Managing Stress: How to Manage Anxiety and Worry as a Christian Business Owner

Anxiety and worry can be overwhelming, and so many predominantly Christian business owners struggle with both. Ever felt like your feelings are trapping you? Do you feel like you are caught in a trap, and you can’t find a way out? You are not alone.

A 2018 study by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America states that the most prevalent mental illness in the United States is “anxiety disorder.” Being a business owner places you at risk of anxiety and worry because of the challenges that come with the job. These challenges include new competitors, rapid staff turnover, and losing significant clients.

It is even more challenging to run a business as a Christian these days. You have to deal with the challenges of the marketplace while promoting kingdom culture through your brand. Managing stress is a significant challenge for many Christian business owners like yourself. How do you manage anxiety and worry in Christian business? We will share a few thoughts in this post.

Why Anxiety and Worry Doesn’t Fit Your Life as a Christian Business Owner

Anxiety and worry create all kinds of problems, yet, we still hold on to these feelings. We do so unconsciously because of our personalities or family traits. Both feelings don’t just affect our health, they distract us and hamper our productivity. Before discussing how to manage anxiety and worry in the Christian business, let’s see why both feelings don’t fit into your life.

Noncompliance with God’s Word

God loves us so much and has made boundless provisions for us as His children. One way God speaks to us is through His word. “Fear not” is one of the most common phrases in the Bible, and it translates to “not being anxious.” Below are a few parts of scripture that warn us against anxiety and worry:

“Let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1).
“Be anxious for nothing” – (Philippians 4:6).
“Do not be dismayed” – (Joshua 1:9).
“Fear not” – (Isaiah 41:10). This command comes up 365 times in the whole Bible.

Unproductivity

Jesus Christ once asked a fundamental question in Matthew 6:27. Can you, by worrying, add an hour to your life or a cubit to your height? Even without thought, the answer to this question is glaring. When you stay in a state of anxiety and worry, you only hamper your productivity. Both feelings trap you so that you cannot accomplish your goals.

Wastes energy and time

Spending time brooding on your fears keeps you in anxiety and worry. Staying in such states for long periods makes you waste so much energy and time needed for more critical activities. Some of these activities include:

Connecting with God.
Spending time with loved ones.
Working on new ideas.
Self-development.

Enemy of faith

There is no sitting on the fence when it comes to the battle of faith and anxiety. Stay anxious, and you cannot trust in God wholeheartedly. Faith requires us to trust that God is in control, He loves us, wants the best for us, and will do anything for us.

How to Manage Anxiety and Worry in Christian Business

Focusing all of your attention and time on your business is very tempting. But as we mentioned earlier, worry and anxiety would distract you from your business instead of making you more productive. This section will show you how to manage anxiety and worry as a Christian entrepreneur.

Admit to the problem

Most times, you are the last person to realize that your mood and thinking are a mess. Business owners like yourself find it difficult to separate their personal lives from their work. It gets even more complicated when facing several businesses and your mind becomes saturated. Before long, you start to roam around with a lot of negativity, and you cannot even notice it.

Instead of staying in that irritable, oversensitive, and tense state, you should pause and ask yourself a few questions. These questions will lead you to admit that you have a problem that you must solve. After admitting to yourself, you should disclose to those around you, including family members, trusted friends, and Christian mentors.

Pretending that “all is well” when it isn’t damages your relationships and health in more ways than you can imagine. Speak out about your situation and be open to help.

Identify the source

Admitting to the problem is just one step of many that you will take to manage anxiety and worry. After you acknowledge that there is a problem, your next task is to identify the source of your problem. What is making you anxious? Why are you getting worried? What is the driving force behind the fear that you feel so often?

If you can lay your hands on the source of your anxiety and worry, your problem is almost solved. It is not enough to act based on the emotions that we feel. We must look beyond the feelings to the driving force behind them.

You may have faced specific uncomely issues as a child, have challenges with certain skills, or just need help. Identifying the source of your anxiety helps you nip the problem in the bud. Remember that if you don’t pull out a plant by its roots, growing back is just a matter of time. Dealing with the problem on the surface is rarely successful.

Evaluate your feelings

What kind of feelings do you have? Do these feelings stem from realistic ideologies or your belief system? Are these feelings logical, or are you just running on overdrive for no just cause?

Not every feeling that you have is helpful. Many of these feelings result from our beliefs from previous experiences. As such, a view that you had some years back may not necessarily apply to your current situation. Evaluating your feelings helps you figure out the source of such feelings and whether they are worth your time now.

Be intentional

Beliefs and feelings are not just built on past experiences. We also develop them based on the kind of information we expose ourselves to. Many of the things that we read, listen to, and watch these days are distracting.

If you are currently struggling with anxiety and worry, you shouldn’t expose yourself to negative information. Such information only reinforces dread, uncertainty, and fear. Apostle Paul advises us in Philippians 4:8 to only think on what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, praiseworthy, and excellent. Following this piece of advice helps you control what goes into your mind and the feelings you develop.

Certain types of content cause distress that limits you from enjoying the peace of God. Dedicate your time to consuming the right content to lift your heart and mood. Make a conscious effort to control what you listen to, watch, and read. Guard your heart with all diligence.

Replace your thoughts

Getting rid of negative thoughts is great but isn’t enough. You cannot leave your mind without any thoughts. It will always brood over something, so you need to replace negative thoughts with positive ones consciously. If you don’t replace the evil thoughts with good ones, the bad ones will return quickly.

Your mind has a vacuum that you must always fill with thoughts. Since you are more likely to think about the content you receive, consume good content. Watch your space to ensure that everyone and everything around you is positive. Create positive energy around yourself. Doing this will quickly replace your negative thoughts with positive ones.

Be thankful

When you consider your business challenges and the economy, you are likely to lack reasons to be thankful. However, looking beyond the surface exposes us to many reasons to be grateful. A powerful Christian hymn says, “count your blessings and name them one by one.” When you do this, you will be amazed at what God has done in your life and business.

Thankfulness is one way to quench the embers of anxiety and worry. Spend some time daily to thank God for His grace, mercy, and kindness to you and your business. Without God, that business wouldn’t even exist in the first place. Consider that you are not the most gifted individual, yet you have the privileges you currently enjoy. Thanksgiving will not only change your mindset, it will make you a better person and liberate you from worry and anxiety.

Conclusion

Anxiety and worry are extremely distressing emotions that will sap you of productivity and affect your mental health. God wants what’s best for you, even in your business. He loves you so much that He gave His Son for you when you didn’t even know Him. If He could do that, what challenges are you going through that He can’t fix?

Cast your burden on God and let Him handle them for you. Learning to trust Him each day will help you become a more prosperous Christian entrepreneur. Kindly read other exciting articles about Christian entrepreneurship and creativity at GodKulture.