First, let's look at the definition of some words from Webster.
Anxious - experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome
So what cause one to be anxious? It is in the definition of stress that we see it causes anxiety.
Stress- a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc.
: something that causes strong feelings of worry or anxiety
The Bible says a lot about worry, fret and being anxious. I'm going to focus on what is in Philippians chapter 4. Paul lays out a clear path to living in peace with oneself. Being anxious is our response to circumstances that we have no control over. Let's jump into what Paul say.
First he says to rejoice always. Not sometime or when you feel like it but always. That means even when you don't feel like it. Have you tried to be sad when you are praising the Lord for what is going on in your life? You can't stress over it either when you are rejoicing.
Next we are told to pray. Not just any prayer it is to be with supplication and thanksgiving. This is when we come to God and pour our heart out over what is going on. We are to let Him know what is going on, what has such a heavy weight around our heart. Then we are to include thanksgiving in our prayer. How can we be thankful when we are in such a stressful situation? We can be thankful for what He has done in the past, people in our lives, a new day, new opportunities...
Finally, we are given a list as to what we are to focus on.
Many times we do this once and we don't receive the peace that we are looking for and get discouraged.. Mainly, it is because we don't practice these things. Why don't we practice? It is because we don't go all the way through with what the Bible is saying, we tend to stop at a point. It wasn't until I really got into to writing and studying this section that I saw how it all goes together. It is then that I saw it is a daily practice that we have to do to receive God's peace not a one time thing and we will have peace. So practice, set a time each day to adjust you focus, and pray.