In today’s gotta-have-it-all culture, exhaustion and hurry seem to be a badge of honor. We hustle hard, strive even more every day, and believe our “superhuman” tendencies are amazing, but the truth is they are alarming!
So what does it take to rock the boat enough to wake up our soul and address this? My guest today, Christy Boulware, has asked that question of herself. A severe panic and anxiety disorder diagnosis forced her to stare the answer dead in the eyes. Her fast-paced, heavily driven life finally caught up with her.
After taking steps to heal from her nervous breakdown in 2011, Christy turned her pain into purpose and founded Fearless Unite, a nonprofit organization that helps men and women of all ages overcome fear and anxiety by stepping into their God-given purpose and identity. She’s the author of the new book, Nervous Breakthrough: Finding Freedom From Fear and Anxiety in a World That Feeds It.
As a quick heads up for my listeners, I want to mention that there will be instances where we talk about suicide in this episode. If you have an aversion to this topic or are around little ones, I want you to be aware.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- Christy’s story of overcoming her severe panic and anxiety disorder
- Some of the key factors that cause stress or can trigger anxiety
- The role surrender plays in managing our fear and anxiety
- And more!
This is an episode for all of us because even if you don’t struggle with anxiety and depression you likely know someone who does.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Pre-Order your copy of Nervous Breakthrough by Christy Boulware
- Connect with Christy on her website, Facebook, or Instagram
- Be sure to check out these books that Christy mentioned in the episode:
- No More Perfect Marriages: Home Edition
- Free Download: Take Your Thoughts Captive
- As a thank you for listening, get your 3 free eBooks.
My Key Takeaways:
1) Our bodies can’t handle stress forever. While we all have different thresholds for stress and differing capacities, no one is immune to stress. It will catch up with us eventually! If we don’t have a regular habit of rest and listening to our bodies, then that’s a recipe for stress and anxiety to boil over. When we aren’t used to resting, our bodies actually perceive rest as a threat to our bodies. That is what happened to my guest, Christy, when she experienced her first nervous breakdown on a beach in Cancun.
2) Use every tool available to you. Medication is a tool that can help get you to a place where you are able to understand and see what you need to address. Medication, counselors, therapists, exercise, and turning to Jesus are all tools that you can use to get a handle on your fear and anxiety. You may need to try out a few counselors to find the one that fits you well. When it comes to managing your anxiety and fear, there is no one clear treatment plan that works for every person.
3) Surrender is an ongoing choice. Did you know that God tells us to not be afraid over 300 times in Scripture? Now, that doesn’t mean we will get to a point where we don’t feel any fear, it means that fear is something we have to combat daily! We do that by choosing to surrender to God. As we grow in our Christian walk, we are still going to continue encountering fear but the difference is that we will learn to be better equipped to handle it.
About Christy:
Christy Boulware is a speaker, author, and founder of Fearless Unite, a ministry that is dedicated to decreasing the alarming statistics of anxiety in our world. After experiencing a panic attack herself, Christy started on a journey to find freedom from fear and anxiety. Her deepest desire is to help set women and teens free from the chains of fear and anxiety. Christy lives with her husband, Troy, and their three children.
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