Human knot!
15 minutes
Have the group stand in a circle facing the centre. Ask them to reach their right arm towards the centre and grab someone else’s hand. Make sure no one holds the hand of the person next to them. Then do the same with the left arm. The group then work together to untangle the human knot they have created. They can go over and under each other’s arms and legs but they must not break the chain of connected hands in the process. You could have a few groups race each other. At the end, explain that sometimes anxiety can be like a knot in our stomach. Sometimes it can untangle quickly and our anxiety is reduced. Other times it feels like more and more knots are evolving in our stomach like a bunch of Russian dolls and anxiety takes over our mind and body.
Say: This week we’re going to explore this topic of anxiety and what the Bible says say about it. Anxiety is like an umbrella with lots of different conditions underneath. These include OCD, social anxiety, panic attacks and more. Did you know that one in six young people will experience an anxiety condition at some point in their lives? That means that up to five people in your class at school may be living with anxiety. Anxiety is something we all face at different points in our lives but when it begins to negatively affect our daily lives we need to seek help. But first, let’s think about what situations could result in us experiencing anxiety.
Real-life experiences
15 minutes
Split the group up into pairs and ask them to think of a situation when someone could experience anxiety. This could be anything from immediately before they take a music exam or when they walk into a room that is already full of people, through being introduced to a step-parent or handing in a school project you’ve been working all day and night on.
After giving them time to think, go around the group and invite them to share the different situations. Are any of them the same? Does everyone agree or do some get anxious about something that others aren’t bothered about? Is there a theme that runs through this group’s anxieties that you can pick up on? Could you follow up on these in future sessions?
Mind, body and soul
10 minutes
Ask for a volunteer and draw around them on a large piece of paper so you have an outline of a human. Ask the group to write on the paper what they think anxiety is like. For example, in the brain you could draw a thought bubble with anxious thoughts such as: “I’m nervous about the school play” or “I’m worried they don’t like me”. Where the heart is meant to be you could draw a heart that is racing away to show an elevated heart rate.
Provoke a discussion around their spiritual lives - how does anxiety affect their relationship with God? Encourage the group to get creative!
Say: Looking at the human we have created we can see how much anxiety can affect different areas of our lives - from our minds, to our bodies, to our souls. We can see how different it is for everyone and recognise that it’s OK to experience it differently.
Good news!
5 minutes
Say: The good news is that, with help, we can learn to control our anxieties and we don’t have to face them alone. In 1 Peter 5:7 we are reminded to cast our cares onto God because God cares for us. These powerful words are so helpful to remember if we are suffering from anxiety.
Ask: Does anyone know what the words ‘cast your cares’ means?
Say: casting our cares is offering our anxieties to God. Its action is us praying to God and giving our anxieties to him, trusting that he will take care of them. We can cast our cares onto God because he cares for us - it’s an amazing feeling to know that our loving father cares for us. He loves us so much that he wants to take our anxieties away and help us to manage life. He cares for each and every one of us - no matter how anxious we get! Ask the group to discuss these questions:
- Is it easy to cast our cares onto God?
- Does it come naturally to you?
- Do you believe God cares for us?
Vitamins and water
15 minutes
Show the group the dissolvable vitamins and tell them to imagine these tablets are like our anxieties (give examples of ones that have been discussed through the session).
Say: Each time you offer your anxieties to God it’s like dropping the tablet in the water - it dissolves in God’s hands and we can trust that he is taking care of it.
Standing in a circle, ask the group to take a tablet in their hand and silently think of an anxiety they are experiencing. Ask them to take turns to put the tablet in the water as a symbol of casting that anxiety onto God, remembering that he cares for us. Repeat this as necessary.
To finish, ask the group to put their right hand on the right shoulder of the person stood on their right-hand side. Then, encourage the young people to pray for the person their hand is touching to know that they can cast their cares onto God because he cares for them.
As a way of moving forward, challenge the group to think: what one anxiety do you have that you could begin to face this week knowing that God cares for you? Encourage them to report back next session.
