Inter-Varsity Press

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

1. Why we worry

2. Understanding my worry

3. What happens when we worry

4. Worry fuel: What keeps my worries alive

5. My faith and my worry

6. Tolerating uncertainty

7. Taking action

8. Worry and hope

Appendix 1: Going deeper

Appendix 2: Prayers and contemplations for times of anxiety

Appendix 3: Other resources

Glossary

Foreword

This book shows that we all worry. There are times when it overwhelms us and gets out of control, but here we are shown what we can do to ease our tendency to worry.

The text is open, honest and talks about real life. Rob and Will do not just rely on the case studies of others, but speak of their own personal problems, demonstrating that even ministers and psychiatrists can be affected by disease and worry. I think the one tip that stuck in my mind was remembering to view the big picture. The book contains a good analogy about traffic jams and how we need perspective and an overview, rather than just thinking about the car in front while we are going nowhere.

For those suffering with mental health issues in addition to worry, this book affirms that these are valid, in spite of the comments of some people which could be categorized as from the ‘pull-your-socks-up’ school.

There are many things to commend The Worry Book. It is scripturally supported and advocates aspects of prayer, care and community. It uses a cognitive-behavioural approach which can be very successful, with positive outcomes. It not only tells how to deal with the problem, but explains the why of worry: what’s going on in the background generating worry. It also gives evidence from our physical processes that worry has an impact hormonally and on our bodies. In addition, it shows that worry is not something we have to put up with because this is just how we are! No, it gives the reader steps to follow in order to ‘recover’ from being a chronic worrier. The exercises and reflective work at the end of the chapters help to crystallize one’s learning and are very useful in leading the reader on a progressive journey.

Counsellors and pastoral carers would benefit enormously not only from reading this book, but also by having it on their bookshelves to recommend to clients and to those in churches who are being supported.

Greta Randle

Chief Executive of the Association of Christian Counsellors

May 2011

Preface

Many of us are consumed by worry, yet we fail to talk about our ‘invisible’ problems. As a church leader and someone who has battled with worry all his life, Will knows the persistence of the problem, the simplicity of the answer and yet the length of the journey. As a psychiatrist, Rob offers some of the theory, but blends it with a biblically informed perspective of hope and healing. We both dream of a church liberated from the bonds of worry, where the people of God can express their true freedom in Christ and know that freedom in their minds, hearts and actions.

We have not written a triumphalist response to the problem. In many ways, it would feel far more comfortable to write of simple obedience to the scriptures about ‘not worrying’, and to tell people to ‘try to pray harder’. Yet we know from personal and professional experience that even the most determined and convicted Christian can remain ensnared by worry. Many great Christians – John Bunyan, Martin Luther and Charles Spurgeon, to name but a few – have quietly said that their freedom and joy have been fettered by anxieties. We suggest that the general unwillingness to share these battles more publicly among leaders stems from a belief that to do so would weaken their witness and their leadership. And perhaps our own reluctance to put these issues on paper demonstrates a similar fear in us.

We can clearly see how a reluctance among people to address worry directly has led to a culture of shame and silence around the issue. In Will’s work in the church, in Rob’s for the National Health Service, and in our speaking nationally on issues of emotional health, a universal cross-section of people confess to being consumed by worries, while also being deeply ashamed about their inability to exhibit a simple trust.

In only a very few instances have people had any awareness of the contribution of psychological factors. Christians tend to believe that the problem is purely spiritual – one of simple disobedience and lack of trust. It is no surprise then that they often feel too ashamed either to acknowledge that a problem exists or to seek help to overcome it.

Within this book you will find a balanced look at the issue of persistent and problematic worry. It is our hope that what you read will be compassionate and humane, not a study of complex theology or science. We are, after all, fellow travellers through the rough landscape of worry and perfectionism, and much of what we are sharing comes out of the hard-won lessons of our own battles for freedom, and God’s faithfulness to us.