Anxiety

I have always been a very social and outgoing person as I have stated in previous posts so when social anxiety started to really get in the way of that it was really difficult. I never thought that that was something that I would have to deal with I just figured you know since I enjoy talking to people and being around others then I would never deal with having anxiety being around people. I had my first big anxiety attack after a work party a little over a year ago and I never really told many people about it other than my mom who I came home crying to. I loved and still love my coworkers but for some reason leading up to this event I was feeling very overwhelmed and nervous, but I didn't fully understand why. All of the possible negative things that could happen were running through my mind. Once I got there, I felt dizzy, hot, sick, like I was holding back tears and overwhelmed. The event itself was a lot of fun and I didn't fully understand why all of this was happening. I talked to my mom once I got home and calmed myself down and later ended up going to a counselor and I was diagnosed with social anxiety. This was difficult to hear and something that limited me in past circumstances more than I understood. I feel like now more than ever so many people struggle with not just social anxiety but other forms of anxiety and many other mental health issues like depression and so on. I continued counseling and learned some ways to try to calm myself in situations that made me feel like I was drowning. I was blessed to find a Christian councilor who gave me scriptures of encouragement. My most recent anxiety attack was when I was getting ready to go to a new youth group with my friend. I was meeting her there and headed there after work. On my drive there which was about 35 min I began to feel sick and started getting flooding with all the kinds of possible outcomes of the night. I knew that if I let these thoughts continue and the feeling of sickness overcome me, I would have turned around and not gone that night. I began to play worship music and just cast out the enemy and declare that I no longer felt sick and overwhelmed and prayed for peace, and just like that I felt a heaviness lifted and I knew I was going to have a good time. This was such a big moment for me because I felt like I had a breakthrough with my anxiety, and I knew after that moment that I could declare the enemy to leave me and my anxiety to be gone and God was with me. I ended up having a wonderful time at the youth group and have since made many friends and I know that that was exactly where I needed to be and the enemy was trying to do everything, he could to take that away from me and stop me from going to something that was going to strengthen my relationship with Christ. Do I think I will still struggle with anxiety? 100%. But I now have a sense of peace knowing that I have God on my side and that I will not let the enemy hold me back from anything again and I will not let this be a limiting factor and something that holds me back. I hope that this can give anyone else struggling with anxiety and other forms of mental health issues a sense of peace and know that God is with you and if you fully trust in him, he can give you that came peace!