Overwhelming Anxiety in a Time of War: Finding Solid Ground Through Faith

Here we are again. Breaking news, a new conflict has erupted in a distant land. We are glued to our televisions, computers, or smartphones, drawn in by a relentless news cycle that bring the unnerving feeling of uncertainty in a world that seems to be in constant turmoil.

As a chaplain in the Army Reserves and throughout my 21-year Army career, the all too familiar phone calls from friends and loved ones panicking over a news story of new conflict have been a frequent reminder that overwhelming anxiety during times of war impact those I love the most more than me.

We live in an age when technology keeps us connected to conflicts, even though they happen far away. We find the weight of what’s unfolding in the world, settling into our homes as if it is there to take charge. This can bring about anxiety, especially during war.

Wartime stress isn’t confined to the battlefield or the families waiting by the phone. It will creep into ordinary life, the grocery store, the drive to work, and even in the moments before sleep. Overwhelming anxiety in the middle of a global conflict is real, valid, and something that far more people of faith grapple with than most of us are willing to admit.

Wartime stress can feel invisible from the inside, even as everything on the outside looks completely normal. We go to work. We show up for our family and sit in the pews on Sunday morning. In fact, as pastor of a local church, there have been times when I have to walk in on a Sunday morning with more questions than answers about conflicts erupting around the world.

At times I wonder, Will it be me called up to go next while at the same time trying to reassure my family, friends, and congregants? The reality is that underneath all the functioning is something that feels increasingly fragile. If you feel like this, you’re not alone, and you’re not without hope.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. – Psalm 23:1–3, ESV

What Wartime Stress Actually Does to You

Our nervous system was not designed to absorb a continuous stream of crises. Still, with today’s technology, that is what happens: conflict dominates the news cycle and social media feeds. It leads to the sense that the world is unstable. Even though we’re not in a war zone, our bodies respond to this threat in measurable ways.

Our sleep becomes unreliable, and our concentration slips. We find that we’re easily startled and emotionally short-tempered with the people we love at the end of the day. We are exhausted beyond the point where rest can fix it. We find ourselves constantly hooked on scrolling through the feeds for updates and news.

We think that being constantly informed is a way of restoring a sense of control, even when we have no direct connection to the conflict. Compassion fatigue and secondary trauma are real. The grief we experience when we watch human suffering from a distance lands somewhere in the body and the mind, and does not dissolve simply because you step away from the computer or set down the phone.

For Christians, there’s an additional weight that comes in the quiet voice whispering that feeling afraid means you’re not trusting God. This internal pressure adds to the weight of the stress that we already carry simply because we care. Even in this, we can rest in God’s protection:

For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. – Psalm 27:5, ESV

When Overwhelming Anxiety Becomes a Daily Reality

There is a difference between feeling concerned about what is happening and feeling consumed by it. Overwhelming anxiety goes past awareness and into something that disrupts our ability to engage in our daily lives. We wake up dreading the day before it has even begun. When joy feels completely inaccessible, we find ourselves mentally rehearsing a worst-case scenario in a loop that runs on its own, whether you want it to or not.

Military families, people connected to the conflict, or those who carry unresolved trauma from their own history find that wartime news triggers responses that reach well beyond ordinary worry. The result is that our minds draw connections between what is happening in the present and old wounds that were never fully healed. Suddenly, what we see unfolding across the world feels personal.

The Place Where Faith and Mental Health Meet

Some faith communities believe anxiety is a spiritual problem. The mindset in some of these communities is that praying more, studying the Bible more, and trusting God more will remove the fear that wartime news has created. Spiritual disciplines are valuable, and Scripture speaks to anxiety. The writers of the Psalms were not strangers to wartime, grief, or despair. It was all brought before God, honestly and openly, and without the performance of having it all together.

Anxiety is not eliminated by faith, but the foundation of faith does not shift when everything around you does. Faith offers a perspective that goes beyond the present moment into something eternal. It connects us to a body of believers who are meant to carry each other through the hard seasons. Christian counselors work in a way that integrates the realities of spiritual and psychological thought processes and understand that both matter.

With support, you can learn to handle your anxiety. The key is knowing what to do with it.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6–7, ESV

Finding Your Footing: Practical Steps Toward Overwhelming Anxiety Relief

Navigating overwhelming anxiety is not a one-size-fits-all process. Several practices can help us navigate a world where news is accessible every hour of the day. The first step is to limit our consumption to a defined window during the day and allow our nervous system to settle.

Making time for physical movement helps the body process stress hormones instead of accumulating them. Practices that ground us and redirect our attention to what is present and immediate interrupt the mental loops that keep anxiety running.

During a season of sustained stress and isolation, connection matters. Having honest conversations with a trusted friend or a small group that is not afraid of hard questions can build a defense against the feeling of impending doom.

Christian counselors understand the intersection of faith and mental health. They can encourage you to name what you’ve been quietly carrying. This is the first real step toward something better. Reaching out for help can be difficult, but it is a courageous step toward releasing wartime anxiety.

Hope When You Battle Anxiety

The world has had its share of war, and each generation has faced the challenge of living faithfully amid it. This doesn’t make it easier, and it doesn’t reduce the anxiety or lessen the weight of concern. But it does mean that each of us is not the first person to bring fear and faith into the same room and ask God how to handle them both.

We’re not spiritually deficient or failing. We are human, and we are living through a season that is asking a great deal of each of us.

The great thing is, we don’t have to figure it out alone. There is grace in asking for help from God, who holds all things, and from Christian counselors who are trained, compassionate, and ready to walk alongside us. The possibility of healing from wartime stress and anxiety is in process, and it is in reach no matter when we decide to begin.

If you are experiencing overwhelming anxiety related to wartime stress, or you have a loved one who is grappling with it, there are people to help. Daily life doesn’t have to feel difficult, regardless of what’s happening in the world. You can contact our reception team to schedule a time to meet with a counselor who can help you navigate this season of anxiety.

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. – Zephaniah 3:17, ESV