Anxious? Worried? Fearful? You Need This Book!

Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises

Do you suffer from anxiety? Do you worry a lot? Does fear keep you trapped in a corner? If you’re ready to break free, I’ve found the perfect handbook. Balanced self-care involves facing what shrinks us and learning to break the grip of what holds us back.

Dr. Michelle Bengston, Revell, September 17, 2019, 208 pages.

Pretty much everyone has struggled with worry, anxiety, and fear, so everyone could benefit from this book. In her first two books, Dr. Bengston addressed depression—a companion she knew intimately. Once again, Dr. Bengston writes from the heart about something that plagues all of us—anxiety and their cohorts worry and fear.

Dr. Bengston starts by explaining the difference between the three emotions of worry, anxiety, and fear. She also explains panic and phobias. Unaddressed, each one of these emotions can negatively affect our lives.

The author intersperses personal anecdotes and stories from those who suffer from worry, anxiety, and fear so that the book never sounds like a textbook. Her engaging style makes it easy to understand both the clinical definitions of these emotions and the practical application of how deal with them.

I had no idea that brain chemistry and heredity contributed to worry, anxiety, and fear. Some people have a predisposition to these potentially crippling emotions through no fault of their own. Understanding this helps me view people with curiosity and kindness (rather than my usual impatience). This new knowledge helps me have more patience with myself, as well.

Dr. Bengston points out that, “medicines for anxiety can treat the symptoms but not the underlying causes.”

And that is where this book comes in.

Who Needs This Book

According to Dr. Bengston,

“While brain chemistry can impact mood and behavior, thoughts (e.g., ‘This place isn’t safe,’ ‘I can’t handle this anymore,’ ‘I’m overwhelmed,’ etc.) actually impact brain chemistry.”

Dr. Michelle Bengston

Based on this fact, Dr. Bengston lays out practical ways to take our thoughts captive so that we can regulate our brain chemistry and suffer less from worry, anxiety, and fear. And who wouldn’t want to escape the black cloud those emotions can cause?

Each chapter ends with a prescription (actions we can take to implement the lessons from the chapter), a prayer we can personalize to help us implement the lesson, and a playlist of inspirational music with messages that reinforce the truths.

Part memoir, part practical guide for reclaiming the peace God promises, Breaking Anxiety’s Grip will guide the reader to a better understanding of self and the Creator who wants to enter into a relationship with us so that we can function at our finest.

Whether you think you suffer from worry, anxiety, or fear or not, the book provides a wonderful resource for both self-reflection and tools to help us come alongside a fellow traveler who suffers.