Women in the Church
Adam Hoover
Biblical Seminary
The issue of gender roles in the people of God has deep roots. It goes all the way back to the garden in Genesis 2 and 3 and continues into the writings of the epistles. There has been a lot of debate and confusion in the church over women’s place in God’s family. In this paper we will explore how the curse in Genesis 3 has affected our view of women and how God has used women for his kingdom purposes. We will also look at the ultimate goal God has for his people and how the difficult and seemingly contradictory writing of Paul take part in this larger story.
Originally God created man and woman in his image and he said for the very first time in scripture that it was “very good.” (Gen 1:31) Man and woman were to together rule over all of creation (Gen 1:28). Then sin enters the picture with the rebellion of Adam and Eve against God. There were great consequences to this not least of which was Eve’s subjugation to Adam. (Gen 3:16) Adam also became subject to the ground to toil in his labor. Both Adam and Eve’s subjugation are painfully seen continued throughout the next several acts of the book and into our modern world. God did not create Adam to be subject to the ground or Eve to be subject to Adam but these were the results of sin breaking into our world. “The fall distorted mutuality by turning women against men and men against women; oneness became otherness and rivalry for power.” (McKnight pg.165)
The domination of man over woman can be seen through the Old Testament. This can be observed in what Israel became: a patriarchal, male dominated culture. (McKnight pg 157). But throughout these times God still raised up and used gifted and faithful women, placing them into leadership roles. Examples can be seen in Miraim, Deborah, and Huldah who play key roles in leading Isreal as a spiritual leader, leader of the government, and prophetess respectively. In reading though the scripture passages that recount these women’s stories it is impossible to deny that God used women in leadership roles to accomplish his purposes.
God instates laws through Moses, many of which put limits on male domination by placing restrictions on divorce, adultery, prostitution, and extra-marital affairs. God didn't approve of the abuse of women; instead he tried to curb it. “In its time, the old covenant provided the best possible situation for God to establish a community that would be responsive to his will. However, the ravages caused by the fall were so severe that they defiled the life of God's people in some of its most sacred expressions. The marriage ordinance provides a case in point. All the advantages of divine revelation and of moral guidance available to God's people did not suffice to help them recover the mutuality that had prevailed in marriage before the fall. Man continued to rule over woman under the cover of a depraved family structure that dehumanized them both.” (Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian, Beyond Sex Role, pg. 68)
This is the world that Jesus enters. Does Jesus follow tradition and not rock the boat? -No, Jesus challenges many of the cultural norms of his day involving women. Jesus saw women as people. James Hurley puts it in his book Man and Woman in Biblical Perspective. He says, "The foundation-stone of Jesus' attitude toward women was his vision of them as persons to whom and for whom he had come. He didn't perceive them primarily in terms of their sex, age or marital status. He considered them in terms of their relationship or lack of relationship to God." (Hurley, pg.83). We see Jesus looking toward the life and healing of women in John 4, John 8, Luke 7,Luke 10, Luke 13, Mt 9, Mt 15 and John 20. These actions show that he did not view their needs and lives as unimportant. However, on the other side of the coin, women were conspicuous absent from leadership in Jesus’ movement.
As Jesus is being crucified we witness the faithfulness of the women in his life. It was two women who did not abandon Jesus’ grave and these women who were the first to see Jesus on the third day, the day of his resurrection. The resurrected Jesus revealed himself first to women and then to men. Women were the first to have faith and then men. We see both men and women receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:18) as a mark insuring their inheritance and place in God’s family (Eph 1:13, Rom 8:18)
We also notice women take a more prominent role in the new covenant time of the people of God. Christian women such as Lydia were the spiritual pioneers of their families and led their whole family to faith in Jesus(Acts 16). We hear about Junia who was “outstanding among the apostles” (Romans 16:6). Pricilla taught God’s way (Acts 18:26) and Phoebe was a deacon (Romans 16: 1-2).
So far in the story we see women being oppressed and then liberated radically quickly. This brings us to the more confusing letters of Paul and Peter to the early church. In 1Corinthians 11:3-16 Paul is challenging the church in Corinth to conduct themselves in a more “fitting and orderly way” because of conduct in the church that seemed unfitting and disorderly to him. There is much to be debated in these verses of scripture and many different conclusions about women’s role in the church have been drawn from them. The restrictiveness of these verses do not seem to fit with the larger story of scripture.
In verse 3 Paul writes “now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is man and the head of Christ is God.” This could be interpreted to say that man is over woman just as God is over Christ. But is God over Christ? The scriptures don’t teach that the Father rules over the Son but that they share equality and that one day the Father will give the reign of his whole Kingdom over to his Son. If anything we see a kind of mutual submission in the Trinity. Instead of meaning “over” or “boss” the word “head” could mean “source” or “origin”. Strong’s concordance (g2775) describes it as meaning “to bring under headings, to sum up, to summarize” which seems to indicate that Paul was saying that woman came from man. He continues this thought in verse 11 and 12 when he says that “woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. “ This shows both man and women’s dependence on each other.
1Corinthians 14:31-31 says that “women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak but must remain in submission, as the law says.” Taken literally and as a command that transcends culture women would have to remain absolutely silent in church; no testimonies, no greeting, no singing. I have never seen a church that interprets the passage this way. Most choose an interpretation that recognizes that this was not a command to be taken completely literally and forever. We try to make this command suitable for the culture we live in. We can also see that Paul does not take this command literally himself when in his previous letter mentioned, 1Corinthians, he says that he does permit women to pray and prophesy (11:5). Paul did not expect all women everywhere to remain silent, but only some women should remain silent based on his discernment. He seems to indicate that he discerned this based on the disruptive question asking that was happening and tells them to “ask their own husbands at home” (14:35).
1 Timothy 2:11-15 continues the themes of headship and silence and adds deception, submission, teaching, and authority into the mix. It is important to look at the way this passage was written. What is said and what is not said? The Greek word is epitrepó means to turn to, to trust, to instruct, or to permit. It is the only time it is used in the scriptures. It is not the norm for a way an instruction is carried out. The word epitrepó is used in the first person singular present. This differs with “epitrepē o theos” which is used in Hebrews 6:3 to say “ God permits”. We see in other letters of Paul’s that some commands can be his discerned thoughts for the people receiving the letter but not necessarily binding laws. He says, “Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy” in 1Cor 7:24. This contrasts charges made in 1Timothy “I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels…” (5:12) and direct commands “Do not entertain an accusation…” (5:19), “No widow may be…” (5:9).
Paul mentions in verse 13 that “Adam was formed first, then Eve.” One could interpret this to say that Adam was formed first and therefore is higher than Eve. This could be seen as a rule of thumb for all time because it reaches back to the garden. Paul is speaking directly about the fall of man into sin in Genesis 3. He reaches back to Genesis 3 but not to Genesis 1 and 2. This is similar to 1Corinthians 14:31-31 where Paul makes reference to the law which was revealed after Genesis 2 as well. In this context women are to be subject to man as a result of sin. When a church is still living out of the curse of Genesis 3 women should not have authority over men.
Paul himself differentiates between a Genesis 1-2 type of life and a Genesis 3 type of life when he says “In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God” (1Cor 11:11,12). In the Lord life is different from what life is like outside of Christ. Jesus did not come to keep the curse going but became the curse so that we could be free (Gal 3:13). We are all one in Christ. Those who are in Christ are not under the law that Paul mentions in his letter to the Corinthians (1Cor 14:34, Romans 6:14) but instead, as Paul says about life in Christ, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Authority, leadership and submission all radically change when moving from a Genesis 3 type of dominating, top down, heavy handed leadership to a servant style leadership. Jesus came to model for us how the one who holds authority is to be servant (Mt 32:11). This is demonstrated most poignantly in John 13 when Jesus “knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he” (John 13; 3-4) washed feet. The knowledge of his power prompted him to serve those under him. The top to bottom system gets flipped around. Paul reinforces this same idea when he is speaking of the church saying “those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor” (1Cor 12:22). The church is not a top down system, rather it is a bottom up system that shows great respect and honor to all parts of the body. “God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” (1Cor 12:24)
It is important to be open handed in the disagreements among Christians about the nature of gender roles. Some believe the Bible teaches a timeless principle of male authority, where authority is defined in terms of the servant-leadership exemplified by Jesus Christ. Others believe that the idea of male authority expressed in Scripture is a culturally-conditioned teaching, and not trans-cultural law. They believe that the ideal model of marriage is that of mutual submission and leadership personality within an equal relationship. When guided by the principles of Godly love and servant-leadership, either model of gender roles can serve to foster God-glorifying relationships.
References
Bilezikian, Dr. Gilbert (1985). Beyond Sex Role: Baker academics
McKnight, Scot (2008). The Blue Parakeet: Zondervan
Hurley, James (2002). Man and Woman in Biblical Perspective: Wipf & Stock Publishers
Monday, October 25, 2010
The short on Women
Hi Teal,
I was actually surprised at how convinced that women should be in ministry. I came into the study leaning the other way.
I will attach my paper but in short... (well in retrospect, not sooo short..)
Gen 2- men and women are equal with each other and have dominion to rule over the rest of creation together (not to rule over each other).
Eve was created to be a help to Adam. We assume that the helper is like the janitor or lackey but 'helper' is used 75% of the time to refer to God. Normally it is an upward movement. Eve was created after Adam. This is also sometimes held to mean that she is inferior, but if we look at the order of creation we see that the most sophisticated creatures are created last, not first. This would if anything imply that women were higher in the created order. At the least it is more complicated than most people give it credit for.
Gen 3- Woman is deceived. Man is not deceived; he know what he is doing and deliberately sins. You tell me which is better, to be decieved into sin or to knowingly walk into it. At this point God give the curse, part of which is that women's desire will be for her husband and he will rule over her (vs 16). The ruling of the man over the woman is part of the curse! Not the way that God had planned things in the garden.
From this point on in the Old Testament we see women in leadership over women but rarely over men. We see man become domineering to the point where Solomon had 1000 wives and women were seen more like objects or property than people.
Then Jesus comes in. Jesus comes to be the curse and end it for us (Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree" Gal 3:13.) We know the kingdom is both now and not yet. We see God's kingdom in this world but know it will not be fully fulfilled until Jesus' return. The curse is on its way out but will not be completely removed until Jesus returns (No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. Revelation 22:3).
So from Jesus' resurrection onward we see both the curse and the redemption. Paul writes strong words to churches who are living under the law and curse instead of the redemption. He even appeals to the law in 1 Cor 14:34 to say that women should not speak and be submissive. This is the law that Jesus fulfilled and they are clearly not living in the redemption but under the law.
But later Paul (same author) writes and says "In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God (1 Cor11:11-12)". And he does permit the women of Corinth (who he says not to speak in church) to pray and prophesy (1Cor 11:15) in church. And he says to the Galatian church that, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." IN CHRIST things are different than they are under the curse. IN Christ we see...
Christian women such as Lydia were the spiritual pioneers of their families and led their whole family to faith in Jesus(Acts 16). We hear about Junia who was “outstanding among the apostles” (Romans 16:6). Pricilla taught God’s way (Acts 18:26) and Phoebe was a deacon (Romans 16: 1-2). Anna was a prophetess who prophesied about Jesus while he was still a baby (Luke 2:36). We see both men and women receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:18) as a mark insuring their inheritance and place in God’s family (Eph 1:13, Rom 8:18). As Jesus is being crucified we witness the faithfulness of the women in his life. It was two women who did not abandon Jesus’ grave and women who were the first to see Jesus on the third day, the day of his resurrection. The resurrected Jesus revealed himself first to women and then to men. Women were the first to have faith and then men. Something that helps me to remember this is that - women were first to be deceived but also first to ones who believed.
I think this issue goes hand in hand with slavery. It is something that can be permissible for a time but is never God's ultimate plan for us. And I see the church cutting off half of its leadership giftings, skills, passions, and potentials because they are not living in Christ but under the law and curse.
I was actually surprised at how convinced that women should be in ministry. I came into the study leaning the other way.
I will attach my paper but in short... (well in retrospect, not sooo short..)
Gen 2- men and women are equal with each other and have dominion to rule over the rest of creation together (not to rule over each other).
Eve was created to be a help to Adam. We assume that the helper is like the janitor or lackey but 'helper' is used 75% of the time to refer to God. Normally it is an upward movement. Eve was created after Adam. This is also sometimes held to mean that she is inferior, but if we look at the order of creation we see that the most sophisticated creatures are created last, not first. This would if anything imply that women were higher in the created order. At the least it is more complicated than most people give it credit for.
Gen 3- Woman is deceived. Man is not deceived; he know what he is doing and deliberately sins. You tell me which is better, to be decieved into sin or to knowingly walk into it. At this point God give the curse, part of which is that women's desire will be for her husband and he will rule over her (vs 16). The ruling of the man over the woman is part of the curse! Not the way that God had planned things in the garden.
From this point on in the Old Testament we see women in leadership over women but rarely over men. We see man become domineering to the point where Solomon had 1000 wives and women were seen more like objects or property than people.
Then Jesus comes in. Jesus comes to be the curse and end it for us (Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree" Gal 3:13.) We know the kingdom is both now and not yet. We see God's kingdom in this world but know it will not be fully fulfilled until Jesus' return. The curse is on its way out but will not be completely removed until Jesus returns (No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. Revelation 22:3).
So from Jesus' resurrection onward we see both the curse and the redemption. Paul writes strong words to churches who are living under the law and curse instead of the redemption. He even appeals to the law in 1 Cor 14:34 to say that women should not speak and be submissive. This is the law that Jesus fulfilled and they are clearly not living in the redemption but under the law.
But later Paul (same author) writes and says "In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God (1 Cor11:11-12)". And he does permit the women of Corinth (who he says not to speak in church) to pray and prophesy (1Cor 11:15) in church. And he says to the Galatian church that, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." IN CHRIST things are different than they are under the curse. IN Christ we see...
Christian women such as Lydia were the spiritual pioneers of their families and led their whole family to faith in Jesus(Acts 16). We hear about Junia who was “outstanding among the apostles” (Romans 16:6). Pricilla taught God’s way (Acts 18:26) and Phoebe was a deacon (Romans 16: 1-2). Anna was a prophetess who prophesied about Jesus while he was still a baby (Luke 2:36). We see both men and women receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:18) as a mark insuring their inheritance and place in God’s family (Eph 1:13, Rom 8:18). As Jesus is being crucified we witness the faithfulness of the women in his life. It was two women who did not abandon Jesus’ grave and women who were the first to see Jesus on the third day, the day of his resurrection. The resurrected Jesus revealed himself first to women and then to men. Women were the first to have faith and then men. Something that helps me to remember this is that - women were first to be deceived but also first to ones who believed.
I think this issue goes hand in hand with slavery. It is something that can be permissible for a time but is never God's ultimate plan for us. And I see the church cutting off half of its leadership giftings, skills, passions, and potentials because they are not living in Christ but under the law and curse.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
from france with love
TASHA etADAM de grosses bises et vous dire que l'on suit le programme d'ALPHA chezAnita avec GAEL nous avons retrouvé les personnes qu'on avez contacté avec toi JO pense que le christ c'est vous par votre gentillesse,et votre dévoument en vers les autres et votre Amour JO vous cite toujours en réfèrence nous vous faisons de trés grosses bises nous vous avons préparé votre chambre elle vous attend !!!!
JO et COLETTE vos parents français
JO et COLETTE vos parents français
Monday, October 11, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
ASSUMPTIONS vs. ASKING
1) We all want things to go smoothly- have no bumps in the road.
2) We all want someone to read our mind.
-If you are assuming you know what the other person will say or do, or what they are thinking…STOP!
There is no way you can read their intent. You just can’t.
We must get better at SUSPENING JUDGEMENT.
This is a counter intuitive activity.
Suspending judgment is a significant adult skill that most people never develop.
This is different that “giving them the benefit of the doubt”. That is not a good phrase to say or think, because it means that you are still guessing (i.e. giving them the opportunity to surprise you / do the opposite of what you think they’ll say or do).
What you want to do is have POSITIVE REGARD for the person. And then either 1) Suspend Judgment or 2) Ask them.
Assuming is human nature. We all like filling in the missing puzzle pieces in life. So you have to develop the counter intuitive skill of suspending judgment.
Following God is also counter intuitive.
Making Decisions
Gottman says that 70% of couples’ issues do NOT need to be resolved.
*The primary goal is understanding, not agreement.
Agreement is not necessary for intimacy.
Bring forward your own desires to the other person. Put them on the table as a gift to the other person. Be straight with them! It’s a gift.
(Hud’s example of when he wanted to get a babysitter for Friday night. He called up the young woman and asked “So what are you doing this Friday night?” when he should have just been straight and asked “Are you free to babysit for Nancy and me this Friday night.”
The girl cannot respond to the first question well if she doesn’t really know exactly what is being asked of her.)
You never want to kill another person’s dream.
You might not be able to grasp their dream, but don’t kill it for them.
(Hud has always had the dream of wanting to someday build a house/cabin in the mountains. Nancy has never killed that for him, even if she thinks it probably won’t ever happen,
she doesn’t “dream-kill”)
Find a place to dialogue- not argue, but talk.
*Play the game where each person has to state what the other person is saying. You don’t move on until the other person can reflect back the exact gist of what you just said.
1) We all want things to go smoothly- have no bumps in the road.
2) We all want someone to read our mind.
-If you are assuming you know what the other person will say or do, or what they are thinking…STOP!
There is no way you can read their intent. You just can’t.
We must get better at SUSPENING JUDGEMENT.
This is a counter intuitive activity.
Suspending judgment is a significant adult skill that most people never develop.
This is different that “giving them the benefit of the doubt”. That is not a good phrase to say or think, because it means that you are still guessing (i.e. giving them the opportunity to surprise you / do the opposite of what you think they’ll say or do).
What you want to do is have POSITIVE REGARD for the person. And then either 1) Suspend Judgment or 2) Ask them.
Assuming is human nature. We all like filling in the missing puzzle pieces in life. So you have to develop the counter intuitive skill of suspending judgment.
Following God is also counter intuitive.
Making Decisions
Gottman says that 70% of couples’ issues do NOT need to be resolved.
*The primary goal is understanding, not agreement.
Agreement is not necessary for intimacy.
Bring forward your own desires to the other person. Put them on the table as a gift to the other person. Be straight with them! It’s a gift.
(Hud’s example of when he wanted to get a babysitter for Friday night. He called up the young woman and asked “So what are you doing this Friday night?” when he should have just been straight and asked “Are you free to babysit for Nancy and me this Friday night.”
The girl cannot respond to the first question well if she doesn’t really know exactly what is being asked of her.)
You never want to kill another person’s dream.
You might not be able to grasp their dream, but don’t kill it for them.
(Hud has always had the dream of wanting to someday build a house/cabin in the mountains. Nancy has never killed that for him, even if she thinks it probably won’t ever happen,
she doesn’t “dream-kill”)
Find a place to dialogue- not argue, but talk.
*Play the game where each person has to state what the other person is saying. You don’t move on until the other person can reflect back the exact gist of what you just said.
Monday, August 30, 2010
OCD
Do you have it?
From Candeo and http://understanding_ocd.tripod.com/ocd_cycle.html
How The OCD-Cycle Functions.
For a bystander it must seem strange to see someone go through hours of meticulous rituals, only to find some temporal relief. To see them engage in all kinds of absurd and time-consuming behaviors which end up making them feel unhappy/restricted for having done them.
These contradictions make OCD so hard to understand for some. But just imagine that behind each action is an anxiety- based urge.
Although the relief of anxiety is only temporary, it is still better than no relief at all.
Simplified OCD consists out of Obsessions and Compulsions.
You can read more about Obsessions and Compulsions on different pages of this Site.
But for now this page focuses on the way OCD actually continuously reinforces or sustains itself and why it's a disorder that is impossible to "simply snap out of", but which by understanding the cycle can be worked on.
Here Is a Simple Visual Aid of How the OCD-Cycle Works.
In all OCD is a self- supporting system, the combination of having anxiety triggered, not being in control of this and finding relief through actions that give you a sense of being in control is making the effects of this OCD- cycle so powerful. This is why therapy often includes some kind of Behavioral Therapy.
This type of therapy tries to break the OCD-cycle by slowly but steadily taking away the section that brings the "relief", being the rituals.
If this is done enough times, the tolerance towards the anxiety will get increasingly higher.
Whereas someone would normally immediately resort to using its known system of physical/Mental rituals, they will now have to trust that the anxiety they feel isn't life- threatening and will subside given some time.
Sounds simple enough, anxiety comes up and you wait for it to stagnate and for it to eventually go away.
But that's the whole deal with anxiety, it's scary and one wants to stop this as soon as possible. However, persisting to face the anxiety has helped many regain much of their freedom.
http://candeocan.com/k3psaiaca483h110/
http://candeocan.com/k4ymbooyocdc17fj05/
http://candeocan.com/k1sfybntg45/
http://candeocan.com/dkhue8ad73n/
From Candeo and http://understanding_ocd.tripod.com/ocd_cycle.html
How The OCD-Cycle Functions.
For a bystander it must seem strange to see someone go through hours of meticulous rituals, only to find some temporal relief. To see them engage in all kinds of absurd and time-consuming behaviors which end up making them feel unhappy/restricted for having done them.
These contradictions make OCD so hard to understand for some. But just imagine that behind each action is an anxiety- based urge.
Although the relief of anxiety is only temporary, it is still better than no relief at all.
Simplified OCD consists out of Obsessions and Compulsions.
You can read more about Obsessions and Compulsions on different pages of this Site.
But for now this page focuses on the way OCD actually continuously reinforces or sustains itself and why it's a disorder that is impossible to "simply snap out of", but which by understanding the cycle can be worked on.
Here Is a Simple Visual Aid of How the OCD-Cycle Works.
In all OCD is a self- supporting system, the combination of having anxiety triggered, not being in control of this and finding relief through actions that give you a sense of being in control is making the effects of this OCD- cycle so powerful. This is why therapy often includes some kind of Behavioral Therapy.
This type of therapy tries to break the OCD-cycle by slowly but steadily taking away the section that brings the "relief", being the rituals.
If this is done enough times, the tolerance towards the anxiety will get increasingly higher.
Whereas someone would normally immediately resort to using its known system of physical/Mental rituals, they will now have to trust that the anxiety they feel isn't life- threatening and will subside given some time.
Sounds simple enough, anxiety comes up and you wait for it to stagnate and for it to eventually go away.
But that's the whole deal with anxiety, it's scary and one wants to stop this as soon as possible. However, persisting to face the anxiety has helped many regain much of their freedom.
http://candeocan.com/k3psaiaca483h110/
http://candeocan.com/k4ymbooyocdc17fj05/
http://candeocan.com/k1sfybntg45/
http://candeocan.com/dkhue8ad73n/
Ocd - anxiety
From : http://www.firststeps-surrey.nhs.uk/anxiety.htm
Anxiety: the low-down
We all experience anxiety from time to time. Anxiety is part of the body’s natural response to danger – a means of alerting the mind to impending threat and ensuring we stay out of its way. But for some people anxiety can become overwhelming, continuing for prolonged periods of time and seriously affecting their ability to get on with everyday things. It’s estimated that more than one in ten people are likely to have a ‘disabling anxiety disorder’ at some point in their lives.
With generalised anxiety it’s not always clear what is making someone feel anxious. People often report being aware of feeling anxious all the time. When there’s no identifiable cause, people can then become anxious about feeling anxious, and a vicious circle begins. This type of anxiety can often relate to a particular underlying thought or belief that a person has about themselves or about the world in general. It can be very difficult for an individual to spot these kinds of beliefs because they are often a part of what makes us the people that we are.
Sometimes anxiety can take the form of panic. During a panic attack, the heart starts pounding and the person can feel shaky, sick or unable to breathe properly. Serious panic attacks can prevent people from going out or going to work. For more information on panic attacks, click here.
Anxiety can also manifest itself as a phobia, whereby people develop intense fears of particular situations or things. With phobias, people can be afraid of going outside, of being in crowded places, or of particular animals or insects.
In another expression of anxiety, people develop what is known as an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This is when people try to control their anxious feelings by performing certain actions over and over again, such as washing their hands, checking they have locked the door or turned off the gas. For more information on OCD, click here.
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Causes
Why do people suffer anxiety disorders? It is likely that many factors contribute to a person’s chances of developing an anxiety disorder. Experts have broken down the potential causes into three groups: genetics, brain chemistry, and the ‘fight or flight’ mechanism.
* Genetics
o Anxiety disorders tend to run in the family. If a parent has anxiety problems, their children will have a higher chance of developing anxiety themselves.
o Growing up in an abusive household can also influence predispositions or tendencies for nervousness and anxiety.
o Research shows a genetic tendency for chemical imbalances (see below) in people with anxiety, which owes much to inherited brain structure and processes.
* Brain chemistry
o Chemical imbalances in the brain can affect the way our ‘neurotransmitters’ (chemical messengers) regulate our thoughts and feelings. An imbalance of the brain’s two main neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine, can cause people to feel anxious or depressed.
* ‘Fight or flight’
o When the body is under threat it automatically prepares to either defend itself or run. This ‘fight or flight’ mechanism (that also triggers feelings such as anger, causes our heart rate to increase, our eyes to dilate, and the body to ready itself for a dangerous situation. Even though these effects are intended to help us survive, sometimes the body misunderstands a situation; perceiving danger when in reality there is none (sitting an exam, giving a speech, etc), leading to anxiety.
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Signs and symptoms
Anxiety is a mixture of thoughts, feelings, physical and behavioural symptoms.
Physical symptoms:
* Dizziness
* Headaches
* Periods of intense heart-pounding
* Tingling sensations and/or pins and needles
* Tremors
* Muscle aches
* Stomach upsets
* Loose bowel movements
* Periods of feeling winded
* Excessive thirst
* Frequent passing of water
* Failure to respond to sexual stimulation
* Painful or stopped periods in women
Thoughts and feelings:
* Worries and catastrophic thoughts (anticipating the worst outcome)
* Overestimation of danger
* Underestimation of coping abilities
* Underestimation of help available
* Feeling nervous, anxious or panicky
* Feeling irritable, easily lose their patience
* Becoming depressed and/or
* Becoming preoccupied or obsessed with one particular subject
* Having difficulty concentrating
* Having difficulty sleeping
Behavioural symptoms:
* Avoiding situations where anxiety may occur
* Leaving situations when anxiety begins to occur
* Trying to do things perfectly to prevent danger
* Trying to unrealistically predict the future in order to control events and therefore manage anxiety
The relationship between thoughts, feelings, physical symptoms and behavioural symptoms can create a vicious anxiety cycle that can be easily triggered and hard to break. If people fear or are anxious in certain situations, they can experience some of the physical symptoms above. These symptoms are unpleasant and can trigger thoughts such as ‘Something awful is going to happen’, ‘I am going to faint or have a heart attack’. Such thoughts can then lead people to behave in a way that will get them out of the situation or take precautions they think will help them cope (e.g. having a drink), but which in turn can just reinforce the anxiety.
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Selfhelp toolbox
Self-help: dealing with anxiety
The good news is that there are some very effective techniques for dealing with anxiety disorders. Most of these take a practical, step-by-step approach to coming to terms with the problem and addressing the physical symptoms and unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. Here are few examples:
1. Relaxation
To manage your anxiety you must first reduce the severity of your physical symptoms through relaxation. Relaxation could merely consist of doing something you find relaxing, such as reading, watching TV, listening to music or doing exercise. Such activities can help you unwind by taking your mind off any tension you might be experiencing.
Or, relaxation can take the form of a very specific technique, such as:
Distraction techniques help to take your attention away from anxious thoughts:
* Try to visualise a pleasant scene in your mind; perhaps somewhere you’ve been where you felt calm and happy – or an object, like a flower or your favourite car. Really concentrate on it, bring it to life in your mind.
* A ‘bridging object’ such as a photograph or souvenir from a happy time can, when looked at, help trigger positive thoughts and reduce anxiety.
* Try doing a puzzle or sums in your head, or reading a good book, or counting the number of red doors you see on your way home, or imagining what the people you see do for a living.
Once you are able to use distraction techniques effectively, try not to remain dependent on them, but also learn to challenge the anxious, frightening thoughts you’re experiencing (see number 2 below).
Simple breathing techniques can also help you relax. When you become anxious or frightened you often start to breathe more quickly, irregularly and shallowly, causing oxygen to be pumped around the body faster than normal, leading to tingling sensations, faintness and dizziness. One of the effects of over-breathing, often associated with anxiety, is that you feel you need more air when actually you don’t.
Try to recognise if you’re doing this and slow your breathing down. If breathing can be controlled, the severity of symptoms may be reduced and conditions successfully managed. It’s important that you establish a regular breathing rhythm, such as “in two-three, out two-three”, until things have returned to normal. To find out more about how to get your breathing under control, click here.
Deep muscle relaxation is great for anyone experiencing stress or anxiety. To practice deep muscle relaxation:
* Find a quiet, warm and comfortable place
* Choose your most relaxed time of day
* Lie down, get comfortable, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing for a few minutes, breathing slowly and calmly
* Say the word “calm” or “relax” to yourself as you breath out
* Breathe in when you tense your muscles and breathe out when you relax
Then, work through your muscles in order:
* Start with your hands. Clench one fist tightly and take note of the tension this produces in the muscles in you hand and forearm. Concentrate on this tension and then relax your hand
* Do the same with the other hand
* Now work through other muscle groups in the same way. Each time you relax a group of muscles think how they feel when they are relaxed. Don’t try to relax but just let go of the tension. Allow your muscles to relax as much as you can. Think about the difference in the way they feel when they are relaxed and when they’re tense
It is useful to stick to the same order as you work through the muscle groups:
* Hands - clench fists, then relax
* Arms - bend your elbows and tense your arms. Feel the tension especially in your upper arms. Remember, do this for a few seconds and then relax
* Neck - press your head back and roll it from side to side slowly. Feel how the tension moves. Then bring your head forward into a comfortable position
* Face - there are several muscles here, but it is enough to think about your forehead and jaw. First lower your eyebrows in a frown. Relax your forehead. You can also raise your eyebrows, and then relax. Now, clench your jaw, notice the difference when you relax
* Shoulders - shrug your shoulders up - then relax them
* Chest - take a deep breath, hold it in for a few seconds, notice the tension, then relax. Let your breathing return to normal
* Stomach - tense your stomach muscles as tightly as you can and relax
* Buttocks - squeeze your buttocks together and relax
* Legs - straighten your legs and bend your feet towards your face then relax
To make best use of relaxation you need to:
* Try to practice regularly – ideally every day if you can
* Start to use relaxation in everyday situations
* Learn to relax without having to tense your muscles first
* Use parts of relaxation to help in difficult situations, eg breathing slowly
* Try to develop a more relaxed lifestyle
2. Identify common thinking errors and challenge unhelpful thoughts.
Initially, try to identify any patterns in your anxiety by making a note of the times when you are more anxious than usual (e.g. if you would normally rate your anxiety at 6 on a scale of 1 – 10 where 1 is not anxious and 10 is extremely anxious, make a note of the times when your anxiety goes up to an 8 or 9). Then, once the times have been identified, try to think about what was happening at those times. What were you doing, who were you with, what time of day was it etc.? The next thing to note down and try to identify is: “What was I thinking at the time that led me to feel more anxious”? If you find this difficult or if nothing comes to mind, have a think about any images or memories that came up. Quite often, when our thoughts have been identified, they can be categorised into common thinking errors. These are:
Awfulising/catastrophising : thinking the worst and overestimating the chances of disaster, e.g. whatever can go wrong will go wrong, or viewing a setback as being part of a never-ending pattern of defeat. Ask yourself:
* What is the evidence for and against these thoughts?
* How many times have you had these thoughts?
* Have your worst fears ever materialised?
* What would you say to a friend who expressed similar thoughts about themselves or their lives?
The process could look something like this:
Anxious thought
I want to go on holiday, but I’m afraid that my plane will crash.
Evidence for
Aeroplanes crash from time to time.
Evidence against
Flying is actually the safest form of transport. Air crashes are very rare.
New Thinking
If I’m afraid of flying I should be afraid of driving too, as there are more accidents on the roads than in the air. So, maybe I shouldn’t worry about flying anymore. I’m going on holiday!
Jumping to conclusions (predicting the future): e.g. “I’ll never be able to do that.” Look for the evidence, how do you know you won’t be able to? Think of previous successes you have had.
Living by fixed/inflexible rules: e.g. constantly saying “must, should, ought…” Tell yourself to stop trying to be perfect. You can live according to your principles/rules, but don’t punish yourself if you can’t always keep to them.
All or nothing thinking: thinking in absolutes with no middle ground; black and white or good and bad, and a tendency to judge people or events using general labels, such as: “If I do that they’ll think I’m stupid”, “I’m a failure”. Try to see and allow for a middle ground and think about what evidence there is for and against your labelling.
Personalising: taking responsibility and blame for everything that goes wrong. Try to recognise the role of other factors and people when things go wrong, and remember that sometimes in life things just go wrong with nobody to blame.
Once you have identified what thinking error(s) you might be making, try to challenge your anxious thoughts. If you can’t think of how to challenge them, ask for advice from (or imagine the advice you would give and get from) two people you trust/admire.
3. Get active
Another strategy is to take aerobic exercise. Any low impact physical activity that leaves the heart racing slightly (e.g. swimming, brisk walking, gardening, dancing, yoga), but not involving carrying heavy weights or sudden exertion, will help.
By effectively giving the heart exercise it will, like any other muscle, become stronger. Exercise will help to release anxious tension and will stimulate the body’s own natural antidepressant chemicals, for more information about physical activity/exercise click here. A stronger heart will be less prone to the kind of pounding that can make the physical symptoms of anxiety so unpleasant.
4. Put your foot down – say “no” from time to time
It’s all too easy to become overloaded. Saying ‘yes’ all the time to other people’s demands and taking on more and more can lead to excessive pressure, which in turn leads to stress and anxiety. It’s healthy and perfectly acceptable to put your foot down and say “no” now and then.
This may mean a quick lesson in assertiveness: assertiveness is a way of expressing feelings, thoughts and beliefs in an open and honest manner without violating the rights of others. Assertiveness is a healthy alternative to aggression (where we abuse other people’s rights) or passiveness (where we abuse our own rights).
By being more assertive people can make sure their needs and rights are met, which can reduce tension.
For information on assertiveness, click here or visit www.pmhtglos.org.uk/assertive.htm
5. Improve communication
Talking things over with family, friends and loved ones, or other people that you trust, can be a very helpful process. Whatever you’re going through, open and honest communication can lift the burden and make you feel a whole lot better. Certainly don’t bottle things up. Talk to people about how you feel. If you find this difficult, your GP/doctor may be able to recommend a counsellor.
Alternatively, try contacting one of the telephone/email support agencies listed below and in the Useful Contacts section of this website.
There are probably many people out there who are experiencing similar feelings to you. If you think you would benefit from talking to them, there may be a local group in your area, or a website forum where you can chat online. Call First Steps to find out what’s available locally.
For other general self-help techniques, click here.
Anxiety: the low-down
We all experience anxiety from time to time. Anxiety is part of the body’s natural response to danger – a means of alerting the mind to impending threat and ensuring we stay out of its way. But for some people anxiety can become overwhelming, continuing for prolonged periods of time and seriously affecting their ability to get on with everyday things. It’s estimated that more than one in ten people are likely to have a ‘disabling anxiety disorder’ at some point in their lives.
With generalised anxiety it’s not always clear what is making someone feel anxious. People often report being aware of feeling anxious all the time. When there’s no identifiable cause, people can then become anxious about feeling anxious, and a vicious circle begins. This type of anxiety can often relate to a particular underlying thought or belief that a person has about themselves or about the world in general. It can be very difficult for an individual to spot these kinds of beliefs because they are often a part of what makes us the people that we are.
Sometimes anxiety can take the form of panic. During a panic attack, the heart starts pounding and the person can feel shaky, sick or unable to breathe properly. Serious panic attacks can prevent people from going out or going to work. For more information on panic attacks, click here.
Anxiety can also manifest itself as a phobia, whereby people develop intense fears of particular situations or things. With phobias, people can be afraid of going outside, of being in crowded places, or of particular animals or insects.
In another expression of anxiety, people develop what is known as an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This is when people try to control their anxious feelings by performing certain actions over and over again, such as washing their hands, checking they have locked the door or turned off the gas. For more information on OCD, click here.
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Causes
Why do people suffer anxiety disorders? It is likely that many factors contribute to a person’s chances of developing an anxiety disorder. Experts have broken down the potential causes into three groups: genetics, brain chemistry, and the ‘fight or flight’ mechanism.
* Genetics
o Anxiety disorders tend to run in the family. If a parent has anxiety problems, their children will have a higher chance of developing anxiety themselves.
o Growing up in an abusive household can also influence predispositions or tendencies for nervousness and anxiety.
o Research shows a genetic tendency for chemical imbalances (see below) in people with anxiety, which owes much to inherited brain structure and processes.
* Brain chemistry
o Chemical imbalances in the brain can affect the way our ‘neurotransmitters’ (chemical messengers) regulate our thoughts and feelings. An imbalance of the brain’s two main neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine, can cause people to feel anxious or depressed.
* ‘Fight or flight’
o When the body is under threat it automatically prepares to either defend itself or run. This ‘fight or flight’ mechanism (that also triggers feelings such as anger, causes our heart rate to increase, our eyes to dilate, and the body to ready itself for a dangerous situation. Even though these effects are intended to help us survive, sometimes the body misunderstands a situation; perceiving danger when in reality there is none (sitting an exam, giving a speech, etc), leading to anxiety.
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Signs and symptoms
Anxiety is a mixture of thoughts, feelings, physical and behavioural symptoms.
Physical symptoms:
* Dizziness
* Headaches
* Periods of intense heart-pounding
* Tingling sensations and/or pins and needles
* Tremors
* Muscle aches
* Stomach upsets
* Loose bowel movements
* Periods of feeling winded
* Excessive thirst
* Frequent passing of water
* Failure to respond to sexual stimulation
* Painful or stopped periods in women
Thoughts and feelings:
* Worries and catastrophic thoughts (anticipating the worst outcome)
* Overestimation of danger
* Underestimation of coping abilities
* Underestimation of help available
* Feeling nervous, anxious or panicky
* Feeling irritable, easily lose their patience
* Becoming depressed and/or
* Becoming preoccupied or obsessed with one particular subject
* Having difficulty concentrating
* Having difficulty sleeping
Behavioural symptoms:
* Avoiding situations where anxiety may occur
* Leaving situations when anxiety begins to occur
* Trying to do things perfectly to prevent danger
* Trying to unrealistically predict the future in order to control events and therefore manage anxiety
The relationship between thoughts, feelings, physical symptoms and behavioural symptoms can create a vicious anxiety cycle that can be easily triggered and hard to break. If people fear or are anxious in certain situations, they can experience some of the physical symptoms above. These symptoms are unpleasant and can trigger thoughts such as ‘Something awful is going to happen’, ‘I am going to faint or have a heart attack’. Such thoughts can then lead people to behave in a way that will get them out of the situation or take precautions they think will help them cope (e.g. having a drink), but which in turn can just reinforce the anxiety.
Back to top
Selfhelp toolbox
Self-help: dealing with anxiety
The good news is that there are some very effective techniques for dealing with anxiety disorders. Most of these take a practical, step-by-step approach to coming to terms with the problem and addressing the physical symptoms and unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. Here are few examples:
1. Relaxation
To manage your anxiety you must first reduce the severity of your physical symptoms through relaxation. Relaxation could merely consist of doing something you find relaxing, such as reading, watching TV, listening to music or doing exercise. Such activities can help you unwind by taking your mind off any tension you might be experiencing.
Or, relaxation can take the form of a very specific technique, such as:
Distraction techniques help to take your attention away from anxious thoughts:
* Try to visualise a pleasant scene in your mind; perhaps somewhere you’ve been where you felt calm and happy – or an object, like a flower or your favourite car. Really concentrate on it, bring it to life in your mind.
* A ‘bridging object’ such as a photograph or souvenir from a happy time can, when looked at, help trigger positive thoughts and reduce anxiety.
* Try doing a puzzle or sums in your head, or reading a good book, or counting the number of red doors you see on your way home, or imagining what the people you see do for a living.
Once you are able to use distraction techniques effectively, try not to remain dependent on them, but also learn to challenge the anxious, frightening thoughts you’re experiencing (see number 2 below).
Simple breathing techniques can also help you relax. When you become anxious or frightened you often start to breathe more quickly, irregularly and shallowly, causing oxygen to be pumped around the body faster than normal, leading to tingling sensations, faintness and dizziness. One of the effects of over-breathing, often associated with anxiety, is that you feel you need more air when actually you don’t.
Try to recognise if you’re doing this and slow your breathing down. If breathing can be controlled, the severity of symptoms may be reduced and conditions successfully managed. It’s important that you establish a regular breathing rhythm, such as “in two-three, out two-three”, until things have returned to normal. To find out more about how to get your breathing under control, click here.
Deep muscle relaxation is great for anyone experiencing stress or anxiety. To practice deep muscle relaxation:
* Find a quiet, warm and comfortable place
* Choose your most relaxed time of day
* Lie down, get comfortable, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing for a few minutes, breathing slowly and calmly
* Say the word “calm” or “relax” to yourself as you breath out
* Breathe in when you tense your muscles and breathe out when you relax
Then, work through your muscles in order:
* Start with your hands. Clench one fist tightly and take note of the tension this produces in the muscles in you hand and forearm. Concentrate on this tension and then relax your hand
* Do the same with the other hand
* Now work through other muscle groups in the same way. Each time you relax a group of muscles think how they feel when they are relaxed. Don’t try to relax but just let go of the tension. Allow your muscles to relax as much as you can. Think about the difference in the way they feel when they are relaxed and when they’re tense
It is useful to stick to the same order as you work through the muscle groups:
* Hands - clench fists, then relax
* Arms - bend your elbows and tense your arms. Feel the tension especially in your upper arms. Remember, do this for a few seconds and then relax
* Neck - press your head back and roll it from side to side slowly. Feel how the tension moves. Then bring your head forward into a comfortable position
* Face - there are several muscles here, but it is enough to think about your forehead and jaw. First lower your eyebrows in a frown. Relax your forehead. You can also raise your eyebrows, and then relax. Now, clench your jaw, notice the difference when you relax
* Shoulders - shrug your shoulders up - then relax them
* Chest - take a deep breath, hold it in for a few seconds, notice the tension, then relax. Let your breathing return to normal
* Stomach - tense your stomach muscles as tightly as you can and relax
* Buttocks - squeeze your buttocks together and relax
* Legs - straighten your legs and bend your feet towards your face then relax
To make best use of relaxation you need to:
* Try to practice regularly – ideally every day if you can
* Start to use relaxation in everyday situations
* Learn to relax without having to tense your muscles first
* Use parts of relaxation to help in difficult situations, eg breathing slowly
* Try to develop a more relaxed lifestyle
2. Identify common thinking errors and challenge unhelpful thoughts.
Initially, try to identify any patterns in your anxiety by making a note of the times when you are more anxious than usual (e.g. if you would normally rate your anxiety at 6 on a scale of 1 – 10 where 1 is not anxious and 10 is extremely anxious, make a note of the times when your anxiety goes up to an 8 or 9). Then, once the times have been identified, try to think about what was happening at those times. What were you doing, who were you with, what time of day was it etc.? The next thing to note down and try to identify is: “What was I thinking at the time that led me to feel more anxious”? If you find this difficult or if nothing comes to mind, have a think about any images or memories that came up. Quite often, when our thoughts have been identified, they can be categorised into common thinking errors. These are:
Awfulising/catastrophising : thinking the worst and overestimating the chances of disaster, e.g. whatever can go wrong will go wrong, or viewing a setback as being part of a never-ending pattern of defeat. Ask yourself:
* What is the evidence for and against these thoughts?
* How many times have you had these thoughts?
* Have your worst fears ever materialised?
* What would you say to a friend who expressed similar thoughts about themselves or their lives?
The process could look something like this:
Anxious thought
I want to go on holiday, but I’m afraid that my plane will crash.
Evidence for
Aeroplanes crash from time to time.
Evidence against
Flying is actually the safest form of transport. Air crashes are very rare.
New Thinking
If I’m afraid of flying I should be afraid of driving too, as there are more accidents on the roads than in the air. So, maybe I shouldn’t worry about flying anymore. I’m going on holiday!
Jumping to conclusions (predicting the future): e.g. “I’ll never be able to do that.” Look for the evidence, how do you know you won’t be able to? Think of previous successes you have had.
Living by fixed/inflexible rules: e.g. constantly saying “must, should, ought…” Tell yourself to stop trying to be perfect. You can live according to your principles/rules, but don’t punish yourself if you can’t always keep to them.
All or nothing thinking: thinking in absolutes with no middle ground; black and white or good and bad, and a tendency to judge people or events using general labels, such as: “If I do that they’ll think I’m stupid”, “I’m a failure”. Try to see and allow for a middle ground and think about what evidence there is for and against your labelling.
Personalising: taking responsibility and blame for everything that goes wrong. Try to recognise the role of other factors and people when things go wrong, and remember that sometimes in life things just go wrong with nobody to blame.
Once you have identified what thinking error(s) you might be making, try to challenge your anxious thoughts. If you can’t think of how to challenge them, ask for advice from (or imagine the advice you would give and get from) two people you trust/admire.
3. Get active
Another strategy is to take aerobic exercise. Any low impact physical activity that leaves the heart racing slightly (e.g. swimming, brisk walking, gardening, dancing, yoga), but not involving carrying heavy weights or sudden exertion, will help.
By effectively giving the heart exercise it will, like any other muscle, become stronger. Exercise will help to release anxious tension and will stimulate the body’s own natural antidepressant chemicals, for more information about physical activity/exercise click here. A stronger heart will be less prone to the kind of pounding that can make the physical symptoms of anxiety so unpleasant.
4. Put your foot down – say “no” from time to time
It’s all too easy to become overloaded. Saying ‘yes’ all the time to other people’s demands and taking on more and more can lead to excessive pressure, which in turn leads to stress and anxiety. It’s healthy and perfectly acceptable to put your foot down and say “no” now and then.
This may mean a quick lesson in assertiveness: assertiveness is a way of expressing feelings, thoughts and beliefs in an open and honest manner without violating the rights of others. Assertiveness is a healthy alternative to aggression (where we abuse other people’s rights) or passiveness (where we abuse our own rights).
By being more assertive people can make sure their needs and rights are met, which can reduce tension.
For information on assertiveness, click here or visit www.pmhtglos.org.uk/assertive.htm
5. Improve communication
Talking things over with family, friends and loved ones, or other people that you trust, can be a very helpful process. Whatever you’re going through, open and honest communication can lift the burden and make you feel a whole lot better. Certainly don’t bottle things up. Talk to people about how you feel. If you find this difficult, your GP/doctor may be able to recommend a counsellor.
Alternatively, try contacting one of the telephone/email support agencies listed below and in the Useful Contacts section of this website.
There are probably many people out there who are experiencing similar feelings to you. If you think you would benefit from talking to them, there may be a local group in your area, or a website forum where you can chat online. Call First Steps to find out what’s available locally.
For other general self-help techniques, click here.
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