How to Be Free of Anxiety

March 9, 2026 Hello and Happy Day! This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, Novelist and Life Coach, welcoming you to another episode of Winning with the Word. Today is Monday, March 9, 2026, and this is episode #6 in Series 2026. This episode is titled, “How to Be Free of Anxiety.” Before we get into our message, let me share a resource that will give you practical tools for getting free of anxiety once and for all. It’s my life-changing book titled Breaking the Mind Barrier, and it is Book 2 in my series titled The Winner’s Library. Breaking the Mind Barrier is available in both print and ebook formats at the links below or in the show notes. BREAKING THE MIND BARRIER (Print)BREAKING THE MIND BARRIER (eBook) And now let’s dive right into this week’s message: How to Be Free of Anxiety. Anxiety has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and, I would dare say, pandemic proportions throughout the world. People everywhere are complaining of feeling constant anxiety about their finances, their health, their families, their jobs, and their safety in this increasingly dangerous world. Many admit a strong undercurrent of anxiety continually present in their lives but don’t know what to do about it. If this describes you, then you are in the right place at the right time. Let’s take a look at anxiety: what it is, how it enters our lives, and what to do to get rid of it. WHAT IS ANXIETY? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, anxiety is defined as “apprehensive uneasiness or nervousness usually over an impending or anticipated misfortune.” Medically, Webster defines anxiety as “an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physical signs (such as tension, sweating, and increased pulse rate), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one’s capacity to cope with it.” Sadly, many people today fit these descriptions. Perhaps you are one of them. If so, pay close attention because, by the power of God, you can be free of anxiety once and for all. HOW ANXIETY ENTERS OUR LIVES How do we become anxious? Anxiety has its ultimate roots in the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. When sin entered the world, anxiety and fear entered with it. As descendants of Adam and Eve, we are born inheriting their sin nature. Just as parents give to their children their physical genetic makeup, so did Adam and Eve give the entire human race their spiritual genetic makeup. Hence, as Scripture says in Romans 3: 23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And all of us, therefore, experience the effects of sin. In an individual’s life, anxiety enters through fearful experiences, like childhood trauma, death of a loved one, especially a parent, sexual abuse, and verbal abuse. Anxiety enters from stressful family situations over an extended period of time. Anxiety can be triggered by adverse health conditions, adverse financial issues, or adverse relationship challenges. Regardless of the cause, anxiety wreaks havoc in a person’s life. If not confronted, it can lead to serious forms of physical illness—like digestive and cardiac disorders—and mental illness—like agoraphobia, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder, and other phobias. Anxiety is closely linked to fear. In fact, they have the same root. According to the Bible, that root is a demonic spirit called “the spirit of fear.” In 2 Timothy 1: 7, the Bible tells us that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Fear does not come from God. It comes from Satan. And fear is always based on a lie because Satan is the “father of lies” (John 8: 44). Later, we will take a look at some of the lies that cause anxiety in our lives. But now, I want to explore the natural fear response in humans in the face of danger. God created man with a natural response to danger. This is normal and alerts us to protect ourselves when necessary. It is called the brain’s natural fear response. For example, we don’t cross the street when the a car is fast approaching. We wait until it passes or until the light turns green. Why? Because we have a built-in knowing that being hit by a car could kill us or seriously injure us. This is a healthful type of fear and is prompted by wisdom. But when the brain’s normal response becomes overly active, anxiety sets in. Anxiety has been called “an over-activity of the brain’s fear response.” LIES THAT CAUSE ANXIETY Anxiety is based on a lie. Discovering what those lies are in your own life is key to overcoming anxiety. Lies feed anxiety, especially lies relating to danger. For example, lies that deceive the brain into perceiving danger cause anxiety. Lies such as “bad things are going to happen to you,” or “you can’t handle this.” Believing these lies creates tremendous stress. Notice I said, BELIEVING the lies creates stress. It is not the lie that causes the...