Anxious Faith

What is Anxious Faith?

Our Daily Bread Ministries — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 22:31:28 +0000

Introducing Anxious Faith - a five-part podcast looking at anxiety and faith in Australians. We'll get a glimpse of what the series will focus on, and hear from some of the six Aussies we journeyed with for this series.

Produced by Our Daily Bread Ministries, this podcast is part of a collaboration with YMI who are launching a website on Faith and Mental Health

Anxiety

Our Daily Bread Ministries — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 23:04:53 +0000

Mental Health is a huge issue here in Australia, and anxiety is one of the most common conditions. In this first episode, we meet our six aussies, and hear from some of them about what anxiety is, what their experience of it is like, and how it has shaped their lives.

Anxious Faith is produced by Our Daily Bread and is part of a collaboration with YMI.

To check out the YMI site and see the book they've produced, visit Faith and Mental Health.

Faith

Our Daily Bread Ministries — Fri, 15 Oct 2021 00:36:38 +0000

Anxiety is something we're not immune to as Christians, but how do we reconcile faith with feelings of anxiety? We speak to some of our guests, and hear how they have gotten to that place.

Anxious Faith is produced by Our Daily Bread and is part of a collaboration with YMI.

To check out the YMI site and see the book they've produced, visit Faith and Mental Health.

If you're struggling with anxiety or your mental health, don't hesitate to reach out. If you're in Australia, in an emergency call 000. Otherwise help is available 24/7:

Lifeline - 13 11 14

Kids helpline - 1800 55 1800

Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636

Or for digital resources, visit headtohealth.gov.au

What If?

Our Daily Bread Ministries — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 01:42:48 +0000

We've talked anxiety, we've talked faith. But what if your anxiety makes you start questioning that faith? What if you start to ask the big, hard questions, about whether God is good?

Anxious Faith is produced by Our Daily Bread and is part of a collaboration with YMI.

To check out the YMI site and see the book they've produced, visit Faith and Mental Health.

If you're struggling with anxiety or your mental health, don't hesitate to reach out. If you're in Australia, in an emergency call 000. Otherwise help is available 24/7:

Lifeline - 13 11 14

Kids helpline - 1800 55 1800

Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636

Or for digital resources, visit headtohealth.gov.au

Where We Went Wrong, Where We Can Do Better

Our Daily Bread Ministries — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 00:23:47 +0000

As Christians we haven't always responded the best to those with anxiety. Our guests share their experiences in the hopes of us learning how we can better love and support those who open up about their mental health.

Anxious Faith is produced by Our Daily Bread and is part of a collaboration with YMI.

To check out the YMI site and see the book they've produced, visit Faith and Mental Health.

If you're struggling with anxiety or your mental health, don't hesitate to reach out. If you're in Australia, in an emergency call 000. Otherwise help is available 24/7:

Lifeline - 13 11 14

Kids helpline - 1800 55 1800

Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636

Or for digital resources, visit headtohealth.gov.au

Walking the Road Together

Our Daily Bread Ministries — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 22:44:17 -0100

Someone opening up about their anxiety can be a huge, but how do you walk alongside them in that? Our guests share how we can support and care for those with anxiety.

Anxious Faith is produced by Our Daily Bread and is part of a collaboration with YMI.

As we look at the possibility of a second season, email australia@odb.org with the subject line "Anxious Faith" if you'd like to contribute.

To check out the YMI site and see the book they've produced, visit Faith and Mental Health.

If you're struggling with anxiety or your mental health, don't hesitate to reach out. If you're in Australia, in an emergency call 000. Otherwise help is available 24/7:

Lifeline - 13 11 14

Kids helpline - 1800 55 1800

Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636

Or for digital resources, visit headtohealth.gov.au

Season 2 Trailer

Our Daily Bread Ministries — Sat, 01 Oct 2022 09:42:00 +0000

A Doctor Shares what Anxiety Is

Our Daily Bread Ministries — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 04:02:00 -0100

Anxious Faith website - anxiousfaith.org

What better way to start Season 2 than by find out what anxiety is - from a doctor!

Sarah is a GP here in Australia (and we’re referring to her just as Sarah for her privacy), who has seen a lot of patients coming to her for the first time because of anxiety, especially after all that the last couple of years have thrown at us. She shares from her knowledge of what anxiety is: what’s going on in our bodies when we feel anxious, why our bodies feel the way they do, and what we can be doing to try and help ourselves and our bodies when we’re feeling anxious.

What she shares isn’t specific medial advice for anyone, so if you are struggling with anxiety or your mental health in general, we’d really encourage you to speak to your own doctor about this, or to reach out to one of the organisations on our Help page.

Sarah's ways we can be helping our bodies deal with anxiety - A Converstaion About... Dealing with Anxiety

BONUS VIDEO: What might a first GP visit look like? - https://youtu.be/9mQtdA4Vczo

Anxious Faith is a production of Our Daily Bread Ministries

Using Your Anxiety

Our Daily Bread Ministries — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 08:00:00 -0100

Anxiety comes in all forms, and affects people in different ways. For some it’s something that is only a challenge for a certain time period, for others it’s something they have to face for their entire lives. If we’ve been through a time of struggling with anxiety, do we just write that time off, try and move on, and not let it impact us any more?In this episode, we’re sitting down with Pip. As someone who suffered (and still suffers) from anxiety in certain situations, Pip chose not to leave it all behind when she was more able to deal with the challenges it offered, but instead embraced her calling to study counseling and begin to use her own experiences to help others.

Join us as we hear her story, and hear how she uses the anxiety she’s been through to better serve people now.

Anxious Faith is a production of Our Daily Bread Ministries. If you, or someone you know, are struggling with anxiety or your mental healthl, we’d really encourage you to speak to a doctor, mental health professional, or reach out to one of the organisations on our Help page.

Owning Your Labels

Our Daily Bread Ministries — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 04:01:00 -0100

If you’ve struggled with anxiety, depression, or any other mental health challenges, and you’ve been open about it – there’s a fair chance that you might be labelled that way by people.

Whether knowingly or unknowingly, to your face or when you’re just being described, you might be known as “that girl that has anxiety” or “the guy with depression”. It’s something we naturally do – we label and group things together – but sometimes, those labels carry a negative weight or connotation with them. Or, more than that, you might even just come to be known for those labels, rather than who you are as a person.

While labels can be helpful, they can also be damaging. In this episode, we’re chatting with Mary, one of the voices from Season 1 of Anxious Faith. We’ll hear more of Mary’s journey with mental health, and the labels she’s lived with.

We’ll also learn about how we can begin to own those labels for ourselves, and the freedom that can come from being vulnerable with people about what the reality of your label is – something they may have never considered. We hope you’ll be encouraged by and take something from this conversation with Mary.

You can read a shorter version of Mary’s story, I’m Anxious and I Know It

Anxious Faith is a production of Our Daily Bread Ministries. If you, or someone you know, are struggling with anxiety or your mental health, we’d really encourage you to speak to a doctor, mental health professional, or reach out to one of the organisations on our Help page.

A Pastor Who's Been Through It

Our Daily Bread Ministries — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 23:45:00 -0100

Opening up about our mental health can be difficult - but for some reason it can be even harder at church. Will people understand what I'm going through? Will my pastor? This episode we're speaking with Jordan, a pastor from Melbourne who has lived the experience first hand. We hear his story, but also what he's learned along the way about how he views God, and how God views him. From this pastor who has been through significant mental health challenges, we hope his story will encourage you to seek how to continue on the journey, even when it feels hopeless.

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Can We Learn to Stop Avoiding Our Anxiety?

Our Daily Bread Ministries — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 02:36:00 -0100

Anxiety is never nice to experience. But is avoiding it always the best plan? What if we were able to stop avoiding the anxiety, and instead learn from it? This episode we speak to Dr Sarah, from Season 2 Episode 1, but this time in her capacity and experience as a pastor's wife and church planter. Sarah shares about how we can begin to unpack what is beneath the fear that is causing the anxiety, untangle the emotions behind it, and ultimately evaluate what it's teaching us in the light of God's Word.

Sarah's previous episode

Untangling Emotions by J Alasdair Groves & Winston T Smith

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When Your Partner Has Anxiety

Anxious Faith — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 02:29:00 +0000

With mental health statistics so high – especially in Australia – the odds are someone we know and care about will suffer from a mental health condition during their life. But what do you do if it’s your partner?

What does that look like day-to-day? How do you support them? Or, even more broadly, how do you begin to tell someone you’re close to that you have a mental illness?

This episode we speak to Matt & Maddy, a young married couple who share how they’ve learned to navigate a relationship involving mental illness. Maddy has an anxiety condition; Matt has never experienced one, and they share what it was like going through the stages of their relationship, and how their faith plays a huge part in keeping them united and able to support each other.

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Is Faith Always Helpful?

Anxious Faith — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 21:00:00 +0000

If you’re someone who is struggling with mental health challenges, be they anxiety, depression, or others, and you’re also someone of faith, surely throwing yourself into learning everything you can about God, serving Him in every way possible, and making that the focus of your life is the way to deal with those challenges.

Right?

This episode we’re chatting with Chris - who was part of Season 1 - and hearing more about his story. Growing up in difficult circumstances, and dealing with depression from a relatively young age, Chris thought that the more he could do for God, the better his mental health would be. As you’re listening, you’ll hear Chris unpack that Jesus isn’t the problem, but sometimes the way we get stuck in thinking of how exactly we have to follow him can cause problems for us. He’s the first to admit he was zealous - but probably zealous in the wrong way. And you’ll hear how as he began to understand this, he began to focus more on the character of God, and find some more peace along his journey.

With this episode we’d really encourage you to listen to the end, to see how God has brought Chris from his childhood experience to his life following Jesus today.

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Does Gratitude Help Our Mental Health?

Anxious Faith — Mon, 01 May 2023 04:04:00 +0000

If you’re someone who has been around the mental health space for a bit, whether from reading or hearing things or dealing with it yourself, you’ve probably come across the concept of gratitude.

Gratitude is something that counsellors and psychologists suggest as a tool to help us when we’re struggling with our mental health, and you only have to walk into any stationery or book store to see how popular it has become – there are gratitude journals *everywhere*. And that’s for a reason – gratitude is actually something that can help our mental health.

But what about as Christians? Should we be following secular suggestions of ‘cultivating a mindset of gratitude’ by simply listing what we’re thankful for, or is there more to gratitude when faith is mixed in?

This episode we’re speaking with Stephen Unwin, who is actually part of the Anxious Faith team and an editor for Our Daily Bread Ministries. In his spare time, not that there’s much of it, he’s also studying his PhD around the concept of ‘Gratitude and Gift in the Christian Life’.

While Stephen hasn’t had to deal with mental health challenges of his own, his years of research into what gratitude is have shown how gratitude can help our mental health.

In the first half of this episode we’ll talk about what gratitude is, what it looks like in a faith-based context, and where we see it in the Bible. After the break, we’ll chat more about how gratitude can be lived out not just during the good times, but even when we’re struggling or suffering. We’ll also explore some ideas for how we can practise gratitude in those hard times, so make sure you hang around till the end!

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How One Journey With Mental Illness Sparked Anxious Faith

Anxious Faith — Fri, 12 May 2023 02:49:00 +0000

What's the story behind Anxious Faith? This episode we're switching things up - we're hearing from James not as the host, but as the interviewee, as he shared about his and his family's journey through mental health struggles, and how those experiences led to starting Anxious Faith.

If you’ve ever wondered where God is in the midst of what you’re going through, James’ story is for you. And out of his story, God has built something beautiful: this community that we now call Anxious Faith.

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Why Hasn't God Cured My OCD?

Anxious Faith — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 02:34:00 +0000

In our early episodes, we’ve been sharing stories about people who struggle with Anxiety conditions, and learning how that plays out with their faith.

But what about all the other mental health conditions we can face?

In this episode we’re speaking to Jemimah, a university student from Melbourne who was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (commonly referred to as OCD).

OCD is something that is often completely misunderstood, and as a result significantly trivialised – many of us might think that having OCD means you like having your bookshelves arranged evenly, or that you need to wash your hands constantly. But the reality for someone suffering from this condition is so much more than those common stereotypes.

Jemimah shares with us what it’s like to live with OCD, and the way it affects her life. But Jemimah is also a person of faith, and today, she opens up about what it’s like to know that she is a new creation in Christ, all the while still dealing with the intrusive thoughts and negative effects of her mental health disorder.

She’ll also share with us some of the helpful–and not so helpful–things people have said in an attempt to support her, and how she’s learned to keep turning to God, even when it’s the last thing she feels like doing.

We hope you’ll be encouraged by how Jemimah’s faith sustains her, even when her mind feels like it’s out of her control.

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Is There Tension Between Faith and Psychology?

Anxious Faith — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 05:28:00 +0000

Psychology can sometimes be a tricky topic, especially within the church. The practice of psychology–or any form of therapy, really–is often seen as taboo; something to avoid because it might not align with our faith.

So isn’t going to a professional for our problems suggesting that God isn’t enough?

Does seeing a psychologist–especially one who might not be a Christian–go against our faith? Can the two go hand in hand?

In this episode, we’re chatting with Chris–a familiar voice here at Anxious Faith. Previously, Chris has shared with us his own journey with depression (listen to that episode here), and how visits to a psychologist were a key part of helping him through it.

Read the blog post to accompany this episode called, ‘If Jesus Is Enough, Why Would I Need Psychology?’

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Was God There During My Depression, Self-Harm, and Suicidal Thoughts?

Anxious Faith — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 03:49:00 +0000

Depression, self-harm and suicidal thoughts are far more common than we probably realise.

Today, we’re chatting to Maddy; you may recognise her as our team’s Editor and Content Writer, or from Episode 6 where she and her husband shared on navigating a relationship with mental illness. But today, Maddy is sharing a new part of her story that she’s never opened up about publicly–her battle with depression, self-harm and suicide ideation.

Depression came for Maddy in her late teens. Not overnight, but over a period of months; a gradual descent into a darkness so deep that it consumed everything in her life. Worried about being a burden and afraid of letting people down, Maddy struggled with thoughts that maybe life would be better for others without her in it.

In Christian communities, there can often be an assumption that depression is caused by a rift between you and God, and that ‘getting better’ is as simple as coming back to faith and learning to trust in Him again. As Maddy started opening up about her depression, well-meaning people prayed that she would “come back to God” and “feel His presence”.

But for Maddy, that wasn’t the case at all. In fact, God’s presence was one of the only things she felt during that time–and some of her most beautiful and intimate moments with God were right in the thick of her depression, when talking to Him was all that she could do.

Listen as Maddy shares about her holistic road to recovery–how she prayed for healing, but the ‘healing’ came slowly–through professional support, through community, through healthy habits, and ultimately, through trusting that God was still with her in the ‘in-between’.

We hope that this episode encourages you that wrestling with mental illness doesn’t mean you’re far from God, and that there is hope and recovery from depression, even if it comes slowly. God’s healing is no less miraculous whether it happens in an instant, over time, or is still to come

Maddy has also written a blog post based on her story called ‘My Healing From Depression Came Slowly’.

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Church, We Need to Talk

Anxious Faith — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 09:20:00 +0000

One of the recurring themes throughout Anxious Faith to this point has been one of people who in dealing with their mental illness sometimes coming up against well meaning churches or other Christians, who invariable may hinder more than help. But while many people have had that experience, it isn’t the only one. And in learning how to better address and engage mental health in our faith communities, sharing stories of what to do is just as important as learning from experiences of where we’ve gone wrong.

This episode we're speaking to Harrison, a youth pastor at a church in Auckland, who through his own experience with anxiety, has developed a huge heart for making the church and youth group a space where mental health is openly and honestly addressed.

Harrison's Church's YouVersion/Bible app reading plan - Wellbeing: An Invitation to a Flourishing Life

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A Psychiatrist Explains Mental Illness

Anxious Faith — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 05:31:00 +0000

As you probably know, we started this podcast focussing on anxiety and how it plays out with our faith. But as our range of guests – and our audience – has grown, we’re now stepping back to look at a broader range of mental conditions.

This episode, we’re hearing from an expert about some of the different types of mental illnesses, their risk factors, and how we can respond to those struggling. And who better to learn from than Prof Kuruvilla George, a psychiatrist with over 40 years of experience?

KG, as he’s known, was a practising psychiatrist both in the UK and here in Australia, where he’s worked in clinical practice, headed up programs for hospitals, taught as a clinical professor at universities, and even served as the Deputy Chief Psychiatrist for the state of Victoria for 10 years.

Now he’s retired, and spends his time using his medical knowledge – as well as his faith – to break the stigma of mental illness in the church through his work with the Centre for Theology and Psychology in Melbourne, Australia.

We're not going to address every question we might have about mental illness, but we hope this kind of overview will help give us all a better understanding of how mental illnesses differ from one another, what causes them, how we approach this topic as Christians, and how we can be caring for those with a mental illness.

Centre for Theology and Psychology

Spotting the Signs seminar at CTP

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Introducing Suicide Awareness Month

Anxious Faith — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 06:10:00 +0000

This month, we're going to be focusing on suicide. If we thought mental health wasn't talked about enough in churches, suicide is a whole other level. This bonus ep gives us a brief overview at what we'll look at.

Also head to our Suicide Resource Page on the Anxious Faith website for more resources and content.

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Losing a Son to Suicide

Anxious Faith — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 03:06:00 +0000

The topic of suicide is so often hidden away or only talked about in hushed conversations. But with all the fear and stigma surrounding it, those who might be struggling with suicidal ideation or the pain of losing someone to suicide run the risk of feeling like they’re alone; and here at Anxious Faith, we’re working to stop that.

This month, as part of opening up the conversation around suicide, we’re hearing from Pippa, a mother of two living in Newcastle, Australia. Four years ago, Pippa’s faith was challenged as she and her husband dealt with their teenage son’s deteriorating mental health. Sadly, they lost that son to suicide.

Pippa is raw and honest as she shares her family’s story of unimaginable grief and pain, but she also encourages us that God is no less with us in the messiness of life. Four years on, Pippa says her pain is still as deep, but that she’s been able to see glimpses of colour creeping back into her life, and though it’s still a journey of daily rebuilding her trust in God, Pippa maintains that He is good.

Our team, as well as Pippa and her family, pray that God will speak to you through this powerful episode. If you have questions about suicide or want to explore this topic more, we have a new page of Suicide Resources on our website that will help you unpack the main theological thoughts on suicide, look at where we see it in the Bible, hear from others who have lost someone to suicide or attempted themselves, and learn how to help those who might be struggling.

Read a blog post version of Pippa’s story

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Surviving Being Suicidal

Anxious Faith — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 06:36:00 +0000

If you listened to our last episode with Pippa, you’ll know that this month we’re opening up the conversation around suicide and hearing from people with firsthand experiences of it; whether they’ve lost someone to suicide or have considered suicide themselves.

In this episode we’re hearing from Joshua, a young guy from New Zealand who suffered depression as a teen and came to the point of wanting to end his life. Joshua shares vulnerably with us about his thoughts at the time, including walking us through what was meant to be his ‘final day’ and sharing about the letter he wrote to farewell friends and family.

Through it all, Joshua’s story is one of hope. Thanks to a somewhat miraculous intervention, Joshua is still with us today and is transparent about his grappling with God and his mental health since that day. We’re grateful for his story, and grateful that he is around to share it. We hope that Joshua’s story will not only help those of us who have considered suicide to feel less alone, but also equip us all to better understand and spot the signs that someone we know might be at risk.

If you have questions about suicide or want to explore this topic more, we have a new page of Suicide Resources that will help you unpack the main theological thoughts on suicide, look at where we see it in the Bible, hear from others who have lost someone to suicide or attempted themselves, and learn how to help those who might be struggling. On our blog you can also read 6 Ways to Support Someone Struggling With Suicidal Ideation and How to Create a Suicide Safety Plan.

If this episode is troubling for you, please reach out to someone; whether that’s a family member, trusted friend, your pastor, doctor or psychologist, or you can visit our Helplines page for a list of organisations you can call.

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When Suicide Strikes

Anxious Faith — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 06:11:00 +0000

As our Suicide Awareness Month comes to a close, we’re taking a look at some of the bigger questions that come along with the topic, such as ‘Was this my fault?’, ‘Could I have done more?’, and ‘How could God let this happen?’.

To do that we’re hearing from Al Hsu, a writer in the US who wrote the Discovery Series When Suicide Strikes for Our Daily Bread Ministries, our parent ministry. Al sadly lost his own father to suicide when he was in his twenties, and has wrestled with each of these questions himself.

In this episode, Al unpacks the concept of “false guilt” that’s common among suicide survivors, and shares with us that grief isn’t a race and that we have a gracious Heavenly Father who gives us permission to grieve.

To read more of Al’s story and reflections, find his 6-part series When Suicide Strikes here. You can also check out Al’s book, Grieving a Suicide: A Loved One’s Search for Comfort, Answers, and Hope.

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Is 'Mindfulness' Okay as a Christian?

Anxious Faith — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 03:18:00 +0000

‘Mindfulness’ is one of the big practices that are often recommended or suggested to people who are struggling with their mental health. But as Christians, is mindfulness something that we should throw ourselves into without question? Do we need to be careful in following these exercises?

This episode, we’re speaking with Dr Katherine Thompson, a mental health social worker, member of the Centre of Theology and Psychology, and author of Christ-Centred Mindfulness.

Katherine first unpacks what mindfulness is, where it came from, and how it can help our minds and bodies. She then shares how she’s learned to integrate mindfulness and meditative practices with her faith, and takes us through a couple of ‘Christ-centred’ mindfulness exercises that listeners can follow along with.

If you’re interested in trying some of your own meditating on God’s Word, we’d love to introduce to you to a podcast produced by our colleagues in the UK office of Our Daily Bread Ministries. Evening Meditations are short, 10-minute daily episodes that encourage us to refocus our hearts on God and to untangle ourselves from the busyness of life.

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A Psychologist Answers Your Questions

Anxious Faith — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 06:31:00 +0000

This episode, we’re speaking to Dr Sarah Morris, a clinical psychologist in Melbourne, Australia. Not only is Sarah a specialist who runs her own practice, but she is also a follower of Jesus who walks the road daily in both mental health and faith spaces.

Have you ever wondered, ‘What exactly does a psychologist do?’ Or maybe you’ve heard about cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and ‘measurement-based practice’ and have no idea what those things involve. Well, Dr Sarah is here to answer all our questions!

If you’ve never had any firsthand experience of seeing a psychologist, it can sometimes be a bit confusing to know exactly what that looks like. And, if you’re a person of faith, you may have wondered whether the field of psychology is compatible with our faith.

In this episode, Dr Sarah gives us an overview on what psychology is, how it differs from psychiatry and counselling, and also shares about some of the common types of treatments that psychologists will use with someone. She also shares with us how her Christian faith plays into her profession, and whether faith and psychology are ever at odds. Listen in to find out!

Here in Australia, you can visit a psychologist by chatting with your GP to get on a ‘mental health care plan’. If you’re wanting to know what that first visit to your GP looks like, check out this short video of Dr Sarah (a different Dr Sarah from this episode!) explaining the process.

You might also like to read ‘If Jesus Is Enough, Why Would I Need Psychology?’ and ‘Does My Psychologist Need to Be Christian?’ on our blog.

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When Trauma Leads to Addiction

Anxious Faith — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 02:08:00 -0100

Trauma is a big and complex thing, and a topic we want to unpack in more depth in the future; but in today’s episode, we’re sharing the story of one man’s trauma, and the addiction and mental illness it led to.

Dr Mark McNear is a licensed clinical social worker in New Jersey in the US. As a child, Mark suffered significant trauma and abuse, which he did his best to numb himself from. It wasn’t until Mark was in his 50’s that his doctor noticed he’d been abusing prescription medication and referred him to a rehab centre that could help.

Mark calls that day the best and worst day of his life. His wife drove him to rehab and checked him in for several months. As he began to get clean from his substance abuse, Mark was left with memories flooding back to him; recollections of the trauma he’d experienced that he’d suppressed his entire adult life and had never told anyone about.

With no way to run from the trauma, Mark had no choice but to acknowledge it, share it with others, and work towards healing. In this episode, Mark encourages listeners who’ve faced trauma with lessons he’s learned from his own journey, and shares with us how we as people of faith can walk alongside people we know who may be dealing with trauma or substance abuse.

Mark’s book, Finding My Words: A Ruthless Commitment to Healing Gently After Trauma weaves his own story with powerful gospel truths, and reminds us that God is with us in the messiness of life and wants to see us recovering from trauma. You can contact Mark via his website here.

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Anxious Faith is a production of Our Daily Bread Ministries. If you’re struggling with trauma or addiction yourself, please talk to someone to seek help. That might be a friend, family member, pastor, or your doctor. If you’re in Australia or New Zealand, there’s a list of helplines you can call here.

When Your OCD Is About Your Faith

Anxious Faith — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 22:52:00 -0100

OCD is made up of intrusive thoughts that you can’t control around a particular issue–that’s the “obsession”–and those thoughts cause an incredible amount of anxiety unless you complete a certain action you feel compelled to do–that’s the “compulsive” part. Within the family of OCD, there are a number of different subtypes.

But what if your OCD is about your faith?

This episode we’re chatting to Mary, a young woman in the UK who has religious OCD or “scrupulosity”, a type where the obsession and intrusive thoughts are all focused around religion and faith. Having grown up in a Christian family, this has been a difficult journey for Mary.

For Mary and others suffering with the religious type of OCD, their intrusive thoughts are focused on questions such as whether God is real, and if the Bible can be trusted. While these are questions that we might all ask during our faith journeys, for those with religious OCD, these thoughts are persistent and inescapable.

Mary's blog piece: I Wish I'd Known It Was Religious OCD

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Wrapping up the Year

Anxious Faith — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 01:19:00 -0100

Join James, Maddy and Ethan in our final episode of the year to take a look back on where Anxious Faith began and where we’re heading. From small beginnings in January 2023 to almost 25,000 podcast downloads and a growing online community, we’re so grateful for where God has brought us this year.

Tune in for a quick recap of all 21 episodes, as well as the team’s reflections on some key things we’ve learned through our work this year that have helped us each in our own mental health journeys. We also take a look at some highlights from the blog this year, and chat about our vision for Anxious Faith in 2024.

Lastly, we want to say thank you to each of you for listening, sharing your stories with us, and helping us pioneer this ministry. We’re excited for what’s ahead, but in the meantime, we hope you’ll join us on this reflection of the year that’s been!

Fill out the survey and help us shape the future of Anxious Faith

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Managing OCD With God

Anxious Faith — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 22:56:00 -0100

To kick off this year, we’re chatting with Amelie, a university student in Sydney. Amelie’s mental health journey started during high school, with what she thought was anxiety and experiencing a lot of existential dread. Initially she thought that the anxiety was all based around school pressure and performance, but it wasn’t long after she graduated that she realised the feelings hadn’t gone away, which led to a diagnosis of OCD - or obsessive compulsive disorder.

Amazingly though, it was the beginning of her anxiety and mental health journey that actually led Amelie to finding God in high school, and she has a great story of how the growth of her faith has enabled her, along with a lot of hard work and medication, to be in a much better place where her OCD is now manageable, and to know that God is good, God is just, and God is holy even amidst the struggles of OCD.

Amelie has also shared part of her story in a blog post for us, called With Trauma Came OCD, but Then Came Jesus.

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We Are Not Our Feelings

Anxious Faith — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 04:13:00 -0100

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.

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

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What If The Anxiety Comes Back?

Anxious Faith — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 02:10:00 -0100

We’ve shared lots of stories of people who have dealt with anxiety, and for many of them, the reality is they may always deal with anxiety. But what if you went and sought help, brought it all to God, went to regular therapy sessions and even tried medication,only for anxiety to come back, and come back stronger?

What would it be like to do all the right things, to think you had beaten anxiety, only for the anxiety to return later on?

This episode we’re chatting with Tiffany, a teacher and writer in California in the US who lived this experience. She shares what it’s like to have the anxiety come back even after doing everything right, but also the difference she experienced when she chose to allow her church community into what she struggled with, and the difference that made in her faith.

Tiffany has also written several pieces for us on the blog, including ‘Clinical Anxiety Isn’t What the Church Thinks It Is’ and ‘How to Be Helpful When a Loved One Tells You They’re Anxious’.

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Old People Get Depressed, Too

Anxious Faith — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 02:03:00 -0100

Most of the people we’ve interviewed on Anxious Faith so far are between the ages of 20 and 40. It seems a natural place to look for stories of mental health challenges; after all, we’re the age group that seem to be dealing with them—or at least, talking about them—most.

But would it surprise you to know that some of the biggest sufferers of mental health challenges are people aged over 65? Conversations around rising mental health challenges usually focus on the statistics around working age adults, and leave out a huge percentage of our population. Older people, it turns out, can struggle with their mental health just as much—if not more—than younger generations.

So today we’re talking with Ben, an Aged-Care Chaplain here in Australia, who meets with people in care homes every day and sees the shockingly high number of those who are dealing with a mental health condition. Most of us would know someone in the later stage of their life, whether that’s a parent, grandparent, or even one of those nice old people from church.

Through today’s chat with Ben, we want to learn more of what mental ill-health looks like for the older members of our society, and what we—as individuals, and the broader church—can be doing to better love, care, and support them.

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Let's Talk About Autism & Accessibility

Anxious Faith — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 04:06:00 +0000

Together we’ve been exploring different diagnoses such as anxiety, depression, OCD and bipolar, and seeking to learn more and find encouragement for how those struggles don’t have to keep us from God. But what about other conditions that might impact our faith—other struggles and diagnoses Christians can wrestle with, including forms of disability or other differences like neurodivergence?

And so, with today being the International Day of Autism Awareness, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to broaden our scope and speak to someone who’s autistic and learn a little about how autism and other neurodivergent conditions can impact someone’s engagement with church.

Maddy is our team’s Writer & Editor, but you may also recognise her from earlier episodes of the podcast, where she’s shared on her journey with depression and self-harm, and navigating anxiety in a relationship.

Maddy was diagnosed autistic several years ago, and has since been on a mission to explore how that diagnosis interplays with her faith, and the ways in which her brain can be an asset—but also a barrier—when it comes to engaging in church.

In this episode, Maddy leads the conversation with Dr Katy Unwin, a Lecturer in Psychology at La Trobe University. Katy has a PhD in Autism, and has done a lot of research in this area — including a study she’s recently conducted into how autistic people’s sensory differences impact their experiences of church.

Through their conversation, Maddy and Katy hope to help us all learn a bit more about autism, the impact it can have on people’s engagement in church, and how we can work towards becoming churches and communities that are more accommodating for everyone — whether they’re autistic or not.

Maddy has also written two pieces about autism on the blog, titled ‘Navigating Church as an Autistic Person’ and ‘3 Ways the Church Can Love an Autistic Person Like Me’.

Dr Katy explains what Autism is (video)

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But Isn't Anxiety a Sin?

Anxious Faith — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 04:41:00 +0000

A common thread through many of the stories we share is our guests’ experiences of being told that their anxiety or other mental health struggles are a faith issue, not a mental one. Today we’re chatting with Lara d’Entremont, a young woman who grappled with being told that her anxiety disorder meant she was living in sin; refusing to trust in God.

Lara tells her story of struggling through unhelpful teachings about her anxiety, and of the damage it ended up causing to both her mental health and her faith. Ultimately, Lara shares how she discovered that God’s truth does allow us to seek medical treatment for mental illness, and how it enabled her to blend her faith and mental health journeys together.

From the outset, we want to note that this episode talks about Biblical Counselling, because that’s what Lara was studying at the time. But ‘biblical counselling’ is a bit of a catch-all term that can refer to a whole range of different approaches, and while Lara has personally experienced harmful teaching in the name of biblical counselling, those teachings aren’t what most of us would consider biblical counselling to represent.

In a future episode, we’re going to be interviewing a biblical counsellor directly to hear more about what they practise, and how they approach using God’s Word to counsel and encourage people who may be struggling. But for now, it’s important to remember that Lara’s story in this episode is just one person’s experience, and isn’t demonstrative of biblical counselling as a whole.

You can also check out more of Lara’s story in her two pieces on our blog, called ‘I’m Haunted by Intrusive Thoughts’ and ‘When Unruly Thoughts Refuse to Be Taken Captive’.

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Is Counselling Actually Biblical?

Anxious Faith — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 04:32:00 +0000

We're exploring how different approaches to counselling and psychology line up with what we’re taught in the Bible. To do that, we’re chatting with Noni Potter, the Head of Undergraduate Counselling at Tabor, a Christian college in Australia.

Not only is Noni a lecturer in counselling, but she’s also practised privately and has been involved in church ministry for many years. She’s passionate about combining her faith with evidence-based psychological methods which, she believes, echo God’s truths.

Through our chat with Noni, we’ll learn about some of the common approaches to therapy, such as CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), ACT (acceptance-commitment therapy), EFT (emotion-focused therapy), and SFBT (solution-focused brief therapy), and hear how many of these are “rediscoveries” of what God has already shown us through His Word.

Noni has written a book called ‘Living Your Best Life: Keys to Freedom and Wholeness’, which integrates the restorative power of a relationship with God with evidence-based psychological tools. You can find her book here.

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When Self-Harm Becomes an Addiction

Anxious Faith — Mon, 13 May 2024 04:02:00 +0000

Self-harm is something we’ve touched on a few times through different people’s stories, but today, it’s our main focus.

What leads someone to self-harm? Does it really feel ‘good’ at the time? And how does someone who’s been addicted to self-harm stop?

In this episode, Gabby Wilkinson from Dear God I’m Sad shares about her journey with depression, which led her to trying self-harm. Soon after, she found the urges to hurt herself were difficult to suppress, and the more she continued down that path, the fiercer the addiction to it became.

So what changed for Gabby? How was she able to stop, and what has she learned through it all—about self-harm, her mental health, and ultimately, her faith? What would she say to someone who’s currently wrestling with self-harm, or to the person supporting a loved one through the struggle?

Find out with us.

Content Warning: We’re not discussing the act of self-harm in any detail, but you will be hearing Gabby’s lived experience of wrestling with it. Please use your discretion and be wise about who may be around as you listen.

If you found this episode helpful, you might like to check out Episode 12 - Was God There During My Depression, Self-Harm and Suicidal Thoughts? and Episode 16 - Surviving Being Suicidal.

You may also be encouraged by these stories on our blog, To The Christian Who Self-Harms and My Healing From Depression Came Slowly.

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15 Years Addicted to Porn

Anxious Faith — Mon, 27 May 2024 02:15:00 +0000

This episode, we’re chatting with Josh, a young Aussie guy who was first exposed to pornography at the age of eight. For years, Josh’s addiction to porn grew and had a hold on his life, affecting his mental health, sense of worth, relationships with others, and faith.

Over the years, Josh tried everything to break his addiction. He sought accountability from parents, friends and pastors, met with counsellors, restricted his phone and computer access, read books and paid for addiction courses… To no avail. Despite trying his hardest to beat the addiction, it persisted — for more than 15 years.

So what changed? How did Josh eventually find freedom from the grip of a porn addiction? Join us to find out.

Note: For the sake of time we’ve had to cut out parts of Josh’s story to fit into this episode, so if you want to hear his full interview, you can check it out on our YouTube channel below.

Finally, we’ll be taking a short podcast break while we work on more episodes, but we’ll have new things coming out on our website and socials in the meantime, so make sure you’re following us on socials and subscribed to our mailing list to stay up to date!

If you’re struggling with addiction yourself—whether that’s to pornography or something else—please reach out to someone for help. That could be a friend, family member, your pastor, doctor or counsellor. If you’re not sure who you can talk to, please visit our helplines page for a list of organisations you can contact. Otherwise, a quick google search for addiction support in your area should help.

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Anxious Faith is a production of Our Daily Bread Ministries

CEOs Get Anxious Too

Anxious Faith — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 01:13:00 +0000

You think of a CEO and you probably picture someone who has it all together. They’re out there speaking in front of audiences, resolving high-level disputes, and running companies.

But what’s happening behind the scenes? Is it possible that even CEOs can wrestle with mental illness?

Dr Matt Lucas is the President and Global CEO of Our Daily Bread Ministries, whom Anxious Faith is a part of — yep, we’ve got the big boss on today. From being thrust into leadership roles to tasting career success at an early age, Dr Matt looked like he had it all together. But inside, his reality was a little different. Despite the face he put on for work, he wrestled with high levels of stress, anxiety and depression, which grew harder and harder to hide.

In this episode, Dr Matt shares vulnerably about how his mental health struggles caught up with him and caused some significant issues. We’ll hear what led to that point, how he faced and worked through these struggles, and how they’ve impacted him as a leader today.

Through this podcast and our other resources, our heart here at Anxious Faith is to spark conversation and tackle the taboos around mental health in our churches and faith communities. Will you help us do that?

We’d be grateful if you would consider supporting us, whether through prayer, sharing our resources in your circles, or contributing towards our ministry costs.

We’d also love to connect with you on socials, where you can join the community, check out our other resources and see behind the scenes content from our team.

It's Lonely Out There

Anxious Faith — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 16:13:32 +0000

When we think of non-physical problems that affect people, we’re pretty immediately drawn to the common ones — anxiety, depression, and the realm of mental illness. But there’s something just as insidious that can cause significant issues to our mental wellbeing, quality of life, and faith. It’s loneliness.

There are some mind-boggling statistics around loneliness. One in four adults around the world report feeling lonely. Our ministry recently did a study of 18-35 year olds here in Australia, and 44% of the overall respondents reported struggling with loneliness and a lack of connection. But why is loneliness a growing issue? What are its impacts? And, more importantly, what can we as individuals—and the broader church—do to combat loneliness?

Today we’re diving into it with Kimberly Smith, a pastor, speaker, and author of a book on singleness in the church who is passionate about this topic.

To get in touch with Kimberly, read her blog, check out her book ‘What We Cannot Be Alone: Understanding Singleness in God’s Family’ or see where she’ll be speaking next, you can visit her website.

We’d be grateful if you would consider supporting us, whether through prayer, sharing our resources in your circles, or contributing towards our ministry costs.

We’d also love to connect with you on socials, where you can join the community, check out our other resources and see behind the scenes content from our team.

Does Gaming Affect Mental Health?

Anxious Faith — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 15:00:00 +0000

Video games can be a contentious topic. There are the people who love them, and those that don’t — or simply can’t understand the appeal. And then there are the stories we hear in the media about gaming addiction, social isolation, and a growing concern for the way gaming seems to lead to a whole range of mental health challenges.

So, what do we think? Does gaming affect our mental health?

Perhaps it’s not quite so black and white.

Today we’re chatting with Jacob, a life-long gamer, who shares how gaming has affected his mental health — both negatively and for the better. Jacob now runs a ministry seeking to reach one of the groups least represented in the church—gamers—and build off their existing hobbies and interests, providing positive opportunities for social interaction and inviting gamers into spaces where they might also encounter Jesus.

We’ll hear Jacob’s journey and discuss the bigger picture of gaming, as well as what we might need to watch out for in this space as Christians. We’ll also be joined by a familiar voice, Maddy from our team—who’s an outsider to the world of gaming—to give our conversation a range of different experiences.

Jacob started a non-profit called The Big LAN for gamers in Australia to come together, meet like-minded people, and form long-term friendships. The Big LAN is a Melbourne-based community and currently the largest LAN event in Australia. To check it out, click here.

We’d be grateful if you would consider supporting us, whether through prayer, sharing our resources in your circles, or contributing towards our ministry costs.

We’d also love to connect with you on socials, where you can join the community, check out our other resources and see behind the scenes content from our team.

How Can a Good God Let Us Suffer?

Anxious Faith — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 00:03:00 +0000

“Nothing is certain except death and taxes,” or so the saying goes. But there’s something else that we’ll all face in our lives, regardless of our background, finances, upbringing or culture: suffering.

Whether it’s suffering brought on by mental illness, physical illness, financial pressure, issues with relationships or family or any number of other things, at some point in our lives, things are going to be hard. Messy. Painful.

When we face suffering, it’s easy to wonder where God is. We can feel lonely, isolated … even abandoned by Him. Why is this happening to me?, we ask. How can a good God let me suffer?

So what do we do, knowing we’ll face suffering?

Today we’re chatting with Dr Katherine Thompson, who we heard from back in Episode 18 on the topic of Christ-Centred Mindfulness.

Katherine has written a new book called The Discipline of Suffering, and that’s what we’re going to chat to her about today; the idea of suffering, and how to work our way through it as followers of Jesus.

We’d be grateful if you would consider supporting us, whether through prayer, sharing our resources in your circles, or contributing towards our ministry costs.

We’d also love to connect with you on socials, where you can join the community, check out our other resources and see behind the scenes content from our team.

Suicide Was My Plan B

Anxious Faith — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:51:00 +0000

CW: Keola’s story covers his struggles with self-harm and suicide ideation, so please be wise as you listen and mindful of who you’re listening with.

Today we’re hearing the story of Keola, a young guy from Las Vegas in the US who thought he was living the dream — scouted out of high school for Division 1 baseball college, and on his way to making it as an athlete. But moving to that college wasn’t the highlight he was expecting it to be, and instead, it became a time of anxiety, fear, and dread.

As Keola fought against these newfound mental health challenges, they worsened; leaving him feeling lost and alone. He fought against thoughts of suicide, and turned to unhelpful ways of coping — including trying self-harm, which became addictive.

Though Keola’s mental health struggles aren’t all over now, his testimony is one of immense hope. Through his darkest periods, Keola has experienced God’s grace and deliverance in incredible ways and, while his struggles have never entirely gone away, he’s able to proclaim the goodness of God in all circumstances.

In his own words, he shares with us: “I’ve gotten a lot closer to God because of my suffering… because I know He’s going to show up, and I know if I lean on Him, He’s going to make a way.”

Keola shares his story today with the prayer that it might bring hope to anyone suffering through similar circumstances, and understanding to those who haven’t experienced this.

When you’re done listening, you can read this piece written by Keola on our blog: To the Christian Who Self-Harms.

We’d be grateful if you would consider supporting us, whether through prayer, sharing our resources in your circles, or contributing towards our ministry costs.

We’d also love to connect with you on socials, where you can join the community, check out our other resources and see behind the scenes content from our team.

When Mental Health Hurts Not Just You

Anxious Faith — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 03:57:00 +0000

When someone is struggling with their mental health, whether that’s dealing with stress, anxiety, or a diagnosed mental health condition, it’s not just them who feel the effects of it — there’s often a flow on effect to the people around them; their partner, children, family, friends, colleagues… The list goes on.

So what’s it like to be struggling with your mental health, only to feel the added weight—and often, guilt—of knowing that what you’re dealing with is also impacting the people you love? How do you navigate those dynamics when there are seasons of your life when you’re more vulnerable and in-need than you’re comfortable with?

Today we’re chatting to Erin, a mum of two girls from Tennessee in the US, who has dealt with significant periods of anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation which led to multiple hospitalisations and in-patient therapy stays.

We’ll hear not only about Erin’s journey and the role of her faith amidst the challenges she’s faced, but also what it’s been like to deal with the added guilt of seeing what her mental illness was doing to her husband and children.

Erin Mount is a lover of God who writes about faith, suffering, and mental health. If she’s not spending time with her family, watching Gilmore Girls or reading, she’s probably napping. Read more from Erin on our blog in ‘When My Thoughts Lie to Me’, and check out her Substack here.

We’d be grateful if you would consider supporting us, whether through prayer, sharing our resources in your circles, or contributing towards our ministry costs.

We’d also love to connect with you on socials, where you can join the community, check out our other resources and see behind the scenes content from our team.

Self-Aware or Selfish?

Anxious Faith — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 01:58:00 +0000

Self-awareness is something that we all need; in order to be healthy, loving, thriving people, we need to understand a bit about ourselves and how we interact with other people, the world around us, and even God. And, for those of us who struggle with our mental health, learning how and why we function and react to things the way we do can be a key part of working towards healing.

But is there a point where leaning into self-awareness is actually just…selfish? Tinged with pride, and putting too much emphasis on ourselves?

Today we’re chatting with Steve Mitchell from the UK, who works as the Senior Vice President of the European branch of our organisation, Our Daily Bread Ministries. Steve is also an Executive Coach who has a passion for helping people have transformative conversations. His goal through coaching is to help people grow in self-awareness so that they can ultimately become healthier members of their communities — and the broader body of Christ.

We’ll hear what coaching is, how it works, and whether there’s a point when spending too much time thinking and talking about ourselves is actually selfish… and unhelpful. Steve also gives us a practical example of a coaching session using a real scenario to help us all learn how we can have better conversations with people in our lives that lead to greater self-awareness and the ability to better understand, love, and care for each other.

Let’s dive in.

We’d be grateful if you would consider supporting us, whether through prayer, sharing our resources in your circles, or contributing towards our ministry costs.

We’d also love to connect with you on socials, where you can join the community, check out our other resources and see behind the scenes content from our team.

Intrusive Thoughts, Faith, and OCD Therapy

Anxious Faith — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 04:39:00 +0000

As we began to branch out in topics here at Anxious Faith, we were surprised by the number of people who resonated with the episodes and blog posts we’ve done around OCD, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This often-misunderstood condition can be so hard to live with, and yet there are therapeutic approaches that can offer hope and relief for those living with OCD.

One of those approaches is called Exposure Response Prevention, or ERP, and we were intrigued to meet Justin Hughes—a licensed professional counsellor in Texas—who talks about ERP not just as a therapy for OCD, but as an inherently spiritual practice, too. Interesting, right? Exposure Response Prevention therapy is designed to help people with OCD learn to face the triggers to their obsessions without following through with the compulsion that comes with it. But this approach, as Justin shares, is actually a way that all of us can approach anything that is difficult in our life, faith, or relationships, even if we don’t suffer from OCD ourselves.

In today’s episode, Justin will take us through what ERP looks like, and we’ll spend some time unpacking how this practice can help us all grow our faith.

Justin K. Hughes is a writer, speaker and licensed professional counsellor passionate about helping those impacted by OCD. He has a Masters from Dallas Theological Seminary and is the owner of Dallas Counseling, a private practice in Texas. Justin is passionate about advocating for those who feel controlled by fear and anxiety. To read his blog, check out his new course on overcoming OCD or get in touch, you can visit his website: https://www.justinkhughes.com/.

We’d be grateful if you would consider supporting us, whether through prayer, sharing our resources in your circles, or contributing towards our ministry costs.

We’d also love to connect with you on socials, where you can join the community, check out our other resources and see behind the scenes content from our team.

I'm a Girl and I Struggle With Porn

Anxious Faith — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 22:42:00 -0100

Contrary to what many of us have grown up believing, porn addiction is not a “guys’ issue”. It’s a human one.

Join us as we chat to Amanda Anaestad, cofounder of The Victory Collective, a ministry centred around community and resources for women struggling with a porn addiction.

Amanda was first exposed to pornography by accident in middle school, and it grew into an addiction that had a hold on her for many years. She shares with us how she only ever heard of porn being discussed as a problem for men, and how her feelings of shame and isolation stopped her from reaching out and getting help.

Because of her own experience, Amanda and her friend set out to build a community of women bravely speaking out and helping each other find healing.

We’ll hear from Amanda about her own journey and recovery, which included opening up to her now-husband about her secret struggle, as well as the importance of community and confession, and how God can—and does!—bring lasting healing to anyone who struggles with porn.

The Victory Collective’s mission is to help women navigate their porn recovery journeys with grace by providing resources, personal insight, and a supportive community. Their goal is to provide women with a safe space to heal, grow, and find freedom in the grace of Jesus. You can find out more here.

We’d be grateful if you would consider supporting us, whether through prayer, sharing our resources in your circles, or contributing towards our ministry costs.

We’d also love to connect with you on socials, where you can join the community, check out our other resources and see behind the scenes content from our team.

Blokes, We Need to Talk

Anxious Faith — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 22:28:00 -0100

Men are notoriously bad at understanding our emotions—let alone actually sharing about them with someone else—and it’s to our detriment.

Here in Australia, it’s Movember; a month where the titular charity encourages guys to raise money for Men’s Mental Health by growing a moustache. And awareness like this is sorely needed — because men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women.

So how do we as men learn to open up and start talking about what we’re going through? And…why should we? Does the Bible tell us to?

What better way to open up this conversation than to sit down and chat with Akos Balogh, a fellow Aussie bloke helping us figure some of this out. We’ll talk through some of the reasons why guys don’t like sharing about our emotions, and dive into why it’s a really important thing for us to do not just as men, but as followers of Jesus, too.

So, here’s our chat with Akos.

You may recognise Akos as our podcast guest from Episode 24 - We Are Not Our Feelings, where he shared on his own struggle with anxiety, and what he’s learned about difficult emotions. He’s also 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 at akosbalogh.com.

We’d be grateful if you would consider supporting us, whether through prayer, sharing our resources in your circles, or contributing towards our ministry costs.

We’d also love to connect with you on socials, where you can join the community, check out our other resources and see behind the scenes content from our team.

A Biblical Guide to Anxiety

Anxious Faith — Sun, 24 Nov 2024 20:00:00 -0100

We’ve heard lots about anxiety; both from those who experience it, and those who help treat it. We’ve talked to doctors and pastors and counsellors and sufferers and everyone in between to find out how they experience anxiety, and what we can do about it.

But what about exploring the very concept of anxiety, as a whole, in light of God’s Word? How should Christians deal with anxiety? And why is it such a struggle for so many of us?

Who better to ask these questions of than the guy who wrote the book on it? We’re joined this episode by Paul Grimmond, the Dean of Students at Moore Theological College and author of the book ‘When the Noise Won’t Stop: A Christian Guide to Dealing With Anxiety’.

With Paul we’ll explore the biblical perspective of anxiety, including what it is and whether we’re meant to feel anxious for certain things. We’ll also take a deep dive into some of those well known “anxiety verses” such as Philippians 4:6, and unpack the context behind them and what they’re really saying to us.

You can find Paul’s book, ‘When the Noise Won’t Stop’, at Koorong, Matthias Media or on Amazon. To find out more about Paul’s role as Dean at Moore Theological College, click here.

We’d be grateful if you would consider supporting us, whether through prayer, sharing our resources in your circles, or contributing towards our ministry costs.

We’d also love to connect with you on socials, where you can join the community, check out our other resources and see behind the scenes content from our team.

Rest: How We Find Rest in God

Anxious Faith — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 02:04:00 -0100

We all recognise the importance of rest, but how often do we find ourselves indulging in mindless entertainment when only resting in God can truly satisfy? In the first episode of our new season, we'll delve into what it means to rest in God and how we can practically do that.

Links we mentioned:

Five-part series on Rest, written by Stephen Unwin

Blog post: 3 Things That Stop Us from Resting Well

Through this podcast and our other resources, our heart here at Anxious Faith is to invite people to take a break from the noise of the world and connect to God. We want to help people understand how the Bible is connected to their everyday lives by creating moments for pause and reflection, so the threads between scripture and what people are facing seem clear.

We’d be grateful if you would consider supporting us, whether through prayer, sharing our resources in your circles, or contributing towards our ministry costs.

We’d also love to connect with you on socials, where you can join the community, check out our other resources and see behind the scenes content from our team.

Ep43 BONUS - Let's Read Psalm 23 as a Practical Way to Rest in God

Anxious Faith — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 02:34:00 -0100

If you've listened to Episode 43 Rest: How We Find Rest in God we shared some practical ways through prayer or reading the Bible to actually rest in God.

This bonus episode is designed for you to listen to when you've got a quiet place away from interruptions, and to read through Psalm 23 with us in a contemplative, meditative way. We hope it's a help!

Help! How Do Adults Make Friends?

Anxious Faith — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 05:29:00 +0000

We’ve all heard the line before: we were made for connection. We all know how good friends can be, but for more people than we expect, friendlessness and disconnection are significant issues in their lives. How do we go about fixing that? This episode we're joined by Sheridan Voysey, founder of Friendship Lab, to look at how we can grow our friendships and connections.

Links we mentioned:

Friendship Lab

Ep 33 - It’s Lonely out There featuring Kimberly Smith

We’d be grateful if you would consider supporting us, whether through prayer, sharing our resources in your circles, or contributing towards our ministry costs.

We’d also love to connect with you on socials, where you can join the community, check out our other resources and see behind the scenes content from our team.

Hope When Life Feels Hopeless

Anxious Faith — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 03:38:00 +0000

As followers of Jesus, hope isn't a foreign concept. But we also know that Jesus said that a life following him wasn't going to be easy - we'd face troubles, difficulties, and challenges. What do we do when they hit? How can we have hope, when life around us may seem hopeless?

This episode we speak with Katherine Catlett, an ex-cheerleader from the US, who has an incredible story of faith and finding hope, even in the face of tragic circumstances beyond her control.

Links we mentioned:

Katherine Catlett

When Hope Feels Intangible - Anxious Faith blog

We’d be grateful if you would consider supporting us, whether through prayer, sharing our resources in your circles, or contributing towards our ministry costs.

We’d also love to connect with you on socials, where you can join the community, check out our other resources and see behind the scenes content from our team.

An Update From Our Team

Our Daily Bread Ministries — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 03:25:44 +0000

Hi friends, listen to this short clip or read below for an important announcement from our team!

As you might know, Anxious Faith is a project run by Our Daily Bread Ministries here in Australia. We’ve been blessed to journey with this community for four years now, and we’re so thankful for where God has taken this initiative. But it’s time for a new chapter, and with that, we’re announcing that Anxious Faith is coming to a close.

What does that mean for you? Well, firstly, don’t worry; our episodes and blog posts aren’t going anywhere, and you’ll still find them all at anxiousfaith.org and wherever you get your podcasts. There’s so much content there for you to listen, read, watch and share with others!

Our heart here at Anxious Faith has always been to explore the messy intersection between our faith and life’s struggles, and to see what the Bible has to say about the things we face; and that hasn’t changed. Our team will continue produce impactful content and resources for you, it just means that now, they’ll fall under the banner of Our Daily Bread Ministries.

To be the first to hear when our new content is out, you can follow us on Instagram as @‌odbm_au and subscribe to our mailing list at anxiousfaith.org.

This community wouldn’t have grown and flourished without the generosity and vulnerability of guests we’ve had the privilege of hearing from. It’s through their stories that our own lives—and we hope yours, too—have been encouraged and enriched. We’ve listed the names of each podcast guest we’ve heard from here below, and we’d like to take a moment to honour each of you.

If you’ve been impacted by the stories we’ve shared or you’re curious to know more about what our ministry is up to now, both here in Australia and globally, we’d love to hear from you — you can get in touch with us or find out more about our heart and mission at odb.org.

On behalf of all of us—James, Maddy, Ethan & Stephen—it’s been a privilege to walk alongside you these past four years. We can’t wait to start sharing what’s next, and we hope you’ll stick around to find out!

Special thanks to all our podcast guests over the years:

Jess

Josh

Mary Argall

Madeleine Scholefield

Mike Riddell

Dr Sarah (GP)

Chris MacLeod

Pip Shearer

Jordon Stoyanoff

Matt Scholefield

Stephen Unwin

Jemimah

Harrison Carr

Dr Kuruvilla George

Pippa Batcheldor

Joshua

Al Hsu

Dr Katherine Thompson

Dr Sarah Morris

Mark McNair

Mary Hinchliffe

Amelie Salas

Akos Balogh

Tiffany Ciccone

Ben Boland

Dr Katy Unwin

Lara d’Entremont

Noni Potter

Gabby Wilkinson

Josh Gazzard

Dr Matt Lucas

Kimberly Smith

Jacob Rayment

Keola Paragas

Erin Mount

Steve Mitchell

Justin Hughes

Amanda Anaestad

Paul Grimmond

Daniel Ryan Day

Sheridan Voysey

Katherine Catlett

Dr James Banks