Anxiety is no new phenomenon. But amid today's wave of social, emotional, and political turmoil on a global scale, seven forthcoming books bring a faith perspective to dealing with the queasiness of stomach and soul that now afflicts so many of us. Some authors even conclude that their panic attacks might eventually work for good, nudging them to find ways—through their faith in God—to face day-to-day life with more ease and acceptance, less knotted fingers at gritted teeth.

Indeed, Cody Deese, a pastor, speaker, and spiritual guide who has dealt with years of paralyzing anxiety attacks, writes in his book Discovering Your Internal Universe: The Unexpected Good News About Anxiety, Panic, and Fear (Eerdmans, Oct.) that "Faith is not the absence of anxiety, it's trust in the presence of anxiety."

Although references to God and the Bible appear throughout the book, Eerdmans acquiring editor Lisa Ann Cockrel said that Discovering Your Internal Universe is meant to be shelved among psychology and mental health titles for a reason. "Yes, his path winds through a fair amount of religious trauma and is informed by his own evolving faith," Cockrel noted, "but religion isn't the reason for his journey—the pursuit of mental health is. Deese isn't focused on what it means to be a Christian; he's focused on what it means to be a human." She added, "I found his ability to eventually make friends with his anxiety a compelling plot twist I hadn't encountered before."

For spoken word artist Blair Linne, her Christian faith is what helped her survive her plunge into years of panic attacks, described in detail in her book, Made to Tremble: How Anxiety Became the Best Thing to Ever Happen to My Faith (B&H, Sept.). Although "trembling" calls to mind shaking with fear, Linne flips the word in a different direction, says Ashley Groman, an associate publisher at B&H.

"She's saying, 'Hey, we all tremble' " as frail humans confused and overwhelmed in life's storms, Gorman said of Linne. But, Gorman added, Linne shows readers that "there is a way in which we can tremble that can bring good things around. She writes, 'I can tremble at the God who meets me in that place and who has a heart and sees the lowly and draws near to them and draws near to the brokenhearted.' It's God's promise."

Despair reigns

"Despair reigns in our current cultural moment," said Robert Hosack, executive editor for Baker Publishing Group, which has three titles tackling anxiety coming this fall. Hosack cited a recent Pew Research Center finding that 70% of teens said anxiety and depression were major problems for people their age. And of course that radiates to their parents as well.

Andrew and Kara Root, who are both pastors and parents, chronicle their plan to take anxiety head on and walk it off—literally—in their book, A Pilgrimage into Letting Go: Helping Parents and Pastors Embrace the Uncontrollable: A Faith Journey for Anxious Parents and Overwhelmed Pastors Learning to Trust God’s Plan (Brazos, a BPG imprint, Sept.).

In the book, the couple details packing up their two teens and doing a 63-mile pilgrimage walk on the ancient path of St. Cuthbert in England and Scotland. The opening chapter title is "Control Freak Parenting," while a later chapter is called "Losing Grip." "The arc of the book moves from thinking we are in control to realizing that we are out of control and points readers to the God of mystery who is in control—where our safety and security ultimately lies," said Hosack.

Two other Baker titles also share a Bible-based, catch-your-breath, God's-got-your-back message. Baker editorial director Brian Vos said that writer and blogger Maddie Joy Fischer's book, Rest + Rely: A 60-Day Devotional to Replace Fear, Anxiety, and Worry with God's Truth (Dec.) acknowledges how it's become "so easy for us to lose sight of the larger reality of God’s love for us, which is why we need daily prompts to put challenges and adversity in context."

And Sara Billups, in her book, Nervous Systems: Spiritual Practices to Calm Anxiety in Your Body, the Church, and Politics (Nov.), is well aware of the "pervasive stressors—politics, church, family, racial tensions, and financial pressures" that everyone faces now, said Vos. He added that her book "explores how that uneasiness manifests in the body, the church, and the brokenness of political polarization," and then takes on how we can reconcile Jesus's counsel, 'Do not worry,' with the worries of modern life."

Churches designed to help

The grip of severe anxiety is tightened when people are isolated. If they do reach for help, they may find mental health professionals overwhelmed with potential patients. Meanwhile, clergy and counselors at church—however much they want to bring the balm of faith to the forefront—are flooded with calls 24/7, say the authors of When Hurting People Come to Church: How People of Faith Can Help Solve the Mental Health Crisis (Tyndale Refresh, Sept.).

The authors, Christian self-help writer Shaunti Feldhan and psychologist James N. Sells, give plaudits to professionals and to church leaders struggling to keep up. Their idea is for churches to support clergy and staff through a program of trained laypeople. These volunteers would learn to come alongside the people in pain, break the loneliness barriers, and offer a shoulder and a Bible to lean on while struggling people find their footing. The authors even give five examples of churches that have come up with creative approaches to involving volunteers.

"The church is designed to help people," said Jon Farrar, associate publisher for nonfiction at Tyndale. "Even if you're dealing with a major issue, you need a network. You need a community. The church can be part of that. It's not the only answer. It's not a replacement for professional counseling. But the book is about developing resources to help steady people. Jim and Shaunti are saying, Hey, this is probably the mission of the church."

Christian writers are not the only ones standing up to the anxiety flood with faith. The Jewish people have probably been anxious since Abraham was commanded to kill Isaac. Meanwhile, Jews have endured attempts to annihilate them century upon century. This spring Denver-based rabbi Caryn Aviv put the final touch on her book manuscript for Monkfish—Unlearning Jewish Anxiety: How to Live with More Joy and Less Suffering (Feb. 2026)—on the very day that an antisemite firebombed Jewish people in nearby Boulder.

Jon Sweeney, religion editor and associate publisher at Monkfish, said what drew him to Aviv's book was her pragmatic approach. Aviv focuses the book at the start on the Jewish value of tikkun atzmi, said Sweeney, writing that the Hebrew phrase "means by healing ourselves. By taking responsibility for how we respond to that challenging reality and caring for ourselves with kindness and compassion, we become better resourced to address tikkun olam, the Jewish value of repairing our broken world."

In this way, people can overcome the pain and anxiety caused by unending struggles and dangers and make space instead, Aviv writes, for "joy, creativity, and collective action."