Breaking Free: From Panic and Anxiety to Healing Through Jesus -IW EP007 with Christy Boulware

by Kelly W. | Jun 28, 2023 | Daily Walk, Podcast

This episode of the I Witness podcast spotlights a compelling story that navigates the often murky waters of mental health and faith. We feature an open-hearted conversation with Christy Boulware, who courageously shares her battle with severe panic attacks, fear, and anxiety. From feeling like she was dying to nearly losing hope, her journey is an intense one, full of desperate moments.

However, amidst the tumult, Christy discovered a lifeline in an unexpected place. This interview will explore her transformative journey from the depths of despair to a place of hope and healing. Whether you’re grappling with similar issues or seeking insights into mental health from a faith-based perspective, Christy’s candid discussion offers relatable experiences, wisdom, and a testament to the healing power of faith.

Listen to the interview with Christy here:

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Kelly: Welcome to the I Witness Podcast. I’m your host, Kelly Jo Wilson, and this is the show for women who struggle to accept their worth but want to embrace their gifts and share their witness for Jesus. We have a great show today about overcoming fear and anxiety when you feel powerless. Our guest is my friend Christy Boulware.

Christy is an author, speaker, and podcaster, but first, a passionate follower of Christ. She’s also the wife of a hunky man named Troy and a mom of three beautiful children. With a deep desire to free women and teens from the chains of fear and anxiety, Christy founded and currently leads the not-for-profit Fearless Unite.

Through conferences, workshops, retreats, bible studies, and devotionals, Christy speaks and rights about drastically decreasing the alarming statistics of anxiety in our world. Welcome to The I Witness Podcast, Christy. I’m so happy you’re here.

Interview with Christy Boulware about her panic and anxiety disorder

Christy: Kelly, thank you for having me. We have an important conversation to tackle today, don’t we?

Kelly: Yes, absolutely. I love your mission and what you’re doing. I love that you’re reaching out to women and teens about this pressing issue. Fear and anxiety have been rampant, especially in the past three years since the pandemic.

There’s a heightened awareness, which as a nurse, I can say that I actually appreciate. I feel like there was such a stigma in the past of anybody struggling and having these different thoughts.

I appreciate the awareness nowadays, but I still feel like it can be so much more robust. That’s why I adore what you’re doing.

Why don’t you tell the listeners about your journey, background, and journey with Jesus through your panic and anxiety disorder?

What did your journey look like?

A surprising wake-up call

Christy: I grew up a Catholic and like to tell people I was a C E O Christian, which is Christmas, Easter only. That was my journey, and I’m sure somebody is listening on the other side, saying yes, I grew up that way too.

God was important to me, but I didn’t need him. I didn’t rely on him. It wasn’t a surrender in any way, shape, or form. So really, because I like to say that I was superwoman, I was kicking butt, taking names, climbing the corporate career ladder, doing great for myself, and had always just gone after success and accolades and titles.

Throughout high school and then my college career, I was moved into traveling to New York City to try to make it big on Broadway. I was always chasing after something that left me with nothing, truly.

It wasn’t until I was about 25, in 2011, that I had my first panic attack on the sunny beaches of Cancun.

 I was just sipping on a fruity drink, and at that time, I was not committed to following Jesus at all.

I was reading a gossip magazine, and out of nowhere, I just had this shortness of breath and impending doom. I had to get up and walk, and I didn’t know it, but I experienced my first panic attack.

Mental illness doesn’t look the same for everyone

I was a corporate sales director, medical sales, and workaholic. My job was everything to me. When I landed back in my hometown after a nice vacation and opened my email, I missed 200 emails.

I freaked out. How am I going to get all this work done? 

Then the weirdest thing happened. I started getting black dots in my eyes and paralysis on the right side of my body. I call it paralysis, but it was like tingling. It was almost like weird tingling feelings. Have you ever stomped your brakes when somebody cut you off, and then suddenly you feel a jolt of adrenaline go through you? It’s a tingly pins and needles feeling.

That’s the feeling that I had in my body. You want to shake it off and question what is going on.

Panic and anxiety took over, and it got worse

It just got worse.

When I got home, I started having mini panic attacks. I didn’t know what they were, but I couldn’t sit still.

My chest felt extremely tight. I was having GI issues, and this went on for several days. It got to the point where I had paralysis on the right side of my body.

So, it was no longer the tingling. It was no movement. I couldn’t feel it.

I called my primary care physician in the middle of the night, and he says, “Christy, I think you’re having a stroke. You need to go to the emergency room. Right now.”

At that point, Kelly, any peace or anything is completely gone when a doctor tells you you’re having a stroke.

So, of course, my husband rushes me there, and they do the whole nine yards. They admit me to the hospital and do an MRI, cardiac screening, and all the tests you can possibly do. A day later, the doctor says, “Hey, Christy, you’re okay. Everything checked out just completely fine.”

You wish they would say something different at that moment because you feel like you’re dying.

“I felt like I was dying”

I literally felt like I was dying.

There was no way I was okay … to the point where I wanted to punch him in the face. I’m like, “There’s no way. Check the test again. This can’t be possible. I feel like I’m dying.”

He looked at me and said, “Christy, you’ve got panic and anxiety, and that’s what’s going on right now. I’m going to write you a prescription for Xanax,” but sent me home. I had to follow up with my primary care physician.

It snowballed completely out of control afterward, to the point where I had back-to-back panic attacks, and my body had a nervous breakdown.

That’s the beginning of my journey of learning how to figure out fear, panic, and anxiety and overcome it.

Kelly: It’s so funny that you said that you wished he would’ve said something different because, in reality, the last thing you want is for the doctor to say you’re having a stroke.

But there is a certain comfort when he gives you the answer. It’s almost a tangible thing, right?

You know how you’re feeling. I mean, for days you experienced this. So for the doctor to say here’s a prescription for one medication and send you home … it turns your world upside down.

Feeling hopeless without answers

Is that how you felt? Like, what are you going to do now? You had to figure it out now, right?

Christy: Yes, and that’s why I’m so passionate about this work because I felt hopeless when the doctor just looked at me. God love him. He was doing the best he could. He was doing what he was told to do.

They don’t have time to sit down with you and go, “Hey. How are you really feeling, and do you know your thoughts matter?”

They don’t have time to counsel you, teach you, and educate you on what fear, panic, and anxiety is, what it does to your body, and what the medication will do to help you.

They don’t, so they give you these things, and you walk out of there thinking, “Wait a minute. What’s next? What do I do now?”

The worst of the panic and anxiety was yet to come

That was truly the journey. The hell I experienced after I went home from the hospital was worse than when I first went. The panic attacks kept coming and coming, and I know now that my body was stuck in flight or flight.

Because of the fight or flight, I had back-to-back panic attacks. But I didn’t know why that was happening to me. I’m the kind of person that wants you to tell me why, and then I’ll understand. Teach me what this medicine is going to do to my body. But until you teach me, I won’t trust you, and I won’t take it.

Another part of my journey was learning what antidepressants do and why they are helpful. In my darkest moments, I had back-to-back panic attacks, hadn’t slept in weeks, and had hair falling out of my head. I was losing weight rapidly. I had suicidal thoughts, Kelly. I didn’t think I was going to make it out of that.

The darkness was overwhelming

The darkness was so bad. The kingdom of darkness whispered to me, “You’re never going to get out of this. This is going to be your life forever. Why don’t you just use those guns?”

My husband kept hunting guns in the corner of our bedroom, and they weren’t loaded. Still, it was just this visual representation of what could happen if I went ahead and just did it because, honestly, the hell that I was going through the torment.

I mean, I don’t wish panic and anxiety on anyone. It is straight from the pits of hell.

It’s so debilitating, awful, and so scary that I couldn’t catch my breath. I would have one, I would have a minute, and then another one would come. I liken it to like a marathon. It was like I would run a marathon, be done, and then another one would happen.

It sounds dramatic, but anybody listening on the other side who has been through a panic attack is saying, “I know what you mean. I know what that means.”

Imagine having a hundred of them back-to-back for three weeks straight. It was awful.

The torment was almost worse than death

Kelly: It sounds, it sounds awful. So for three weeks, you were having this. I’m so sorry you had to go through that, Christy. As you said, it’s torment. It’s just utter torment.

Looking at this visual of a gun and the lies you’re hearing in your mind, like this influence, as if that’s a solution.

It’s a complete lie and just attacking you.

So what would you say was the moment that you felt any peace or real solution was coming?

What did it take for you after that time to actually come out of that?

What stopped it or at least halted it enough for you to say, “No, this, I have to get help for this.”

Two miracles brought hope

Christy: Two what I call mini miracles took place. One was when I was in my bathroom and knew this wasn’t normal. Now, I realize I just told you all that I was having back-to-back panic attacks. So you might think I’m crazy for saying this, but I was in my bathroom, and I heard this still, small voice say to reach out to a woman I had not heard or seen from in about seven years.

She was a college roommate of mine. It was a peaceful voice. It was a reassuring voice, and I knew. Even though I was not a follower of Jesus at that point, I knew it was God. I knew it was God leading me.

So, I reached out to this woman and found out she had been hospitalized and gone through the exact same thing that I was going through.

She was three years ahead of me, and poured wisdom over me. She told me books to read. She told me to take my medication from the doctor. But the most important thing she said to me was, “Christy. You will not get through severe panic and anxiety disorder without a real relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Surrendering your panic and anxiety to God

That was a moment where I was like, I’ll do whatever it takes, whatever God asked me to do. This is hell. Please get me out of it.

After that, I had a moment of surrender where I was down on my knees, looking up at a little cross. That, up until this point, was just a symbol. It meant nothing to me.

I look up at this cross, and I’m down on my knees, and I say, “God, please help me. I surrender.”

Now, Kelly, I didn’t know what I was saying at that point. It was desperation. I surrendered.

“I promise to dedicate my life to you if you will just get me through this. Please, God, please.” That was my surrender moment.

That was my moment of okay, God, I’m not in charge. I’m not superwoman. I realized that my superwoman cape was strangling me, and I needed to lay it at the feet of Jesus. That was my surrender moment.

An unexpected blessing

That evening, the coolest thing happened. My husband came in, and he prayed over me. Now, here’s what’s important.

My husband and I had never prayed together as a married couple ever. Again, he felt the same way. He grew up in a much deeper relationship with Jesus than I did. But we didn’t have a problem with God.

We just didn’t need him until we did.

The moment when he came home and realized I had blankets over the hunting guns. He said, “Hey, what’s that all about?”

I said, “I was tempted to use them,” and fell apart in his arms.

He hugged me and said oh my gosh. He realized he couldn’t fix this. He got wise counsel from godly men, who told him, “You need to pull your wife in and pray over her.”

So he did. He prayed over me that night.

That was the first night in three weeks that I slept and was able to keep some food down, and that was my turning point.

That’s when hope started to come in, and I realized that I would get through this, but I needed to surrender to Jesus first.

Letting go and giving it to God when it’s impossible

Kelly: That is so powerful, and I thank you so much for sharing this with us and being vulnerable because it’s so hard. Especially for somebody like you. You identified yourself as a workaholic and wanted to have this control and do your own thing.

For having that kind of mentality and wanting to figure out the solutions to whatever’s happening, to say, “I didn’t really need God” and “I didn’t have a relationship with him,” then to surrender … for somebody who’s so used to figuring it out on their own and then to lift it up to him fully is very difficult. Very, very difficult.

I totally understand that. That’s I am wired as well especially being a wife and mom. We want everybody to be okay, and it’s all very well intended. You just want to take care of everybody and be able to do whatever you can do.

But that surrender, giving it up to him, holding your hands, and letting go is scary. It may not be as scary as what you’re experiencing, but it’s still pretty scary because you don’t know the outcome. You don’t know what his will is going to show you.

Struggling to let God be strong when we are weak

I think he wants us to take that step. He wants us to let him be strong when we can’t and for us to rely on him fully. I love that your husband prayed over you. That is amazing and beautiful, especially if that’s not something you guys really did.

That is such an amazing picture of the two of you coming together in your faith and giving it all, and laying it at Jesus’ feet, laying it at God’s feet.

That’s just beautiful. I love that you started to see hope.

After that, I was going to ask how did you fully surrender. Sometimes it is your spouse or somebody close to you to help. So I love that he worked within your husband too.

So what happened after that? So after you started to see a bit of hope and peace and, my goodness, I love that God just led you to this woman who has such wisdom for you.

Do you feel like you were going well for a while, and then you had a couple of setbacks? What did the journey look like afterward? The road to recovery, if you will.

Recovery was on the horizon

Christy: The road to recovery was about 18 months, and I say it took me my whole life to get into this mess. I’m so grateful that it was an 18-month recovery process .

Then I actually felt like a normal human being again. I had to go through intense Christian therapy. I did take the medication, and I’m so grateful that I did. After those 18 months, I realized I was doing well enough to start weaning off the medication.

So many people ask me, are you still on medication? I’m not, but it’s okay if you still are. I think that people need to understand that.

There’s much work that needs to be done, and my personal conviction is that if you’re going to take antidepressants, it needs to be with therapy as well so that you can really get to the root of it.

I had a wise primary care physician. Part of my journey after a hospital visit is that you have to follow up with your primary care physician. When I did that, I was so out of control with panic in his room that I couldn’t even sit to get my vitals done.

A diagnosis of panic and anxiety disorder didn’t bring instant relief

That’s how anxious I was. He asked me all these questions, saying, “Christy, how’s your marriage? How’s your children? Is everybody else healthy? Are you having any financial issues?”

I said, no, doc. No, no, no. My life is great. I’m making tons of money. My husband’s amazing. My children are healthy. I have no reason to be panicked.

They still had paper records at this time, and thumbing through the papers, he looked at them, and said, “Okay, how many hours do you work a week?”

Then I’m proud, right? I thought being busy was a badge of honor.

So I say, “I’m a workaholic. It’s like 80 hours a week.”

He said, “You have severe panic and anxiety disorder, Christy.”

Facing the truth about recovery from panic and anxiety

I thought, wait, what? No, not me. I’m the girl that’s got it all together. There’s no way I have this.

He looked at me with so much wisdom. He literally says, “Christy, I’m going to give you some medication, and it will help. But if you don’t go home, do the work, and figure out how you got into this mess and why you’re here today, then here’s what will happen.

You will keep coming back to my office, and I will have to keep increasing your prescription until I can’t give you any more help. So I suggest you really go home and do the hard work.”

At that point, his lips were moving, but everything from that moment on, was a blur.

I thought, “How did I get here? How did I get here to a severe panic and anxiety disorder.”

That was my 18-month journey, going home and understanding fear and anxiety, who God is, and why he is important. Questioning why I am so obsessed with the applause and approval of men, success, titles, achievements, and money.

Taking a real look inside yourself to discover why

Getting to the root within yourself is half the battle

Why does all that stuff matter to me? Why am I chasing after it?

I had to deconstruct that and figure out how I got into the mess. That was the therapy- taking the medication and diagnosing my soul issues. Getting to the deep-rooted parts from my childhood, why success was so important to me, and why I was trying to prove my worth to the world.

Why does that matter?

I had to do a deep dive that for about 18 months.

Kelly: Wow. I love that your physician told you that because I feel like it’s just so real. Even if you didn’t know what he meant, at that moment, you already saw that it would be a journey.

But it’s just so true. As a nurse, I have seen many situations where we try to equip people. But it’s hard when it comes to panic, anxiety, and different disorders or things like that.

I love that he said he could do certain things, but it won’t be enough.

That’s why I love that you said it was the medicine and the therapy.

You also said something great about medicine and therapy. It’s like God and science work together. They don’t have to be independent of one another.

Sometimes there’s a little bit of a stigma about praying yourself out of it, even within a Christian community.

Praying yourself out of panic and anxiety isn’t the only answer

Why can’t it just be your faith?

Because God absolutely works miracles every day, healing still occurs. Some people are fully healed from horrible things they’ve gone through. But other people aren’t.

God created science. He is the father of all creation. He created all this together, and I feel like there is a real blessing to be had with many therapies and different things to help you do that work.

Why don’t you talk about what you think is that healthy balance between your faith and the medication?

Christy: If someone would’ve come to me while I was having back-to-back panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, not being able to eat or sleep, and would’ve walked in and said, here’s a Bible, read your Bible, pray more. I would’ve been so deeply wounded.

Because I couldn’t. I physically could not. I couldn’t read my Bible.

My brain was so stuck in overdrive that I couldn’t even pray. So, I want our faith community to hear that prayer and scripture are important. I believe in it 100%.

I believe if God wanted to, in his sovereignty, come down and erase every panic attack I was having and heal my out-of-control body, he could have done it in a second.

I believe our God is that powerful.

God has the power, but His will might be different than ours

However, he chose not to do that for me. He chose to walk me through the problem of panic and anxiety so that I could understand his promises.

That’s how my journey went down. I don’t think I would be where I am today. My faith would not be as strong if I didn’t go through that trial because now my pain is my purpose. I get to turn around and help people overcome fear and anxiety.

So with the faith part of it, there’s also a physical part of it. We’re body, soul, and spirit, right?

The physical parts of our bodies matter. The science behind it was that I was overworking and overusing my body for my entire life. I was a workaholic and not dealing with unresolved conflict, having tons of pride in my life, thinking about me, myself, and I.

Years of that created the actual nervous breakdown that I had.

My body was stuck in fight or flight. So, on the sunny beaches of Cancun, when I was resting, my body said, huh, this is weird. I’ve never felt rest before. So it looks as if it’s a threat. That threw my body into overdrive.

That was the actual science that was happening in my body. Now I could take some medication to calm all of that down. I can believe and wait for a miracle. I can pray.

Blessings come in different forms

But what if I just do all of that together? Because together, that will help me find the healing I need. The balance … if I sat on a teeter-totter right now, and it was just me on that teeter-totter, and I was jumping up and down trying to enjoy that teeter-totter.

You’d be like, Hey, Christy, do you want me to join that? Because you’re going to have a lot more fun if we teeter-totter together, right?

That’s what the medication was for me. My medication helped balance out my body so that I could return to the enjoyment I needed and the life I needed. So I could have the mental fortitude to understand what was going on and work on my spiritual life.

For that, I’m incredibly grateful. But, I just feel like we need to have a more holistic approach to the mental health world.

We need to understand that the medication, can work. Now, here’s where it gets a little tricky. I also feel like we over-prescribe antidepressants because we need to get to the bottom of our crap.

We need to get to the bottom of what’s really happening in our lives. So we can’t just go to the doctor, say, throw me an antidepressant, and then put a bandaid over what’s happening in our life.

That’s why I think my doctor was such a godsend, because he told me, I’m going to give you this, and it will help. But if you don’t go home and do the work, it won’t help you anymore.

Mental health support for panic and anxiety has different forms

That’s the thing that we’re missing. We’re missing that therapy part of it.

He’s like, “Hey, I’ll give you the medicine, it’s going to help you, but will you go home, work through your wounds, work through your unforgiveness, work through your bitterness, work through all the things that are creating you to run after achievement, success, and accolades? Those things matter.

Work through that, and then you can have complete healing in your life.

Kelly: Oh yeah, absolutely. I completely agree. I have absolutely seen that, having worked in a hospital. I used to work with transplant patients.

We passed the most individual medications per patient than any other floor in that hospital. Even more than the ICUs, believe it or not. There would be patients getting 30 pills at once. It’s kind of the nature of it, suppressing your immune system.

But each pill helps with different things, such as you may not feel depressed. But we must be intentional with what we’re putting into our bodies.  

But the over-prescription, I feel, is because sometimes people want an answer. On the other side, health professionals want to give that answer.

I think that it’s well intended, too, to be able to say let me try this medication for you. Maybe that’ll help.

We are mind, body, and spirit, and the goal is to balance

But in reality, there is a balance, mind, body, and spirit. There’s nothing that’s going to take away the pain completely, and you’re not going to have to do any kind of work.

Nothing on the market does that unless you are going to be a zombie throughout life. That’s not in the cards. Even that is going to have repercussions.

I think it’s very much a combination, the balance. You described it so well with the teeter-totter.

I love that so much because it’s just true. I hope somebody listening today takes that to heart, hears that, and feels better. Because so many people I’ve talked to think their life has no purpose and are down on that depressive cycle.

It makes it really hard for them to want to do the work, but it’s also where that balance comes in. Maybe getting certain medications to give you a boost to help you feel worth it.

Many women who listen to this podcast struggle with feeling worthy enough for Jesus and his acceptance.

It is such a dark, dark place it can take you. I’ve known a lot of people that get in that place, too. There’s nothing and no one that knows your heart like God. He’s the one that really knows your heart, and knows exactly how to meet you in that place.

God puts people in your path to help you

He does put people in your path. I love that he put that woman in your path and told you to reach out to her, your husband, your physician, and all those people to help. Help along the journey because it’s not easy for sure.

That’s one of the reasons I love that you’re here today talking with me because it’s a journey.

The more people that use their pain for their purpose, we can really try to help one another, I think that’s the ultimate goal.

What would you say is one takeaway from your experience that you would want to share with the woman listening to this?

If a woman is struggling with the same thing you had gone through, what is that one takeaway you would give to help her try to see the light and let her know that hope is coming?

A reminder for when you feel unworthy and burdened

Christy: I think it’s so beautiful that you minister to women that feel unworthy. Because I think so much of this stems back to our worthiness.

I was chasing after all the wrong things because I wanted to seem worthy and whoever’s eyes. I think so much fear and anxiety stems from us chasing after something that only God can give us.

I just want to remind the precious woman that’s listening on the other side that you are worthy, loved, and have a purpose.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. God wants to use you. You are anointed. You are cared for. There is something on the other side of the pain that you’re going through that someone else needs to be comforted by.

Comfort someone with the same comfort that God has given you. You matter. You have value. That’s what I want you to hear today.

Kelly: That is so beautiful. Thank you so much. It’s just so impactful. I usually ask my guests, Christy, is there a verse of scripture that really carried you through this?

Was there one that really impacted you you’d like to share?

Having God’s word, even just one verse, can anchor you in Him. It can remind you because sometimes, especially in fight or flight, our minds go crazy, and we can’t focus.

God’s word can anchor you

Was there a verse that helped you, or even a book of the Bible? 

Christy: I’m going to give you a little story before I answer your question.

So I had a medical procedure happen very recently. I still have what I call aftershocks.

After a major earthquake, there are little aftershocks that take place. So I had my major earthquake, which was my nervous breakdown. Then every now and then, I’ll have an aftershock, which is a panic and anxiety attack. So just recently, I’m having a medical procedure, and I’m having a little panic attack.

I go up to my closet to pray and say, “Lord. I don’t want to be scared so much. Why am I always so scared? Please, Father, talk to me. Help me, comfort me, calm me down right now.”

And in his beautiful, still, small voice, I hear,  “Daughter, I don’t dangle suffering over my children.”

Wow.

The scripture that rose up in my heart was just for God not to give you a spirit of fear. But of power, love, and sound mind.

So now I can recognize fear and say, no, God didn’t give that. When I’m freaking out about this medical procedure and what the results may be, and could it be cancer? What if it’s this, and what if it’s that?

 I remember, daughter, God doesn’t dangle suffering over me. That spirit of fear that’s coming over me is not from the Lord. When I feel fear and don’t feel peace, I can directly understand that that fear is not from the Lord.

How to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy fears

I just say it to myself, for God did not give me a spirit of fear for God, did not give me a spirit of fear for God, did not give me a spirit of fear.

If I’m feeling fear, then I know it’s not from Jesus, and I can kick that fear to the curb and say, no, Father, you’ve given me love and a sound mind, and that’s what I’m going to walk in.

So friends, if you feel fearful right now or if there is something you believe and fear, then you have to understand that’s not Jesus. He did not give you that spirit of fear. It’s so important to differentiate those thoughts berating us and recognize that they’re not from the Lord.

When I can speak that over my fear, my body comes back down.

Concern moves you to action, but worry stops that action. Anxiety stops that action.

Many times God will show me something that I need to be concerned about, and then it moves me to action, but I don’t lose my peace during that.

There have been times when I’ve been warned about something, but I feel the peace of God over it and it doesn’t make me anxious, weird, or scared.

But sometimes I feel flat-out freaky and like I’m losing control with so much anxiety. Then, I know, this isn’t from God. This is not God.

Panic and anxiety immobilize you, but concern moves you to action

Anxiety and worry immobilize you, but concern moves you to action.

Those are the two ways you can know the difference, for God not to give you a spirit of fear but power, love, and a sound mind.

Kelly: Yes. Praise Jesus. I get so excited about that! That’s such a perfect verse, especially for what you’ve gone through.

I love that you differentiated between them because fear is meant to be good. It’s meant to keep us alert. As you said, it’s meant to move us forward, but fear in that capacity of anxiety and worry escalates and snowballs into this huge thing that is not meant for good.

That’s just meant to keep us from moving forward. I’ve never heard anybody explain it like that, and I love it. It’s such a simple way to differentiate.

Panic and anxiety keep you from moving forward

Thank you so much for sharing. So, we are almost out of time, but I want to talk about your new book that was just released on April 11th.

Nervous Breakthrough. I’m very excited about it. I think it’s going to bless so many people.

Everyone listening today, I hope you go to Christy’s website. Check out this book, please. If you struggle with anything like this, I feel it will be extremely helpful.

“The goal isn’t to cultivate a life free of fear. Such a life doesn’t exist. It’s to learn how to fear less.”

-Christy Boulware, Nervous Breakthrough: Finding Freedom from Fear and Anxiety in a World that Feeds it

There was one quote that I wanted to say from the book, and then I’ll let you explain a little bit more, that I thought was just beautiful. The quote was, “The goal isn’t to cultivate a life free of fear. Such a life doesn’t exist. It’s to learn how to fear less.”

that in and of itself is just wonderful guidance and direction. It’s so true because we are going to experience fear. It’s inevitable.

But to know how to manage and work through it, fellowship, and surround ourselves with people who are on our side and want to be on our journey to help is really important.

So why don’t you tell us a little bit about the book?

Christy: Thank you for that beautiful quote. It’s always so neat to hear back about the things that have impacted other people, so that just blessed me tremendously. Thank you so much for that.

Nervous Breakthrough: Finding Freedom from Fear and Anxiety in a World that Feeds It

The book is called Nervous Breakthrough.

It’s a play on words of my nervous breakdown. Nervous Breakthrough: Finding Freedom from Fear and Anxiety in a World That Feeds It. It’s my journey, Kelly. It’s my journey of overcoming severe panic and anxiety disorder. My story is woven throughout the entire 13 chapters, but you’ll find practical tips and spiritual tips.

It’s not just one way or the other. I understand that we need both. We need practical and spiritual tips if we’re going to get through fear and anxiety.

It’s 13 chapters of walking you through my journey with it and how to overcome it. I hope that you will go pick up a copy. Here’s the other thing, people asked me who I wrote this book for.

Help for you and your loved one

I wrote it really for two people. I wrote it for women or men. We’ve had lots of men reading this book too, which is cool. But I wrote it for the one that isn’t sure if she’s having a breakdown, thinks she’s headed towards a breakdown, or is already in a breakdown.

So there are three women there, but then I also wrote it for the person that doesn’t get anxiety, doesn’t understand it, is not really sure, but has many people around them dealing with it.

So you can read this book to get a better understanding of someone you love who’s going through severe panic and anxiety disorder. I think by reading it, you’ll learn how to help that person out and how to love that person well.

You can get it on Amazon or at FearlessUnite.com, the nonprofit I run. I hope that you’ll go get a copy and give it away.

Once you read it, keep spreading it on so it’ll just keep having a ripple effect in our world.

Kelly: Absolutely. I love that you wrote it for people who have a loved one going through it. I usually describe it like this …  when somebody has a broken arm, you can see what’s broken because you see the cast, right?

Brokenness takes on many forms

But when somebody has something broken in their mind, you can’t see it.  Because you can’t see it, there’s that stigma around it. They can’t understand it. They don’t know what’s happening exactly.

Maybe even the person going through it doesn’t understand. But it’s very helpful for people who have somebody in their life that struggles with depression, anxiety, panic, or anything like that to really engage in. Resources like this do because it’s scary for them too.

They love that person. They don’t understand what’s happening.

I love that you wrote it with that person in mind as well. That’s so wonderful.

I will put links to your website and the book in the show notes. You also just launched a podcast as well.

Fearless Tips and Talks

Did you want to talk a little bit about the podcast before we go?

Christy: Absolutely. It’s called Fearless Tips and Talks.

You can find it wherever you listen to podcasting. I had this dream of short content and long content. So on Tuesdays, I release a tip that’s like three to five minutes long, and then the following week on a Thursday, I’m going to release a talk, and that’s where I’m going to interview people that have overcome fear and anxiety and are better off on the other side of it.

So you get a little bit of both. You get quick tips and long-form interview talks, too.

Kelly: Oh, that’s great. I love it. Fearless tips and talks. I love it. Thank you so much, Christy. Honestly, thank you for sharing your story. Thank you for sharing your journey.

It’s not easy to be vulnerable. I really appreciate you sharing. For anyone listening, please, if you can, pick up Christy’s book and share it among people. It’s absolutely wonderful.

It will help so many people, and we hope it helps you as well. I’m so grateful for you to be here.

Thank you so much, Christy.

Christy: Kelly, thank you for the work you’re doing in the world. I appreciate you.

Kelly: Oh, I appreciate you too. Thank you.

Bible Verses for Encouragement:

2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Resources for You:

Nervous Breakthrough: Finding Freedom from Fear and Anxiety in a World that Feeds it

Nervous Breakthrough by Christy Boulware is a riveting, faith-filled journey through mental health challenges. Christy shares her transformative experiences with severe panic and anxiety, candidly revealing her darkest moments. Amidst her turmoil, she found profound healing through her faith in Jesus. This book serves as a testament to the power of faith and offers an empowering message of hope and resilience to those grappling with similar struggles. A truly inspiring read for anyone seeking light in the face of darkness.

This book is for the person who struggles with:

• Relentless anxiety
• Unexpected panic and fear
• Control issues
• Missing out on life due to anxiety
• Struggling to value a Godly view of success over a worldly view
• Snowballing anxious thoughts 
• Fears around health or death
• Isolation from family and friends because they don’t understand your struggle
• Sleeplessness
• What does God say about medication for mental health
• Condemnation from Christians: “Your faith is not strong enough because you have fears”
• How to recognize the warning signs of fear and anxiety
• How to fully surrender to God when fear is all you feel
• Trust Issues with God

Where to find Christy Boulware

Visit Christy at ChristyBoulware.com

Check out Christy’s podcast Fearless Tips & Talks

Purchase Christy’s book Nervous Breakthrough: Finding Freedom from Fear and Anxiety in a World That Feeds It on her website or most bookseller platforms, such as Amazon.