12 Principles of Anxiety - Anonymous

AA Principle #1: The Truth, and only the truth, will set one free.

AA Discussion: Our research and work experiences have shown, that for most people, giving negative thoughts 'free reign', and not gently confronting them with Truth, the Word of God, is the number one cause of most health problems.

 

AA Principle #2. Christians have a brand new identity . . . a new I/ME (Ephesians 4).

AA Discussion: A Christian's identity, their I/ME, their Soul, moves from being united or one with the old man, lower nature, or flesh self-spirit and becomes one with the NEW man, HIGHER nature, SPIRIT self when they choose Christ. Therefore, knowing that negative, anxious, obtrusive thinking stem from a Christian's former identity, and not their current new/true identity, is a believer's highest level of liberation and path to freedom.

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​AA Principle #3. Even though a Christian's identity becomes NEW MAN, the majority of the automatic, random, and unplanned thoughts that they experience will be negative.

Discussion: Experiencing anxious, obtrusive, or negative thinking is totally and completely normal, whether a person is a Christian or not. Due to original sin and concupiscense (inclination to evil), we will experience them as long as we live in our earthly bodies. Consciously choosing not to believe self-condemning or despairing thoughts about oneself for experiencing them, is a healing practice. 

         

AA Principle #4. Sometime during the second half of life, Christians are called to work on dying to a 'himself', or, old man (Matthew 16:24).

AA Discussion: For most, in the first half of life, the unconfronted old man or ego becomes the dominant motivational force in our lives, producing (often unconciously) thoughts and behaviors such as: pride, greed (avarice), lust, envy, gluttony, wrath (anger), sloth and so on. In the second half of life, we're called by God to transform ourselves through the renewing of our minds, by gradually dying or letting go of the old man or ego. Yes this requires God's graces, but, it also requires a conscious effort and a conscious decision to begin this journey. The first to second half of life transition is often preceded by a catalyst, such as a major loss or pain event. This is why God says we're to consciously choose to keep believing in Romans 8:28, and, remember that it's through weaknesses, that God's power is being perfected in us (2Corinthians 12:9).​

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AA Principle #5. Christians are called to 'be transformed' by the renewal of their minds. 

AA Discussion: In the beginning, a good first practice is to just lose interest in the content of ALL thinking. It's a great starting point for those beginning their mind renewal journey. We do this by using our OBSERVING or AWARENESS mind faculty to see what our mind's ATTENTION is focused on throughout the day. If we observe it's focused in the mind on thinking, we just use our will to say: "not interested, no thanks",  and willfully bring our ATTENTION back to sense living (what we're seeing, what we're hearing, what we're touching or feeling in our bodies). A second practice occurs when the mind gets focused on a highly 'sticky/upsetting' thought that produces strong feelings or emotions (ex. fear, anger, guilt). Should this happen, we direct our will to proclaim Words of power, God's Truth: 1) "this thought is false: I don't worry about life. my body or tomorrow", 2) "this thought doesn't stem from I/ME/new man, it stems from the old man", and 3) "God, I give this situation/experience to you, it's yours. Thank you for taking it". We then gently move our attention back to our direct/present moment experience (what we see, hear, feel, etc) and give thanks.

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AA Principle #6. Electronic device use and screen time contribute to an increase in a body's anxiety levels.

AA Discussion: The more we use electronic devices or spend time on screens, the more cortisol and adrenaline, the stress hormones, that are released into our blood stream. And, the more stress hormones we experience in our blood stream, the more negative physical and mental health issues we'll likely experience in our bodies (tension, inflammation, dis-ease, anxiety, depression, etc.).

 

AA Principle #7. We are called to take time to 'be still' in God's presence.

AA Discussion: Jesus says we're to come to Him when we are feeling weary and burdened and He WILL provide rest (restoration). Through a daily/regular practice such as 'Christian centering prayer’, one can accomplish this command. We have to be careful not to fall prey to the temptation to strain or over work our spritual activities, as if all healing depended upon us/our doing. We need to take time to be still . . . to allow God to do the healing and us do 'the being', as Chapter 10 of St. John of the Cross' classic writing, "Dark Night of the Soul" explains.

  

AA Principle #8. God’s Word says that after a person has suffered a while, they will be restored.

AA Discussion: This is an important Truth that a person can hold onto, especially when they notice the old man/lower nature/flesh self generating despairing or depressing thoughts that they'll never experience restoration.

 

AA Principle #9. In general, a calmer/ more relaxed body experiences less anxiety.

AA discussion: A calmer body typically experiences less physical sensations, and less physical sensations typically lead to a reduction in the number of anxious stories and commentaries in one's mind.  A progressive-bodily relaxation exercise 2 to 3 times a day, has excellent healing properties.

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AA Principle #10. There were doctors and physicians back in Jesus’ time. 

AA Discussion: It's AA's belief and experience that overall, in most cases and situations, doctors and mental health professionals do more good than not. 

 

AA Principle #11. Stiving to make healthy life-style choices is a very beneficial practice to those who experience above average levels of anxiety.

AA Discussion: Staying properly hydrated, not eating 3 or 4 or more hours before going to bed, avoiding food and drink with added sugar, alcohol, and caffeine when possible,  taking walks, and most importantly having a consistant bedtime routine, all help facilitate healing, renewal, and restoration.

 

AA Principle #12. God's Word says that at times, our bodies will do things we don’t want it to do. 

AA Discussion: This can be a dangerous verse, because for Christians, it's not 'they' that does these things, it’s the sin that lives within them that does them. But scripture goes on to say we're not to use this grace and freedom as an excuse to satisfy the deisres of the flesh. The implication here is that it's very beneficial to make a conscious effort, whether the desire or feeling is there or not, to make a mental or verbal act of forgiveness towards ourselves and others who've hurt us or others. Why? Because they too may also not want their bodies to do the things it wrongly did, and therefore it’s also not they that did them, it was the sin living within them that did them. ​​​​​​​​​​​​