Katie Gauden shares how biblical truth and coaching tools helped her overcome lifelong anxiety. Her story offers a practical, hope-filled path to peace and purpose in Christ.
I’m the daughter of Baptist Ministers and a lifelong Christian. I’ve heard thousands of sermons; enjoyed many hours of worship; taken part in various church communities; and read through the Bible numerous times. Yet, for much of my life, I experienced anxiety.
As a result of my parents retraining to become ministers, I moved home dozens of times and visited numerous different churches, from the age of seven. I also changed school a lot.
While I gained a solid grounding in Christianity; a love for God’s word; and a passion for sung worship, I also experienced years of upheaval. This carried with it a hidden grief, as we distanced geographically from older siblings and moved from friendships and community, time and again.
READ MORE: Am I a bad Christian if I have anxiety?
Unconsciously, I learnt to believe that I didn’t belong anywhere.
Unconsciously, I learnt to believe that I didn’t belong anywhere. I moved from seaside primary school to inner city high school, then to private boarding schools and back to local comprehensive, and so on. As I did so, I felt an increasing need to adapt my accent, my appearance and even my personality, to fit in.
Shortly after finishing University, my parents moved to Thailand to run a church, leaving me to live and work in London. My prayer life intensified in a way that I now recognise as anxious rather than dedicated. It was more prayer-based over-thinking, than evidence of a trusting relationship with God.
READ MORE: 7 ways to combat overwhelm
Despite my meagre faith, however, God helped me to keep a roof over my own head. He pretty much handed me a job in PR. This led, over time, to a successful career in marketing; marrying a good Christian man; settling in one part of the UK at last and having two wonderful children.
Yet, rumbling along underneath even the more settled, contented periods of my life was a low-level anxiety around my identity and my worth.
Yet, rumbling along underneath even the more settled, contented periods of my life was a low-level anxiety around my identity and my worth. I wasn’t fearful of change. I was fearful of staying still long enough for anyone to truly know me, in case they decided I wasn’t worth knowing. Even after years of reading, singing and hearing God’s word, I was unconvinced that I was “fearfully and wonderfully made” just as I was.
READ MORE: Tackling anxiety
A combination of hitting 40 and the dawn of COVID brought things to an abrupt halt. It was like God was shaking me awake and highlighting my misplaced sense of security. My worth was heavily buried in the shifting sands of achievement and approval, rather than his unchanging love.
Determined to tackle this anxiety, I spent hours digging into God’s word and seeking wisdom through online experts. I soon fell upon Life Coaching and decided to retrain. As I did so, I uncovered tools for emotional wellbeing that resonated with my understanding of the Bible. They seemed to unlock the wisdom within God’s word, genuinely enabling me to “be transformed by the renewing of my mind.”
Among the many verses and coaching tools that seemed to marry perfectly is 2 Corinthians 10:5 ”…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” I’d read and heard sermons around this verse many times before, but not once had I understood how to put it into practice. Through coaching training, I formed my own tool that resonates with this biblical wisdom. I call it “PIC your battles”. It involves:
Paying attention to your thoughts. According to experts, we can have roughly 70,000 thoughts a day. So, it’s important to spend time reflecting on them. Then…
Identify the negative beliefs that are holding you back, through journaling around what thoughts might be leading to uncomfortable emotions or unhelpful behaviours. Before…
Casting those Burdens onto Jesus (Psalm 55:22) through prayer and with thanksgiving (Philippians 4: 6-7). Meditating on Bible-based alternative truths.
Like all of us, I’m still a work in progress (Philippians 3:12-14) but I’m incredibly grateful to God that I now have a much calmer mind. I’m also far clearer on who I am and what I’m here to do. I feel privileged to be able to use my experience and knowledge through coaching, helping others find greater clarity, confidence and contentment too.
Visit www.coachingtimewithkatie.com to find out about coaching with Katie or to sign up to her new online Bible-based coaching programme, Equipped.
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