Take Every Thought Captive: Dealing with Anxiety, Depression, and Fear

Our thoughts come quickly and are not always the nicest. If people could hear our thoughts, most of us would stay in trouble. It is not only how we think about others and situations. It is the words we use on ourselves. The toxic, negative comments destroy our confidence, self-esteem, and hope. We must learn to take every thought captive and make it bend to our will to beat anxiety, depression, and fear.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. – 2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV

Ways to take every thought captive.

When your thoughts are spinning, you need to take every thought captive. Uncontrollable thoughts can lead you down a toxic path that leaves you depressed and doing things that can ultimately harm you. We must focus on Christ and the person He made us to be. Those self-deprecating thoughts do nothing for our self-esteem.

When your thoughts get a little too loud, try a few of the suggestions below to take every thought captive.

Know the truth.

To take every thought captive, you must know the difference between the truth (what God says about you) and lies (the beliefs you imagine about yourself or believe from listening to other people). The only way to discern a truth from a lie is to read and study the Bible. A devotional is wonderful as a starting point when you want to delve deeper, but do not allow devotionals to take the place of God’s Word.

The Bible reminds us of God’s love and desire to bring us closer to Him. It consists of Bible verses to understand and conquer anxiety, depression, worries, fear, anger, loneliness, pain, and more. You may want to purchase a Bible with a topical index to have one place to find a list of verses in a subject.

Reframe your thoughts.

What thoughts fly through your head during the day? Are they comments you would make to a friend or loved one? Or are they negative remarks that feed your anxiety and depression?

We can say some of the most hateful things to ourselves. We can cut ourselves down and then wonder why we engage in self-sabotage behaviors.

For example, a young woman wakes up every morning and weighs herself on a scale. When she sees a higher number, she berates herself. “I should have never eaten dinner last night. I’m so fat. No wonder I’m not married and don’t have a boyfriend. I can’t even stick to a diet. I’m worthless and ugly. No one wants me.”

This young woman leaves her bathroom depressed and barely makes it through the work day. By that evening, she’s had enough of trying and failing, and so she gives into a binge. The following day, the cycle repeats itself.

Do you see the pattern? This woman starts her day berating herself for weight fluctuations. She identifies her weight with her worth and uses this underlying belief as to why she is not dating or married. By the end of the day, she is engaging in the self-sabotage eating disordered behavior of bingeing, leading to more weight gain.

Instead of having toxic conversations with yourself, try reframing your thoughts. If the young woman in our example did this, she might think, “My weight is up a little bit this morning because I gave into a binge last night. But today is a new day, and I’m a new creature in Christ. I was made in God’s image and likeness, and I’m beautiful in my Father’s eyes and have His favor.”

Imagine if this young woman believed her own words. She would carry herself into work with her head held high. If she believed the new thoughts, she would be one step closer to defeating her bingeing behavior in the evenings.

What new thoughts and stories do you need to tell yourself to take power away from the toxic thoughts?

Journal those new thoughts.

Reframing your thoughts to make them empowering stories takes practice. If you have been feeding yourself the same negative comments for years, it will take a while to believe the new thoughts about yourself. Even when the new thoughts are steeped in God’s truth, those old beliefs (lies) are deeply ingrained.

As you study your Bible and speak words over yourself, write down these new beliefs. You can write them on index cards and hang them where you can see them or record them in a journal that you can add to throughout the years. The more you practice reframing your thoughts and changing your behaviors, the more likely the new beliefs will become ingrained over the old stories.

As you record your new beliefs, track your behaviors. Are you still struggling with self-sabotaging behaviors? Is your anxiety or depression better since you stopped talking negatively to yourself? Did you recognize a behavioral pattern in your own life?

Work to guard your heart and mind.

What we expose our minds to can help or harm us. What we focus on can bring us happiness and joy or misery and fear. The Bible says to guard our hearts. What we take in is bound to come out of our mouths.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. – Proverbs 4:23, NIV

Do negative people surround you? Do the people in your circle feed your anxiety? After you are around them, do you feel uplifted and supported or depressed? Your circle has much to do with your thoughts and mental well-being. Surround yourself with people who encourage you to live a Christian life while recognizing your worth.

Remember that the closer you grow to God, the more of His attributes you will adopt.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:7, NIV

Clear your head.

Just as your mental well-being is critical to taking every thought captive and lessening the impact of anxiety and depression, your physical well-being is equally important. You can diminish toxic thoughts by engaging in physical exercise. Exercise helps to clear your head and breathe deeper.

Anxiety and fear can force you to breathe at a shallower rate and lead to hyperventilating. Exercise causes you to breathe deeply to regulate your heart rate and recover after a hard workout. Exercise also signals the brain to release dopamine and other hormones that make us happy and creative. Thinking becomes clearer on workout days. We finish a workout with a sense of accomplishment and a positive body image.

Consider starting an exercise regimen a few days a week. After a few weeks, note how your thoughts change after a workout compared to your negative thoughts.

Find your people.

Sharing your struggles is a private conversation between you and a confidant. Having a few close friends to whom you can turn when you are struggling with anxious thoughts or depression is invaluable. You may be surprised to learn that many people have the same struggles, but they have learned coping mechanisms for avoiding or overcoming triggers.

If you know someone like this, pay close attention to how he or she handles emotions. Ask him or her how he or she manages his or her thoughts. If you do not know anyone, check with the local counseling center. Often, counselors offer group counseling to people dealing with anxiety and depression. You can learn from others who have found ways to move forward in life after changing their thoughts and behaviors.

When intrusive thoughts call the shots

As you learn to take every thought captive, you may run into intrusive thoughts. Intrusive thoughts come into our minds and are often repetitive. It might be a memory, violent images, or crippling worries. If you are struggling with intrusive thoughts or anxiety and depression, reach out to a Christian counselor today. We can help you manage these thoughts and emotions while helping you grow your relationship with God.