When Anxiety Tries to Steal Your Peace By Miriam Rees

Introduction

Anxiety is exhausting.

Not just mentally, but physically and emotionally too.

It can make your mind feel loud even when everything around you is quiet. It can steal rest, interrupt peace, cloud your thoughts, and leave your body carrying tension you don’t even fully realize is there.

And honestly, I think many people silently struggle with anxiety more than they admit.

Sometimes anxiety comes from trauma.
Sometimes it comes from grief.
Sometimes it comes from health struggles, uncertainty, hormones, stress, or simply carrying too much for too long.

Over the last few years, I’ve walked through seasons where anxiety tried very hard to steal my peace.

Anxiety Changes the Way You Experience Life

One thing people don’t always understand about anxiety is that it affects everything.

It affects:

• sleep
• focus
• emotions
• relationships
• physical health
• decision making
• even your ability to fully relax

Sometimes anxiety makes you feel like you’re constantly waiting for something bad to happen.

Even during calm moments, your mind struggles to fully rest.

And honestly, that kind of exhaustion builds over time.

My Body Went Through Things My Mind Was Still Trying to Process

Walking through idiopathic subglottic stenosis changed me emotionally in ways I didn’t fully expect.

There’s something deeply unsettling about struggling to breathe because breathing is something we normally never even think about.

Before all of this, I trusted my body differently.

Then suddenly there were:

• breathing struggles
• emergency situations
• surgeries
• fear of recurrence
• uncertainty about the future

Experiences like that affect the nervous system.

Even after healing begins physically, the mind sometimes stays stuck in survival mode longer than we realize.

Grief and Anxiety Often Walk Together

Losing my mom added another layer of emotional heaviness I wasn’t fully prepared for.

Grief already feels heavy on its own, but grief also has a way of increasing fear, emotional sensitivity, and anxiety.

Sometimes your mind starts worrying more because loss reminds you how fragile life really is.

And honestly, when you combine grief, hormonal shifts, stress, illness, exhaustion, and emotional trauma together, it can feel overwhelming at times.

Perimenopause Added Another Layer

I think many women underestimate how much hormones can affect emotional health.

Perimenopause can bring:

• mood changes
• sleep struggles
• emotional sensitivity
• increased anxiety
• overwhelm
• brain fog
• feeling unlike yourself emotionally

There were moments where I felt frustrated because I didn’t fully feel like myself emotionally anymore.

And when your body, hormones, emotions, and stress levels are all shifting at once, it can become difficult to know what’s causing what.

Anxiety Loves to Steal Peace Slowly

One thing I’ve noticed about anxiety is that it rarely arrives loudly at first.

It usually starts quietly.

A thought.
A fear.
A “what if.”
A feeling you can’t fully shake.

Then before you realize it, your mind starts living in constant anticipation instead of peace.

That’s one reason anxiety can become so emotionally exhausting.

God Never Asked Us to Carry Everything Alone

One of the biggest things God has been teaching me is this:

I was never meant to carry every fear, burden, or outcome on my own shoulders.

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” — 1 Peter 5:7

That verse sounds beautiful, but honestly, learning how to actually surrender anxiety to God is not always easy.

Sometimes I have to do it repeatedly.

Sometimes daily.
Sometimes hourly.

Because anxiety has a way of trying to pull my thoughts back into fear.

Peace Is Not the Absence of Hard Things

This is something I’m still learning:

Peace does not mean life suddenly becomes easy.

Peace is not the absence of grief, illness, uncertainty, or difficult seasons.

Real peace is knowing God is still present in the middle of all of it.

There were moments during my journey where circumstances were still difficult, but I could still feel God holding me emotionally through it.

That kind of peace doesn’t always make sense logically.

But it’s real.

Things That Help Me Feel Grounded

I’ve learned that peace often grows through small daily choices.

Things that help calm my mind and nervous system include:

• prayer
• quiet mornings
• worship music
• sitting outside
• slowing down
• deep breathing
• journaling
• reading Scripture
• reducing noise and overstimulation
• talking honestly with God

And honestly, sometimes simply giving yourself permission to rest matters more than people realize.

God Is Gentle With Anxious Hearts

One thing I deeply love about God is that He is not harsh with anxious people.

Scripture does not shame struggling hearts.

Instead, over and over again, God offers:

• comfort
• rest
• peace
• gentleness
• reassurance

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted…” — Psalm 34:18

That closeness matters deeply during anxious seasons.

Scripture Reflection

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.” — Isaiah 26:3

I love this verse because it reminds me that peace is found in staying connected to God, not in controlling every outcome.

Devotional Thought

Maybe anxiety has been stealing your peace lately.

Maybe your mind feels tired from carrying fears, uncertainty, grief, stress, or emotional exhaustion.

But you do not have to carry all of it alone.

God is not overwhelmed by what overwhelms you.

And even in anxious seasons, His peace is still available.

Prayer

Lord,

When anxiety feels heavy, remind me that I do not have to carry every fear alone.

Quiet my mind when it races, calm my heart when it feels overwhelmed, and help me trust You with the things I cannot control. Teach me to rest in Your presence and remind me that Your peace is greater than my fear.

Amen.