I have recently been blessed to get the chance to talk with Dayna Clunan. Dayna is a wife, a mom of two, and the executive director of a mobile outreach ministry in Mississippi. Having walked through the ups and downs of living with anxiety, she understands how isolating it can sometimes feel. Through her own journey with anxiety, Dayna has discovered the power of slowing down, extending grace to herself, and leaning into hope.
She is passionate about fostering honest conversations that break down the stigma surrounding mental health. With a compassionate heart, Dayna seeks to remind others that they are not alone and that healing is possible one step at a time.
I am so happy she agreed to do this interview. This is more of a testimonial-style conversation between her and me. It is about her experience with anxiety throughout her life. She and I have connected before on this topic because it’s something we had in common, and I am going to let her tell you about when the anxiety started in her life.
How it started
Dayna Clunan: Anxiety started for me probably around six or seven years old. I remember bits and pieces about some of my anxiety, but I have what they call contamination OCD. So with that, I also have emetophobia, which is the fear of getting sick. I’ve witnessed a lot of sickness, like deadly sickness, in my life at a young age. So that is what I believe triggered my anxiety in the first place, at such a young age.
Alyssa: Right!
Dayna Clunan: I don’t really remember life without anxiety, honestly. It just grew worse and worse as I got older and older. I have lived this for a long time.
Alyssa: Wow! I also started really young, around eight years old. What are some of the ways that anxiety has affected your life on a day-to-day basis?
Dayna Clunan: It’s hard if you do not have anxiety; a lot of people don’t understand how it’s not just an on and off switch. That you can’t just turn it off or tell yourself, it’s just your mind; it’s not real because there really is more to it than just that. If it were that easy, I could easily just turn it off.
With my day-to-day life, anxiety has just really changed the way I view things, especially with my OCD and my emetophobia added to it. I am not big on crowds. If somebody’s been sick or if I think there’s going to be a trigger with my anxiety, I try not to go to those places. With my day-to-day life, it gets hard some days to want to get out and do what I’m supposed to do.
What About Covid?
Alyssa: Because you self-protect yourself. Could you give me some examples of how this has affected you? I know during COVID, for a lot of us who have anxiety, it really affected us. Did you see that as well in your life?
Dayna Clunan: Actually, COVID was a break for me, which is very strange because it was a scary time, but everybody was taking so many precautions at that stage that it felt like almost everybody got a glimpse as to what my life was
Alyssa: Wow. Yeah, that’s true.
Dayna Clunan: With everybody taking precautions, I felt a little safer to get out and do things that I needed to do. Everybody was shut in, too. So it was like, okay, this is a time where I can just breathe. And it was honestly a reflection time for me just to be able to keep my head above the water and be on land for a little bit.
Alyssa: Yeah, it’s awesome that it gave you a reprieve instead of more anxiety. I know for me, anxiety has kept me from doing certain things throughout my life. What are some of the things that it might have kept you from doing?
Dayna Clunan: Probably just living my life to the absolute fullest. There have been times when I have wanted to do things, but it has stopped me from doing them. Like going on trips with family or just spending time with family. It stopped me from taking in the precious memories.
The Medication Question
Alyssa: Let me ask you this. This is a controversial piece on anxiety, but have you ever taken medication for your anxiety, and has it helped you in any way?
Dayna Clunan: Okay, so before a year and a half ago, I realized it had gotten worse. I did not take medication. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in medication; it was more about my relationship with God. I just really wanted to give him all of my anxiety, cares, and worries. I don’t want to say it pulled me away from God, but I was focusing more on my triggers and my anxiety than on praying and really giving it over to him. At one point, it got really bad, to the point where I was having anxiety attacks five out of seven days a week. And my attacks would sometimes last maybe an hour, but most of them lasted all day, on and off.
Alyssa: Hours and hours. Yeah.
Dayna Clunan: Yeah. I was mentally and physically exhausted. When it got to that point, I said, “Lord, I know that you provide for me, and I know that you have provided doctors that can help me be able to live and focus on you because I’m losing my focus.” I did start taking medication, and I’m still on medication. Personally, it has helped me be able to live the life that I’ve wanted to live. I am grateful for it. I understand that not a lot of people want to take medicine, and that’s okay. But for me, medication has truly changed my life.
Faith Plays a Part
Alyssa: Exactly. And I think that as a Christian, it’s okay to do that. That’s just my personal opinion. As you said, God gives us these resources, and he gives us ways to help in our lives. And that’s one of them. It has given me the ability to do things I probably would not be able to do without taking the medication.
I’ve tried to explain to people before that even with medicine, it doesn’t make it all go away. There’s no cure; it’s not going to completely go away. We still have to have our faith in the equation, so to speak, to live daily with anxiety. This leads me to my last question for you, and that is, how has your faith played a part in helping you to cope with your anxiety?
Dayna Clunan: It has really played a big part in it. I always think about the scripture, “Have you tried my servant Job?” That’s one thing that has always just stuck with me when dealing with anxiety. Even though my anxiety attacks were really bad, I would try to breathe through them and say,” Have you tried my servant Job?”
Who we are is no different than Job. We’re not going to have it easy all the time. God gives us tests and trials to bring out testimonies and triumphs. That scripture has always stuck with me, along with Psalm 23. I know that no matter what is going on in my life or with my anxiety, I know I am going to be okay because he’s not only walking with me, but he’s also carrying me through the valleys.
Alyssa: That’s right, absolutely. Being able to go to him in faith and trusting that he’s going to get you through that next tough season, issue, or worry is a relief for us as Christians to know that we can do that.
I just want to thank you so much for coming on the podcast because I wanted others to see that they’re not alone and that they have the ability to overcome and to cope with anxiety daily. And I just appreciate your sharing your heart and your testimony with us today.
Dayna Clunan: Absolutely.
I pray that this conversation encouraged your heart and reminded you that you don’t have to face anxiety alone. God is with you, and peace is possible through Him.
If today’s episode blessed you, would you do me a quick favor? Subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a new episode and share it with a friend who might need some encouragement, too. And don’t forget, you can grab your free resource, 5 Days of Peace, a scripture and prayer guide for anxiety @alyssaavant.com.
It’s a simple way to invite God’s peace into your everyday life. Until next time, remember this: you are not alone, you are deeply loved, and you can find peace one step at a time through faith.