Best of 2025: Overcoming Anxiety: Finding Peace in a Hectic World

Summary

Podcast Summary

Focus on the Family with Jim Daly

Episode: Best of 2025: Overcoming Anxiety — Finding Peace in a Hectic World
Date: December 2, 2025
Featured Guest: Dr. Gregory Jantz
Hosts: Jim Daly & John Fuller

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Episode Overview

This "Best of 2025" episode addresses the pervasive challenge of anxiety in modern society, exploring its causes, symptoms, and practical, faith-informed strategies for coping and healing. The discussion is grounded in Dr. Gregory Jantz’s holistic approach to mental health, his personal experiences, and biblical wisdom. The episode is especially poignant, as Dr. Jantz passed away earlier in the year, and the hosts honor his legacy of compassionate care for those suffering from anxiety.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Prevalence of Anxiety (04:07-04:51)

• Dr. Jantz opens by emphasizing hope for those struggling with anxiety, noting that it affects a significant proportion of the population:
  "It's one in five adults and one in four teenagers are suffering from anxiety and likely higher." (04:13, Jim Daly)
• The post-pandemic context has exacerbated anxiety, making it the most common diagnosis in the country.

2. Defining Anxiety vs. Worry vs. Depression (05:03-06:08)

• Worry is largely a cognitive process—overthinking situations—but anxiety becomes physical, presenting as headaches, sleep disturbances, gut issues, and even panic attacks.
  • "Worry is a mental process… anxiety takes on a life of its own. Anxiety has a physical side to it." (05:04-05:04, Dr. Jantz)
• Depression often overlaps but is distinct in its overall impact and feeling.

3. Anxiety as a Life Experience—The Jantz Family Story (06:08-08:15)

• Dr. Jantz shares how his wife’s cancer diagnosis triggered intense family anxiety, detailing sleepless nights, overwhelming uncertainty, and the struggle to answer their children’s questions.
• He reassures listeners of resilience and hope:
  "She’s here today, and she's well and she's an example of what it's like for all of us as a family to walk through unknowns…" (07:52, Dr. Jantz)

4. "Good" Anxiety—A Useful Signal (08:15-09:21)

• Not all anxiety is harmful; sometimes it signals necessary changes or areas requiring attention.
  • "Anxiety could be a signal that, oh, I need to address some things in my life… Anxiety can be communicating to you, a need to address something." (08:24-09:21, Dr. Jantz)
• Too much anxiety, however, can impair thinking and decision-making.

5. Supporting Loved Ones with Anxiety (09:21-11:38)

• Well-intentioned encouragements like "Come on, you can do it" often add pressure rather than relieve it.
• Approach:
  • Exercise grace
  • Support rather than judge
  • Recognize the complexity and need for holistic solutions
    • "They need us to come alongside them versus judge them real heavily." (10:01-10:50, Dr. Jantz)

6. Integrating Faith, Physiology, and Medication (11:38-12:07)

• Anxiety can require combined approaches: prayer, potential medication, and lifestyle adjustments.
  • "We're not going to look for the magic pill. We're going to look at the whole person." (11:38, Dr. Jantz)

7. Lifestyle Contributors and Symptoms (12:07-13:59)

• Chronic stress, poor sleep, caffeine overuse, and dietary factors can intensify anxiety.
• Common Symptoms: Disrupted sleep, headaches, poor concentration, and a sense of dread or burden.
  • "You're going to probably eventually see it in your sleep. Sleep's not going to feel restful." (12:48, Dr. Jantz)

8. The Deceptive Nature of Anxiety (14:12-14:55)

• Anxiety breeds self-doubt, feelings of being unlovable, and distorts perception.
  • "Anxiety lies to you. Anxiety tells you things about yourself that it's not true." (14:12, Dr. Jantz)

9. Root Causes: Trauma, Unresolved Issues, Family Dynamics (16:42-17:41)

• Early trauma, abuse, unstable environments, or moving frequently can seed long-term anxiety.
• Listeners are encouraged to be sensitive to others’ unique histories.

10. Real-Life Example: Diane’s Story (18:05-20:29)

• A high-achieving executive overwhelmed by work, family stresses, and caregiving for a sick parent develops panic attacks and withdrawal.
• Her recovery involved realistic scheduling, self-care, family support, and marital counseling.

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Scriptural and Spiritual Guidance

“Fear Not” and the Sound Mind (21:08-22:04)

• Dr. Jantz draws on 2 Timothy 1:7:
  “For the Lord did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and… a sound mind.” (21:13, Dr. Jantz)
• Achieving a sound mind requires assessing all life areas: spiritual, relational, lifestyle, potential addictions.

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Common Ways Anxiety Diminishes Well-being (22:11-23:24)

• Effects: Isolation, escapism (food, digital, addictions), withdrawal from meaningful relationships.
  • "You get into patterns where we look for comfort… Most of the things we choose create more discomfort and… create more anxiety." (22:39-22:53, Dr. Jantz)
• Honest self-reflection is needed to identify behaviors contributing to anxiety.

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Practical Steps to Address Anxiety

The “3x5 Card” Exercise (23:42-24:36)

• Write down the top anxiety-provoking issues.
  • "I need you to write down what are all the issues that's creating anxiety for me… But I don't want you to write a legal pad full." (23:47-24:08, Dr. Jantz)
• Identify which issues can be addressed solo and which require help.
• Consider predominant emotions such as anger or frustration.
• Follow-up: Take action and seek support if needed.

Addressing Anger, Unforgiveness, and Bitterness (25:34-26:15)

• Anger is often a mask for deeper hurts and can develop into resentment that worsens anxiety.
  • "You can’t stay there because that goes to unforgiveness and that goes to resentment and bitterness… It's going to make you really toxic and… toxic to all the people around you." (25:37-25:54, Dr. Jantz)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Anxiety takes on a life of its own. Anxiety has a physical side to it.” (05:04, Dr. Jantz)
• “Anxiety lies to you. Anxiety tells you things about yourself that it’s not true.” (14:12, Dr. Jantz)
• “With God's help, power over that anxiety.” (16:18, Dr. Jantz)
• “I use Second Timothy 1:7 as my foundation… a sound mind.” (21:13, Dr. Jantz)
• “Most of the things we choose create more discomfort and in the end create more anxiety. But we're looking for that relief.” (22:53, Dr. Jantz)
• “What am I doing that could be contributing to more anxiety?” (23:16, Dr. Jantz)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [04:07] — Dr. Jantz introduces the topic, prevalence of anxiety
• [05:03] — Distinguishing worry, anxiety, and depression
• [06:08] — Dr. Jantz’s personal family story
• [08:15] — The concept of “good” anxiety
• [11:38] — Integrating faith, medicine, and lifestyle
• [12:48] — Recognizing anxiety symptoms
• [14:12] — The deceptive effects of anxiety
• [16:42] — Exploring root causes of anxiety
• [18:05] — Diane’s story: anxiety, panic, and healing
• [21:08] — Scriptural foundations for overcoming anxiety
• [23:42] — Practical step: the 3x5 card exercise
• [25:34] — Addressing anger and unforgiveness

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Tone and Final Takeaways

The episode combines direct, compassionate conversation with biblically grounded hope. Dr. Jantz and the hosts acknowledge the reality and seriousness of anxiety while pointing to both spiritual and practical tools for healing. Listeners are encouraged to seek help, exercise self-care and grace, and approach recovery as a holistic, ongoing journey.

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Resources Mentioned

• Book: The Anxiety Reset by Dr. Gregory Jantz
• Center: A Place of Hope (Edmonds, WA)
• Focus on the Family Counseling Services: [Link in show notes]

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For anyone struggling with anxiety, this episode provides a deeply empathetic, multidimensional approach—combining science, personal experience, and Christian faith—to finding steadfast hope and healing.

Transcript

[Jim Daly]

Ken spends a lot of time away from home working on the pipeline in Alaska, and our podcast has become his lifeline.

[Ken's Spouse]

Focus on the Family has helped my marriage by leaps and bounds. You give us so much meat and potatoes to think about. Like, don't focus on yourself. Put yourself in your spouse's shoes. What are they going through down there?

[Jim Daly]

Ken finds our content so helpful, he's eager to share it with others.

[Ken's Spouse]

It can hit home. Hey, I'm going through that same thing. That's why I enjoy listening. So I spread that to other co workers who might not know Christ, who might be having a bad day. You get to know them, say, hey, by the way, listen to this Focus on the Family podcast.

[Jim Daly]

I'm Jim Daly. Right now we need your help to deliver hope and joy to marriages like Ken's. When you give before December 31st, your gift will be doubled. [e-mail] family or call 800A FAMILY. I get anxious when I'm going into.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

A situation that I feel like I am not prepared for. What really stresses me out are awkward silences, especially when you're dealing with your boss or something like that. Sometimes I just don't know what to say. Something that makes me feel stressed is when I feel like I have a lot of things to do and not enough time to get it done.

[Jim Daly]

I get really anxious when things feel.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Out of control or I feel like people are perceiving me wrong.

[John Fuller]

Well, there are so many things in this world that can cause us to be anxious, and I'm sure you could add your own anxiety inducing circumstances to that list. Today on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, we're going to help you confront your anxiety and get moving in a positive direction so you can have hope and healing. Thanks for joining us. I'm John Fuller.

[Jim Daly]

John, being anxious is part of being human. Also living in a world that is is riddled with sin. You know, we are in a fallen state and we have different degrees of anxiety. Some people struggle with this more than others and we want to talk about it to help those who are truly struggling. We know the Bible tells us to be anxious for nothing, which often just adds weight to the anxious people. They get anxious now about being anxious, but it's easy to hear that, but sometimes very difficult to put it into practice. For the next couple of days, we'll be hearing from our Dear friend, the Dr. Greg Jantz about managing anxiety, especially if you or a loved one is struggling with it. And I think this discussion will give you great tools to identify anxiety and help. You know, how to turn to the Lord and other resources for help.

[John Fuller]

Yeah. And this was our top Focus on the Family show of the year. So clearly there are a lot of people who are feeling anxious and seeking help.

[Jim Daly]

Well, since we first aired this program, we were saddened to Hear the news. Dr. Jantz passed away in a tragic accident this past summer. Certainly our prayers continue for his wife, Lafan, and their two sons. Lafan told us that she and others are continuing with Greg's work at the center, which he founded. And we will also pray that many more people will continue to find hope and healing there.

[John Fuller]

Dr. Jantz founded the center, a Place of Hope located in Edmonds, Washington, and it really is a renowned center for treating anxiety and depression. He poured much of his life into his work as a mental health expert. And really, Dr. Jantz was a pioneer in holistic care. Now he wrote a terrific book on this topic called the Anxiety A Life Changing Approach to Overcoming Fear, Stress, Worry, Panic Attacks, OCD and more. We've got the book here at the ministry and you'll find the link in the show notes. Here now is Our Best of 2025 broadcast featuring Dr. Gregory Jantz on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

I want to say just to begin with, there's hope for anxiety and this is affecting large numbers of folks.

[Jim Daly]

Well, let's hit that. It's one in five adults and one in four teenagers are suffering from anxiety and likely higher.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

We live in a culture of great fear. Every day we wake up and there's something else to be afraid of. Lots of fear, lots of anxiety.

[Jim Daly]

What's happening in the culture that's creating that kind of increase in anxiety?

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Well, Jim, we have a lot of unknowns. People wake up, they don't know. They don't know what to believe. They don't know what's true, what's not. And so we're seeing that since post pandemic, anxiety has become the number one diagnosis in our country.

[Jim Daly]

Wow, that's amazing. But it's true. Let's, for those that may not experience it, let's describe it so people can get a handle on it. What does anxiety look like and how is it different from depression?

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Sure.

[Jim Daly]

Well.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Or worry or worry. Worry. Think of worry as it's our thoughts, it's the cognitions. Worry is a mental process. I may have worried this morning that I wear the right clothes. Did I say the right thing? We worry and it's something we do to ourselves. Okay. But anxiety takes on a Life of its own. Anxiety has a physical side to it. You feel it in your gut, usually, and then it's like, where do you feel all that fear? It's my whole body, eventually. So we know that fear gets a stronghold in our life. So anxiety always has a physical component. Could be a headache, could be sleep disturbances. Anxiety could be you feel in your gut, your appetite seems off. You wake up during the night and you're like. Feel like you're wide awake, but you've just woken up. It feels like a panic attack. That's anxiety.

[Jim Daly]

Okay.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

You wake up in the morning and there's something kind of free floating that seems to follow you around and you can't seem to shake it off. That's anxiety.

[Jim Daly]

Now you and your wife Lafon Lafan's here in the studio today. Lafan, good to see you. She's out in the gallery. You did experience some turbulence in your life with a cancer diagnosis, and it really gave you some insight into that anxiety issue, what happened?

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

And I'll just add, all of us will have some anxiety at some time and maybe multiple times in our life. If you've been given a medical diagnosis that can create some anxiety. You have a loved one, in my case, Lafon, a cancer diagnosis. And so the first thing that happens is all the unknowns, what's going to happen? And we go to an immediate fear response. So in our situation, my anxiety was very real. I didn't know, where is this going to go? We have two young boys. Ultimately, you know, mom doesn't look so good. She's going through treatments and you have your kids asking you, is mom okay? Is mom going to live? And so those kinds of things add to the anxiety.

[Jim Daly]

And you both walked through that together. But it was sleepless nights and other things that you describe in the book.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Absolutely.

[Jim Daly]

It's like a shockwave to the norm.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

I want you to know I've walked through anxiety. And of course, we run a facility where we're working with people that come with anxiety. I see the reality of it. I know how paralyzing it can be. And I know that people can try to go, I've tried so many different things, and I still have this anxiety. Has God forgotten me? So those very real questions.

[Jim Daly]

And people are going to wonder, how's Lafawn? So tie a bow on that story.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

We don't want to end. So how's Lafawn? Well, she's here today. She's with us today, and she's well and she's an example of what it's like for all of us as a family to walk through unknowns, to walk through anxiety, to have those sleepless nights, to have all those questions that come up, what's going to happen to my loved one?

[Jim Daly]

You say in the anxiety, reset your book, that some anxiety can be good.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Sure.

[Jim Daly]

Now people with anxiety are going, are you crazy? What do you mean by good anxiety?

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Well, there could be a motivating anxiety. I need to take care of something. Anxiety could be a signal that, oh, I need to address some things in my life. I'm not sleeping well, my appetite's off. I don't want to be with people. I want to isolate. Well, that's all a sign. What is it I need to address? So anxiety can be communicating to you, a need to address something. Now, I don't want it to get so intense that you can't think straight because, you know, anxiety takes all that blood flow from our brain the way God designed us, and it goes. The blood goes in the back of that primitive part of the brain. And we have something. I'm pointing here in my forehead because we have our executive function. This is where we're supposed to make good decisions. But if you're filled with anxiety, you can't think. And so this is why we've got to look at this and go, okay, this affects the whole person.

[Jim Daly]

Yeah. You know, there's. And maybe again, clinically you can help me, but there seems to be degrees of anxiety.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Yes.

[Jim Daly]

Some people can be so riddled with anxiety that they're actually frozen. They can't make decisions. Like you just said, they can't take that initial step. And I think sometimes we as believers, particularly, that don't experience that in the same way are trying to say the right thing. But we're probably adding a lot of weight to them. So just describe that awareness that we need to have to say, come on, you can do it. It's just this and what that sounds like to somebody with deep anxiety and.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Somebody with deep anxiety. I believe they would have done whatever they need because nobody wants to live anxiety. So the word grace comes to mind and we want to believe in that person that has anxiety. Okay, look at this from the whole person. There's going to be solutions. There are missing pieces to the puzzle. We're going to pray for great wisdom, but there are missing pieces of the puzzle. So they need us to come alongside them versus judge them real heavily. And, you know, it's hard to live with somebody with anxiety or even depression. It's hard to know what to say, because you really do love them, you really do want to help. And if you have a teenager that's got anxiety and you're seeing this in your kids, that can be very challenging.

[Jim Daly]

Right. And again, some things that you might say actually add weight to it rather than relieve it. Like, come on, you can do this.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

And it's all out of good. It's out of good intention.

[Jim Daly]

Yeah. Greg, let me introduce, insert this because we have many listeners and they have different theologies. You know, we all believe in Jesus, but then we have a lot of tributary rivers from that point. But for the people that may struggle with the idea that some medicine can help somebody with anxiety, well, you know, if the Lord is really in you and you love him and he loves you, I don't see why you would need medication. I'm not proposing that. I'm just saying some people may have that attitude. Just set the record straight about how physiology, pharmaceutical and the Lord all can work together to help someone.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

And it all needs to work together. And that's why we're not going to look for the magic pill. We're going to look at the whole person. Do I need something to help me, carry me over that bridge for a short period of time? Do I need that? And is that coming in the form of a medication? Sometimes I need to change my diet. When you're anxious, you love a lot of sweet food. When you're anxious, you may be doing the 10 cups of coffee a day, and that may not be helpful.

[Jim Daly]

Is this under the lifestyle rubric that you talk about? Is the lifestyle part of that? Too much coffee, Too much. What are the lifestyle contributors to anxiety?

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Well, if you're living a life that's been chronic stress, okay, you've had a lot of worry, there's been a lot of stress. You will develop at some point some anxiety because your body's going to cry out. Your body's going to say, I've had enough.

[Jim Daly]

What are those signs, though? Because again, for the layperson who hasn't earned their PhD, what does that look like? Just so I can be self aware, Maybe I'm thinking I might have anxiety, but I don't know. And that makes me anxious. That makes me anxious. But what are those things we should be looking at?

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

And we do want to be. I'm so glad you mentioned that because we want to be careful. We're not just putting a label on us. Oh, I have anxiety disorder. That's why I'm this way. No, I don't want you to do that. You may be struggling with anxiety. Let's come up with a plan that's going to help you with that and get you through that. Okay? Some of the signs that I may be really struggling. Well, you're going to probably eventually see it in your sleep. Sleep's not going to feel restful.

[Jim Daly]

I thought that was age. Okay, tick that box.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

As you get older, you may take sleep a little bit less.

[Jim Daly]

It seems like that's my pattern. I don't know about you guys, but.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

We'Re talking about a disruptive sleep. We're talking about a sleep that doesn't feel restful. When you wake up and you wake up with that sense of burden, something's in your gut. You feel something. It's hard to label what it is. People with anxiety may have headaches, they may have aches and pains, they have a hard time focusing. Things that were easy for you before. Now with anxiety, it's like I can't even concentrate. You go, I'm trying to read the Bible, but I'm reading that same verse or chapter over and over and I can't even remember what I just read.

[Jim Daly]

So that's anxiety, Family conflicts, doing the normal routines of life, paying the bills. Are those things that if they give us too much anxiousness, is that a sign that maybe we have some anxiety?

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Well, if I have an exaggerated response, I become hyper vigilant. Things that normally I could just handle those. Now I feel like I can't handle anything. So you're gonna have a lot of self doubt. Okay, I've got self doubt. And here's something I really wanna speak to. You may end up feeling unlovable. It's like, I just don't feel people really love me. I don't feel appreciated. I don't feel God loves me. So you can have that sense of just feeling. Anxiety lies to you. Anxiety tells you things about yourself that it's not true. That's why we say fear can get a stronghold, a spiritual stronghold in a person's life. It will lie.

[Jim Daly]

Mm, that's powerful.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

So keep that in mind.

[Jim Daly]

Yeah. Greg, we've had Dr. Chang here and he wrote a book called the Anxiety Opportunity. Yes, his thesis was, you know, Western medicine. We tend to want to take a pill and get rid of it or find ways to get rid of it. And his realization is, you are going to be able to moderate it, to minimize it. But people with anxiety, the expectation there needs to be how to manage it.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

And I believe we can go from managing to okay, Lord, God, give me the wisdom to know what needs to be addressed in my life. If I've had significant trauma or emotional abuse, and I have things in my life that really are unresolved that could be following me and creating anxiety. And so I want to look at what's the root causes of this. We mentioned lifestyle can be one.

[Jim Daly]

Yeah, that was my next question.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Yes.

[Jim Daly]

Well, I'm going to. So in that context, again, I just want to provide people with a perspective on what does it mean to live with anxiety. And I like that idea of minimizing it. But if your expectation is eliminating it, that may be a really difficult task for people with anxiety.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Well, you'll find that you have, with God's help, power over that anxiety.

[John Fuller]

Correct?

[Jim Daly]

Yeah, that's fair. That's a good point. Let's move to those root problems when you're taking a look at it. And just so folks know, we're going to spend a couple of Days with Dr. Jantz, so we're not going to get all tucked in today because there's more to talk about. But for day one here, what are some of those root causes of anxiety?

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Well, I mentioned trauma, early childhood trauma, and this is difficult to talk about, but there could have been significant abuse. There could be betrayal. There could have been maybe your family moved a lot and you never really anchored in and had close friends. And so there was a lot of uncertainty in your life. So trauma comes in different forms.

[Jim Daly]

You know what's interesting with that? And I don't know, John, if you've had this experience, but so often if you don't struggle with anxiety and you have a family member or friend who does, and you hear those situations, some are obvious, like someone who was abused physically, sexually, whatever, your heart goes out and you're instantly connected to that. And there's got to be a lot of healing for that person. But somebody that moved around a lot, you start going, well, okay, that seems pretty light. But we have to be equally as intense about that experience that they had because we're not living it with them.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

And maybe they feel like they never had a friend or relationships never lasted.

[Jim Daly]

So we don't know all the connecting factors to that description is my point, and for us to be sensitive about that. You had a story in the book about Diane. I'm sure that's not her real name, but it was a patient of yours and she's given you permission, obviously, to use this. But what was Diane's story with trauma?

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Yes, Diane was a executive at a very large Software company and she worked in the legal department.

[Jim Daly]

There's a little bit of stress right there.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Right. And she also had two kids and her husband also had a career where he was traveling a lot. And what happened was, you know, it's just managing the schedule. How do you manage the kids and the schedule and the quote, executive stress got to be too much.

[Jim Daly]

I think her mom is also suffering.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Her mom had Alzheimer's.

[Jim Daly]

It's like everything was folding in on her right around her.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

And it was probably her felt that she had to carry it all. And she was up to a certain point. But then we begin to break down for her. Couldn't sleep. She would describe situations where during the night, wake up two or three in the morning and everything's on her mind. Her mind is racing. She's trying to solve work related problems in the legal department. And she's got the kids and things are not going well with the kids. She has one teenager who's particularly acting out. So it's pretty complex. And of course she wakes up in the night and her husband happens to be on a trip. And it just reached a breaking point.

[Jim Daly]

And what did that look like for her?

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

So for her, her breaking point was she even had panic attacks. So her body was crying out. You know, by the way, a panic attack is a form of anxiety. So it's the person, after a while, their body says, I've had enough. And the body's going to respond and you're going to have, it feels like you're dying, but you're going to have a panic attack. So there's a physical reason for that. So her body, there was the physical responses to this. So you know what she wanted to do? She wanted to isolate, run away and never come back.

[Jim Daly]

Sounds ratchet.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

That's what anxiety does.

[Jim Daly]

But in the end, what was her.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

In the end she sought help. But we had to begin to create a more realistic schedule. She had to learn what does self care really look like? How do I really take care of myself? And she had to get family support, she had to get others involved in her life. And you know, ultimately it did involve the husband, some marital counseling coming up, a different plan to manage our lives.

[Jim Daly]

Yeah, and that's so good. And that's part of the process and why we want to encourage people to get a copy of your book as a starter, but then to engage with Christian, good Christian counseling that can help, particularly the believers, to be able to live a life that's empowered and can get up.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

And I can tell you I'VE seen some really difficult situations. And Jim, you can live a different life.

[Jim Daly]

Well, that's also hopeful that people can get there, and that's important. Greg, let me ask this as well. We've talked a lot about the science of anxiety, but what are some of the ways that Jesus speaks to us in the scripture about anxiety?

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Well, we hear and the first thing that comes to our mind is the two words fear not.

[Jim Daly]

Right.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Okay. There's a lot of scriptures around fear. Okay. I use Second Timothy 1:7 as my foundation when I'm dealing with anxiety. And that says, for the Lord did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love. And I like this. A sound mind. Okay. So what we're doing when we're dealing with anxiety, we're working on building that sound mind. How do we build it with the whole person? I got to look at my life spiritually. I got to look at my. Do I have a relationship in my life that's creating a lot of anxiety? You know, look, I need to look at everything. Do I have some really poor lifestyle issues that's creating anxiety? Do I have a secret addiction? Am I so anxious that I'm drinking alcohol every night in order to deal with anxiety? Then I'm creating more anxiety. So this requires a whole person assessment.

[Jim Daly]

That's good. Let me ask you this. Anxiety will affect nearly every part, as you're saying, of a person's life.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Yes.

[Jim Daly]

What are some of those common areas where anxiety diminishes our well being? I mean, you've mentioned that with alcohol, but again, it's kind of an assessment.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Sure. Well, you'll want to escape from people, so you'll also probably want to do escapism behaviors. You get home at night and you go, I deserve that ice cream. And you sit down and have that half gallon of ice cream.

[Jim Daly]

Is that a problem?

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

So you get into patterns where we.

[Jim Daly]

Look for comfort, isolation.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Yeah. And I can also choose digital social media over real people.

[Jim Daly]

So it's a coping skill.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

So I'm looking for comfort, but most of the things we choose create more discomfort and in the end create more anxiety. But we're looking for that relief.

[Jim Daly]

Yeah. Well, and that's another good sign. If you're snagged by anxiety and you're isolating yourself, you're gaming, I mean, in abundance.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

I just need to look at what am I doing and have an honest conversation with yourself. What am I doing that could be contributing to more anxiety?

[Jim Daly]

Yeah. That's so good. Let's wrap up here and we'll pick up next time like we talked about. But some of those practical steps. Again, some people are just coming in the last half of this program. What are some of those practical steps to heal a person that is suffering with anxiety? Practical steps.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Well, one of the practical steps that we can do is and I love 3 by 5 cards. Can I show you something?

[Jim Daly]

Yes.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Okay. Really?

[Jim Daly]

You got them in your pocket?

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

I got them in my pocket. It's always good because a three by five card. Okay, here's a blank one. So is I need you to write down what are all, all the issues that's creating anxiety for me. Just write it down. But I said a three by five card because I don't want you to write a legal pad full.

[Jim Daly]

Right.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Okay. Just the top. Maybe it's top eight or 10 things that are creating anxiety. Write them down. Okay. Of those, some of those I could address. But some of those I need other people to help me with.

[John Fuller]

Okay.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Is it work related? And then look at the predominant emotions. Am I carrying around a lot of anger, frustration? Is that a big issue? Because I'm probably going to have some anxiety.

[Jim Daly]

Right.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

But I want you to be honest. This is creating awareness. Next is action.

[Jim Daly]

Yeah.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

And the action may come. Okay. I'm not making good decisions. I need to get some help. And being honest, I need to get some help with this.

[Jim Daly]

I was going to say, and not to cut you off, but I'm thinking of the person who might call here at Focus on the Family. And we want to encourage people to call. We got free counseling that you can.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Take advantage of and do take advantage of.

[Jim Daly]

Yeah, it's an awesome opportunity. Then we can refer you to a pre qualified counselor in your area. We have I think about 1500 counselors on our referral list. So it's a good mechanism to get help. So don't hold back. Get ahold of us. And John will give those details in a moment. But I'm thinking of that person. When you mention the word anger. I've heard this more than a dozen times from people. You know, I really do struggle with anger. But you know, it's kind of how God made me. It's just I don't have a dose of patience.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Sure.

[Jim Daly]

You can't stay there.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

You can't stay there because that goes to unforgiveness and that goes to resentment and bitterness.

[Jim Daly]

Yeah, that's like a person who's unwilling to work toward the fruit of the spirit. You know, that's how God made me. I don't really have A lot of patience.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Right.

[Jim Daly]

It's not a restaurant menu. I mean, these are things that you need to be growing in your neighbor.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

And here's what we know, that anger, maybe another word for anger, could be hurt. It's going to make you really toxic. You're going to feel emotionally toxic and you're going to be toxic to all the people around you. So one of the areas we always look at with anxiety is are there any areas of unforgiveness in your life?

[Jim Daly]

That's another good idea.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

That's a big one.

[Jim Daly]

Write that down on a three by five.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

Yes. Do I need to look at bitterness and resentment in my life that's going to create anxiety?

[Jim Daly]

Yeah. Wow, this is so good. Dr. Gregory Jantz, this is the start. This is day one. But we're going to come back and have another day with you to talk about your great book, the Anxiety Reset. And I'm looking forward to it. Thanks so much for being here today.

[Dr. Gregory Jantz]

So good to be with you.

[John Fuller]

Our top show of the year with the late Dr. Gregory Jantz. What a great conversation.

[Jim Daly]

Yeah. And if this discussion has struck a chord with you and you're thinking, I need this, or I know somebody who needs this, get ahold of us. If you can make a gift of any amount, we'll send you the book the Anxiety Reset as our way of saying thank you for being part of the ministry. When you give to Focus on the Family, you're also providing hope and joy to friends and families who rely on it.

[John Fuller]

Donate today as you can, and that really helps us provide those counseling services that Jim mentioned. Our number is 800, the letter A in the word family, 800-232-6459 or donate when you click the link in the show notes. Thanks for joining us today for Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. I'm John Fuller inviting you back as we share part two of this excellent conversation with Dr. Gregory Jantz and once more help you and your family thrive in Christ.

[Jim Daly]

Jesus Christ is the ultimate source of truth. As we celebrate his birth this Christmas, I hope you'll be inspired to share God's truth with grace and love. Become better equipped by listening to my podcast, Refocus with Jim Daly from Focus on the Family. Every episode, I talk to fascinating guests about important cultural issues and how we can reach people for Christ and share his Joy. Listen at refocuswithjimdaily.com or wherever you get your podcasts.