Anxiety and Systems
To understand anxiety, we need to consider some core beliefs about human nature. Mankind was created with the “Imago Dei.” This Latin phrase means that by design humans reflect attributes of God’s character. In other words, mankind is full of beauty, wonder and value.
Unfortunately, stewardship of that gift failed. In what is called the “Great Fall,” mankind turned away from “submission to God” to “indulgence of self.” As a result, our Imago Dei suffers an immeasurable loss. One of the consequences of that loss is ANXIETY. So… while mankind was not made to be anxious, anxiety is part of the human condition. While this loss can be redeemed, it will not come from our mitigation efforts.
The question is not if you are anxious, but in what way does anxiety impact your daily life.
If we understand anxiety as part of the human condition, then our responses to it will shift. In his book, The Anxiety Opportunity, Curtis Chang suggest that anxiety is proportionally related to our avoidance of loss. The more energy we invest into avoiding loss, the greater our anxiety. This proportionality is fueled by a false belief that loss can be avoided. Because loss is guaranteed, avoidance amplifies anxiety. (imagine gas on a fire)
To complicate the matter, Anxiety is social.
In a recent podcast from the Harvard Business Review, Dr. Kathleen Smith, an associate at the Bowen Center, discusses the social dynamics of anxiety. Dr Smith invites listeners to consider that individuals are fundamentally relational. To be made in God’s image is to be made for connection (family, relationships, community, etc.). This is another application of the Imago Dei. We are not designed to be autonomous. We are meant to give and receive within a social system.
When those systems malfunction, we experience chaos. This means all social systems (family, work, community) become breeding grounds for anxiety. In case you missed it, that’s basically ALL THE TIME. We live in variant perpetual states of chaos. Without a gospel narrative we are the modern-day Sisyphus, perpetually pushing a rock uphill.
Work is no exception. All our endeavors, (good work) exists to bring order from chaos. But in a fight or flight world, our typical response is control or retreat. We either (according to Dr. Smith) over-function or under-function. The illusion of control and avoiding loss are the same. Fight or flight for peace never sustains. Lasting restoration requires submission.
Anxiety gives the illusion of control in the midst of fear, loss and isolation. The gospel promises renewal, inheritance and family.
Until we acknowledge what is lost in the “Great Fall,” we will not receive what the gospel has promised. The only way out of a downward anxious spiral is to acknowledge loss and turn toward the promises of the gospel. Jesus said, “I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:5. The promise of the resurrection is that loss does not have the final word, and our inheritance is fully restored. Our Imago Dei, the fully functioning reflection and enjoyment of God, is sealed!
Restoration is expensive, and the cost of our loss is high. When we submit to Christ we do not have to fear the unknown. We can stand in loss (chaos) because the price of peace has been paid for us. Consider God’s promise from Isaiah 43
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.”
Embracing this perspective means shifting from a “grass is greener” mindset to finding purpose in unknowns. Peace can be found when systems fail. It is not a zero-sum endeavor. The Gospel equips us to steward our loss for our joy, God’s glory and the life of the world.
“In this life you will have troubles, but take heart, Christ has overcome them” - John 16:33
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us…. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God… Therefore, we do not lose heart… we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” - 2 Corinthians 4:7-17