Until that day, I had only read about “panic attacks.”
Nothing prepared me for the heart-pounding collapse that engulfed me. Huddled on my bed, I couldn’t even breathe. Let alone pray.
All I could manage was a gasp: “Je-sus.”
So I kept gasping His name.
The panic attacks I went through are only a part of the story, and perhaps one day I’ll muster the courage to share it all. But today, I want to talk about moments like these, when we are too anxious, too overwhelmed to pray.
If you suffer from clinical anxiety, please seek help. This post is not an alternative to counselling.
When anxiety and overwhelm hit
Sometimes life gets too messy. Things spiral around us and our minds can’t stop racing. Prayer can feel out of reach. But it is precisely then that we need prayer the most.
Where do we begin? Right where we are. Because we can always come to Him just as we are. Peter reminds us that anxiety is not something to hide from God, but something to bring to Him.
1 Peter 5:7 (NRSVCE)
Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.
Here are five practical ways to pray even when you’re too anxious to breathe. (Just so you know, I’ve used every one of them!)
1. Pray with your breath
When anxiety hijacks your body, let your breath itself become your prayer. Take slow, steady breaths. As you inhale, whisper: “JE-“; as you exhale, whisper: “-SUS.”
You can also pair your breathing with short, power-packed scripture truths:
- Inhale: “You are” | Exhale: “my strength” (Psalm 28:7)
- Inhale: “You hear me” | Exhale: “when I call” (Psalm 34:4)
- Inhale: “I will” | Exhale: “not fear” (Isaiah 41:10)
- Inhale: “In You” | Exhale: “I trust” (Psalm 31:14)
He hears your every whisper.
2. Write it down
Grab a notebook or even the back of an old envelope. Anything you have on hand. Dump it all out on paper —your fears, your frustrations, your what-ifs. Don’t worry about neatness or grammar.
When you’re done, take that list, lift it up, and hand it over to Him. A simple, “I give this to you, Lord” will suffice.
Then put it away. Don’t look back at it. You’ve surrendered it. The battle belongs to Him now.
3. Pray with your body
When words fail, your body can still pray.
Try kneeling down besides your bed, head bowed, arms stretched out, palms open and facing upwards. That’s it. Stay there in silence as you offer your whole self as prayer.
This is what I do when my heart cannot pray. When I’m so full of angst that I don’t even want to pray. It’s my way of saying, “I let go. Please be my God.”
Find your posture of surrender. Let it become your prayer of trust. And stay there until you are ready to cast it all upon Him.
4. Use that playlist
Music has a way of lifting the heart. One of my go-to songs in anxious moments is I raise a Hallelujah by Bethel Music. It shifts my eyes from my problems to my God, and reminds me that my God is stronger than any Goliath.
Praise defeats our fears, helps us pray, makes surrender easier, and brings help from Heaven.
It makes a bold statement: I trust my God to get me out of this. So I’m going to praise Him right now in the middle of the mess, not after it’s cleaned up.
If you don’t have a worship playlist, build one! Here are a few recommendations to get you started:
- I raise a Hallelujah (Bethel Music)
- Shoulders (King & Country)
- Praise you in this storm (Casting Crowns)
- Chainbreaker (Zach Williams)
The next time you’re anxious, hit the play button and praise God!
5. Draw on intercession
Sometimes the weight is too much to carry alone. When you just don’t have the strength to pray, don’t give up! You have friends in heavenly places — the saints who pray for you. And prayer warriors right here on earth — friends and family who will lift you up. Ask them to stand in the gap for you.
Three nights ago, my youngest was burning with a fever that touched 104.6°F (40.3°C). As my husband and I sponged her, my heart pounded and my mind raced as I considered our next steps. I whispered a simple prayer, but honestly, I was overwhelmed.
So I told my older daughter to call or message our family and friends, and ask them to pray. I dropped a request with our parish prayer group.
Within an hour, the fever dropped. The next day, it hovered just above the normal mark. And today, she’s jumping around like a little lamb.
The power of intercession is real (James 5:16). Draw on it when you’re worn out. You don’t have to walk through the storm alone.
When the storm passes
Once the crisis ebbs, thank Him first. For carrying you through the dark.
And then, jot down a few notes about your experience: your fears, your prayers, the outcome. No need for elaborate notes. Just enough to help you remember. The next time anxiety tries to take over, you will have a personal record of God’s faithfulness!
You’ll remember how He carried you through. And you’ll have the confidence to trust Him and the strength to pray even when it’s hard!
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.Psalm 46:1 (NRSVCE)
In faith,
