good thing. But when our nervous system is fighting to keep us alive and there is no apparent danger, that is a nervous system that is working overtime. That is the nature of anxiety. A good thing has been hijacked and now is creating all of the physiological sensations associated with “fight or flight” when there is no real need to be living in that state.

<———Autonomic Nervous System Continuum———>

Primary State: Lethargy <------Calm--------Active/Alert------Fight or Flight----Hyper Freeze--->Hypo Freeze

Arousal: Too Low Low Moderate High Extreme Overload Overwhelmed

In the continuum above, the goal is to live “normal life” in the Calm and Active/Alert Zone. When we move into “fight or flight” or “hyper freeze” and there is no real danger, that is the zone where anxiety exists and can cripple us.

This explains why our body acts the way it does. We are geared for protection and facing danger so our hearts beat faster, adrenaline and cortisol a released into our bodies. Our organs prepare themselves to do what they should do when our safety is threatened.

The problem we face is when we are in this state for prolonged periods of time when we don’t “need” to be. This takes a toll on our bodies over time and can shorten your life by many years. What drives the autonomic nervous system is the brain. We’ll discuss the brain in our next post, but for now, let’s focus on the autonomic nervous system.

So, how can you regulate your autonomic nervous system to move back into “Calm/Active/Alert”? There are many basic life skills that prove helpful, such as:

  1. Diaphragmatic Breathing—“4-4-6”: In this exercise, you breathe in your nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, and then exhale for 6 seconds. Do this 5-8 times. I often do this when I am driving my car and feel anxious! This exercise allows your heart rate to reset and engages the parasympathetic nervous system, which brings you back into a state of calm.

  2. Grounding Exercise 1—“5-4-3-2-1”: In this exercise, you engage your senses to bring you back into the present rather than focusing on the unpredictable future. What are 5 things you can see? What are 4 things you can feel? What are 3 things you can hear? What are 2 things you can smell? What is 1 thing you can taste?

  3. Grounding Exercise 2—“5-4-3-2-1”: I have a counselor friend, Eliza Huie, who has changed this life skill to include meditating on God. What are 5 things God created that bring you joy? What are 4 things that God provides that give you peace? What are 3 promises of God that give you hope? Who are 2 people that God uses to uplift and encourage you? What is 1 name of God that calms your soul?

  4. Simple Pleasures: Sometimes I will have clients list 25 things they enjoy that are healthy habits or simple pleasures that are refreshing to them. Then I ask them how many of them and how much of these simple pleasures are present in their lives. Examples would be going for a walk, listening to music, getting restful sleep, reading a book, etc. The list can be quite long once you start. One time, I had someone list 50 things and report that they were doing none of them! Simple pleasures are like manna in Scripture. They are daily signs of God’s goodness and care for you.

  5. Bibliotherapy: In her book, The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy, Deb Dana has done some very helpful and practical work on how to regulate the nervous system. There are 4 parts to the book: 1. Befriending the Nervous System 2. Mapping the Nervous System 3. Navigating the Nervous System 4. Shaping the Nervous System. The book is very accessible, and I would highly recommend it to counselors, but also anyone who struggles with anxiety.

  6. Locating Safe Community: There is nothing like having safe people in your life. We humans are “pack animals.” We survive together. God has wired us for community, and it is paramount to find a safe community where we can be seen, shown empathy and encouraged to grow in the grace and wisdom of Christ. This is the intended role of the body of Christ.

In my book, Living Without Worry: How To Replace Anxiety with Peace, I seek to show you that the God in Scripture is the safest person in the universe for the anxious. If there is any struggle that the Bible speaks to most, it is worry. The most repeated phrase in Scripture is, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for my Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32). I hope that these resources, along with my book, will provide helpful comfort and direction as you navigate your anxiety!

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Tim Lane

Dr. Timothy S. Lane is the President and Founder of the Institute for Pastoral Care (a non-profit that helps equip churches to care for their people) and Tim Lane & Associates (a counseling practice in Fayetteville, GA). He is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), having been ordained in 1991 and a member of Metro-Atlanta Presbytery. Tim has authored Living Without Worry: How to Replace Anxiety with Peace, and co-authored How People Change and Relationships: A Mess Worth Making. He has written several mini-books including PTSD, Forgiving Others, Sex Before Marriage, Family Feuds, Conflict, and Freedom From Guilt.

He has experience in both campus ministry (University of Georgia, 1984-1987) and pastoral ministry where he served as a pastor in Clemson, SC from 1991 until 2001. Beginning in 2001 until 2013, he served as a counselor and faculty at a counseling organization  in Philadelphia, PA. Beginning in 2007, he served as its Executive Director until 2013.

In 2014, Tim and his family re-located to his home state, Georgia, where he formed the non profit ministry the Institute for Pastoral Care. His primary desire and commitment is to help pastors and leaders create or improve their ability to care for the people who attend their churches. For more information about this aspect of Tim's work, please visit the section of this site for the Institute for Pastoral Care. He continues to write, speak and travel both nationally and internationally. Tim is adjunct professor of practical theology at several seminaries where he teaches about pastoral care in the local church.