12 Beliefs - Principles-Steps of Anxiety - Anonymous

A-A Belief / Step #1:

Having confessed with my lips and believed in my heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, my Soul (my human life/entire person), 'I/ME', has moved from being one with the 'old-self', to being one with the new (Spirit) self'. Therefore, negative thinking no longer stems from 'I/ME'. It stems from the 'old self'. I've been set free!

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A-A Belief/Step #2:

My observing mind faculty can see what my mind's 'attention' is on. My will mind faculty can choose to move it away from mind stories and commentaries, and towards my present moment/direct experience . . . . what I'm seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching / feeling (i.e. gentle breeze) . . . living life.

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A-A Belief/Step #3:

I practice acknowledging, accepting, and welcoming the existence of anxious thinking, and 'feeling' the bodily sensations it can produce. I choose not to fight with or try to eliminate it. Because, whatever I resist (which is the cause of suffering), just persists and grows stronger.

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A-A Belief/Step #4:

While my finite mind will never fully know or understand how, by an act of faith, I choose to practice believing the Truth that somehow - someway, God is mysteriously causing all things to work together for my good.

 

A-A Belief/Step #5:

When sticky/anxious thoughts have 'free-reign' in my mind and aren't gently responded to with Truth, or given/cast to God, strongholds can occur (ex. anxiety, OCD, depression). ​

 

A-A Belief/Step #6 

When I'm weak I'm strong in the Lord . . . . calling on the name of the Lord for help and assistance. Since God's power is perfected in me when I'm weak, I boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

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A-A Belief/Step #7.

The words 't-r-a-n-s-f-o-r-m-e-d' and 'r-e-n-e-w-e-l' imply that renewing my mind takes time. I choose not to believe mind lies such as: "you're not doing it right", "you're taking too long", "if you were just holier", "you'll never be restored", etc.

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A-A Belief/Step #8.

Practicing being still and silent with God, 20-30 minutes in the morning and 20-30 minutes in the early evening, leads to: a calmer mind, more energy, a calmer nervous system, and a greater sense of God's presence.

  

A-A Belief/Step #9.

When the old-self produces lies such as, "You'll never experience transformation, renewal, restoration, or healing, I willfully choose to gently respond with Truth: after I've suffered a while, God WILL restore me.

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A-A Belief/Step #10.

80% or more of the random, automatic, unplanned thoughts that the average person experiences, are repetitive, negative, or not helpful. They're normal and common. Therefore, I choose not to believe self-condemning thoughts for experiencing them.

 

A-A Belief/Step #11. 

Negative thought production is part of our 'human condition. They aren't all going to go away. However, by practicing the renewing of my mind, they eventually become powerless to influence me anymore.

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A-A Belief/Step #12. 

When my body does things I don't want it to do, it's not 'I' who does them, it's the sin living within me that does them. Therefore, I practice being merciful to others. Because, they too may do things they don't want to do, so, it's also not them who does them either.

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1. (Romans 10:9) (Catechism of the Catholic church)

3. (Carl Jung)

4. (Romans 8:28)

5. (1Peter 5:7) (2Corinthians 10:5)

6. (2Corinthians 12:9-11) (Psalm 70) 

7. (Romans 12:2) (2Corinthians 10:5)

8. (Psalm 46:10) (Mark 1:35).

9. (1Peter 5:10)

10. (Galatians 5:17) (Romans 7:19-21)

11. Rev. Thomas Keating

12. (Romans 7:15-20) (Romans 8:38-39)​​​​​​​​​​​