Hey Anxiety, Thank You: The Book I Wrote From Panic Attacks and Faith
I used to be so good at worrying it could’ve been on my resume. Here’s why I wrote a practical anxiety book — and how it ties to Forged Faith.
I Didn’t Plan to Become an Anxiety Author
Years ago, if someone told me I’d write a book on anxiety, I would’ve laughed. Me? An engineer? That was the whole identity — solve the problem, stay in control, keep the outside looking fine. Meanwhile I was good enough at worrying that it could’ve been the first line on my resume.
Panic attacks. Freezing in social situations. Avoiding them entirely. Even sitting in church to teach Sunday School, my body treated a “safe place” like a threat. Clammy hands. Racing heart. The “what if” loop that restarts the second you think you’ve covered every scenario.
Hey Anxiety, Thank You! came out of that trench. Not as a clinical textbook — I’m not a psychotherapist — but as a brother who finally realized the battles weren’t wasted. God let me walk through them so I could give something useful back.
Who This Book Is For
If anxiety is getting in the way of your life — sleep, relationships, work, church, dating — and you’re tired of surface-level “just don’t worry” advice, this is for you. You’re not broken for wanting peace. You’re taking courage by looking for real tools.
The book walks through when anxiety protects you, when it harms you, the thoughts/feelings/actions loop, attachment, uncertainty, and a toolkit that includes diet, the gym, journaling, faith, meditation, trusted community, therapy, gratitude, boundaries, and setbacks that aren’t linear.
I wrote it for anyone seeking answers. There are Christian undertones because faith is what met me in the worst seasons — but you don’t have to have everything figured out theologically to benefit from the practical chapters.
Faith, Control, and the Verses That Stuck
I’m a type-A guy who wants the driver’s seat. Control feels like safety until life proves it’s an illusion — and anxiety rushes into the gap. Heartbreak made that painfully clear. I tried to engineer my way out of the spiral. God was waiting for me to stop treating Him like a bailout and start seeking Him as guide.
Philippians 4:6 hit so hard I got it tattooed — then learned that awareness without action doesn’t change a life. Jeremiah 29:11 became real when I looked back and saw doors He closed to protect me. That same surrender later shaped Forged Faith: men in the wilderness of singleness, learning active waiting instead of white-knuckling outcomes.
Anxiety and the wait for a godly spouse often share the same root: fear of uncertainty and a clenched fist around control. The book and the ministry are different doors into the same healing.
Why Thank Anxiety?
The title isn’t sarcasm. Anxiety has been doing a job — trying to protect you, and signaling that change has been needed. The goal isn’t to erase every anxious feeling forever. Without a warning system, we wouldn’t last. The goal is to understand it, thank what was trying to keep you safe, and build tools so it stops running the whole show.
If that resonates, start with the book page, grab a copy, and if you’re also in a wilderness season around dating or marriage hope, walk the Forged Faith paths too. You don’t have to fight the silent battles alone.