How to Stop Spiraling Into Worry and Find Peace Through Christ
What if?
Those two words often trigger a wave of worst-case scenarios. Worry can feel like a crushing weight on your chest, setting off a spiral of fear in your mind that spins completely out of control. Unclenching your hands is hard; letting go feels even harder. Surrender? That can feel impossible.
But Scripture offers a better way.
What Philippians Teaches About Peace
In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul writes:
“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (CSB)
Paul didn’t write these words from a mountaintop or a moment of ease—he wrote them from prison. From a place of deep uncertainty, he encourages the church in Philippi not to panic, but to pray. He knew that the shift from anxiety to peace isn’t easy, but it is possible.
And it begins with surrender.
From Control to Surrender
We often try to control what we were never meant to carry. It’s like spinning our tires in the mud—it exhausts us without moving us forward. Worry feels productive, but it only drains our peace.
What if instead of spiraling into anxiety, we turned our worry list into our prayer list?
Through prayer and petition, we are invited to bring our needs, our fears, and our burdens before the Lord. And in doing so, we make room for the peace that only He can provide.
Jesus Invites You to Lay It Down
Jesus doesn’t want you weighed down. He invites you to lay it all at His feet:
Every anxious thought
Every concern
Every difficult moment
Breathe out worry. Breathe in His peace.
Peace doesn’t mean the circumstances change—but it does mean your heart can be steady. Your mind can be quieted. Your soul can find rest.
When God Meets You in the Middle of the Spiral
Peace doesn’t mean worry disappears completely. But it does mean your heart can be guarded by the presence of God—who is stronger than any fear.
In the spiral of worry, God whispers: I’m here.
When life feels out of control, He meets you there. He holds you steady, and His peace sustains you.
A Simple Next Step
What’s one thing you need to stop worrying about today?
Write it down.
Pray over it.
Release it to God.
And if that same worry creeps back in tomorrow? Surrender it again. God will meet you there—every time.
Scripture for the Anxious Heart
Here are a few more verses to anchor your heart in truth:
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on Him, because He cares about you.- 1 Peter 5:6-7
Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. -Psalm 55:22
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. -2 Timothy 1:7
Meet the Author
Kelley Spencer
Kelley is a Christian author, mental health advocate, and the mother of two boys (and one in Heaven) living in Minnesota. She loves tacos, pizza, walks on the beach, and staying active. Kelley is most at peace outside in nature, digging her hands in the dirt, hiking a trail, or exploring a new area. Kelley graduated from Concordia University - St. Paul with a Bachelor's in Communication Studies and Journalism. Kelley’s writing appears in The Mighty, Her View From Home, Dayspring, Living by Design Ministries, and Focus on the Family. She has God-sized dreams of publishing multiple books and bible studies. Connect with her on kelleyspencer.com or Substack.
Kelley's mission is to shine God's light in the darkness of mental health struggles, talk about the stigmas that exist in the Church, bring awareness to difficult topics of trauma, self-harm, and suicide, and show others who God is and how to run towards Him when hardship arises.
