The Reason Anxiety is a Good Thing (90 Second Read)
Daniel Crosby • October 16, 2023

If you’ve ever exercised, then you know there’s some pain involved. You’re going to be sore the next day. That’s how you know you’re getting better. That’s normal pain.


However, if you’ve ever injured yourself, you know that it’s a different kind of pain. I used to be a runner until I hurt my hip a few years ago. That pain persisted. It got worse the more I tried to ignore it.


Here’s a weird thought: I’m glad that my injured hip was painful.


God created our bodies with built-in alarm systems. The pain receptors in my hip sent a signal to my brain that screamed:


Warning!


Danger!



Stop!


Anxiety is part of your emotional alarm system and it is GOOD!


Your brain and your body are calibrated to recognize risks and when you encounter those risks your alarm system goes into action.


  • If there are rumors at work that the company is going to begin layoffs, your alarm system goes into action.


  • If you see one of your kids falling in with the wrong crowd, your alarm system goes into action.


If you don’t pay attention to your anxiety, then you won’t recognize potential problems in your life and make changes to address them.


***If you’re annoyed by the idea that ANXIETY IS GOOD then don’t give up on me. We’re going to keep talking about how anxiety can also be a HARMFUL thing.


HOMEWORK:

On your list of Literal or Perceived struggles, now write down WHY you think that struggle is causing your alarm system to go into action? WHY is it warning you of a risk?

 

For instance, with the work example above: “I’m anxious about the layoff rumor because my wife and I only have $300 in savings. If I stop getting paid then we can’t pay our bills!”


Every day I help hurting frazzled people by walking with them as they get back on the path toward becoming who God created them to be. Shoot me an email if there’s anything I can do to help you or someone you know.

"Uncomfortable" Book Review

By Daniel Crosby • May 7, 2025
“Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community” by Brett McCracken is a great book to read if you’re a church person or if you’ve become somewhat detached and frustrated with the church. McCracken challenges all of us, conservatives and progressives, to think about the WHY behind Christian community and one of the fundamentals of finding the WHY is approaching it with humility. Maybe you having it your way and telling everyone else they’re wrong wasn’t exactly what Christ had in mind when He instituted the church. iPhones and iPads seem to have morphed into iChurch in a sense. American culture has turned Christ’s church into a business that caters to our comforts aesthetically, relationally, and politically. It’s made us consumers, critics, and reviewers of the Church rather than servants of THE Kingdom. It’s not wrong to have preferences and to like some things better than others. Music, décor, and speaking style are all over the spectrum at different churches, but he argues that the point of picking a church and serving in it should be less about does it meet my needs and more about whether I’m showing up and using this place along with this group to glorify God. He annoyed me in parts because he steps on my toes but maybe we need that a little more often. If you’re disenfranchised with the status quo and you feel like it’d be good to be challenged about church then go grab “Uncomfortable” by Brett McCrackin.

Look for Beautiful Things

By Daniel Crosby • April 28, 2025
Look for beautiful things when you're restless, uncomfortable, or on edge. There's something about acknowledging the good around us that helps us reset and realize that it's not all bad. If you're struggling to see beautiful things in the world, come see me and we can talk more about it. www.danielcrosbycounseling.com

"The Needs of the Heart" Book Review

By Daniel Crosby • April 24, 2025
“The Needs of the Heart” by Chip Dodd is a book that will blow your mind. When I picked it up, it’s a very small thin book. Less than 100 pages. I assumed I’d breeze through it in a couple of hours. About a month later I finished digesting it. The truth is we cannot fully live the life God has called us to unless we acknowledge that we do have needs, that these needs are good, and discover the healthy ways of meeting these needs. Chip takes common human needs like Security and Accomplishment and he unpacks what they really are pointing us to in his typical concise but brilliant depth. There’s no fluff here. With chapters just 3-4 pages each, you’re going to want to have a highlighter ready to underline, to ponder these topics, and maybe then to discuss them with someone you know and trust. You’ll come away from this book with a deeper sense what is already fulfilled within you and ones that might be lacking where you need to go do a deep dive with a lot of prayer and introspection. If you liked Chip’s book “The Voice of the Heart,” this is one is your next read. Go grab “The Needs of the Heart” by Chip Dodd.