Is Anxiety a Sin? A Faith & Counseling Perspective with Deanna Woods

Together, we will discuss what anxiety really means from a counseling perspective, how faith and therapy can work hand-in-hand, and practical tools you can use when anxiety rises. Deanna also shares when it might be time to seek professional support and how to overcome the stigma often tied to counseling. Whether you’re personally struggling with anxiety or walking alongside a loved one who is, this conversation offers hope, encouragement, and simple next steps.

Our guest today is Deanna Woods, a licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience in the healthcare field, including extensive work in hospice care. In 2025, she founded Woods Wellness and Counseling, a private practice dedicated to supporting individuals facing depression, anxiety, trauma, and grief-related challenges. A native of Winona, Mississippi, Deanna began her academic journey at Holmes Community College before transferring to the University of Mississippi, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in social work in 2003. In 2019, she completed her master’s degree in social work. Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas, where she finalized her clinical hours in December of 2024.

Deanna is passionate about providing compassionate client-centered care that promotes healing and emotional resilience. She has been married to her husband, Lee Woods, for 18 years, and together they have one son, Nathan Woods, who is 14 years old.

Alyssa Avant: Hey, everyone. So today I have with me Deanna Woods, who is our guest expert for this relaunch of the Overcoming Anxiety Through Faith Podcast. We are going to talk about anxiety from the perspective of someone who is trained in counseling and can help us know what we can do with our anxiety and how we can overcome it. We’re gonna start really, super simple because most of us have heard the word anxiety, but what does it actually mean from a counseling perspective?

Deanna Woods: Thank you, Alyssa, for allowing me to come and be a part of the podcast with you today. A lot of people use the word anxiety, but what does that really mean from a counseling perspective? Anxiety is more than just a feeling of nervousness before a big test or worrying about your to-do list; it’s when the mind and the body are in a heightened state of alert.

Even when there’s no immediate danger. It can show up as racing thoughts, a pounding heart, restlessness, trouble sleeping, or really just feeling like you just can’t turn your brain off.

Now, every day worry becomes something deeper when it starts to feel constant, overwhelming, or hard to control. For many women, that might look like lying awake at night, going over conversations, feeling tense or irritable most of the day, or noticing that the worry is really interfering with their work and relationships. The difference really is about impact. If worry keeps you from living your daily life, that is a sign that it may be anxiety and not just normal stress. The good news is that anxiety is treatable. Therapy gives you the tools to manage it, calm the body, and quiet the mind so you can feel more control again.

Alyssa Avant: Thank you so much.  I interviewed somebody from a testimonial perspective of what day-to-day anxiety is for them, and that’s what she said. She couldn’t even go about her day-to-day life. That’s where we realize that it’s not just worry, it’s anxiety.

This podcast is about overcoming anxiety through faith. Many times, as Christians, we wrestle with guilt over being anxious because the Bible tells us we shouldn’t worry. So how should we understand anxiety and the light of faith, and is it a sin or is it just a part of living in the broken world that we live in?

Deanna Woods: So, Alyssa, that’s a good, important question because many Christian women experience anxiety, and it’s labor with that layered with that guilt. We read verses that say, Do not worry, do not be anxious for nothing. And we can feel like it’s struggling with anxiety, where we are somehow failing in our faith. Here’s the truth. Anxiety from the counseling perspective is also our body and brain responding to stress, trauma, or the pleasures of everyday life. It’s not always a conscious choice. Experiencing anxiety doesn’t automatically mean sin. It can simply be part of living in a broken world where minds and bodies sometimes react in ways that we don’t want them to.

Many women of faith find comfort in seeing those verses not as condemnation, but as God’s invitation to bring worries to him. Scripture acknowledges that worry and fear are real human struggles. What’s freeing is knowing that we’re not alone in them. God meets us there. He always equips us with tools such as community and professional help when we need it. Instead of seeing anxiety as a spiritual failure, we can see it as an opportunity, as a signal that we need care and support, and also God’s peace, faith, and counseling can work beautifully together and help us navigate through that journey.

Alyssa Avant: Exactly. And that’s where it gives us that alert to, hey, we need to reach out. Many times, especially as women, we try to do things by ourselves, or we may think we can do it by ourselves, and we don’t need help. But many times we do. Sometimes we seek out counseling as a last-ditch effort to overcome whatever it is that we’re experiencing with our anxiety.

Because a lot of times, we do try to do it on our own. I like practical tools. I want something that’s gonna be easy for me to do, that is simple. So what are a few simple and practical techniques you recommend when somebody feels that anxiety rising in the moment that they can do, to take, give that calm to their mind?

Deanna Woods: So there are several different tips, and I call this putting tools in your tool belt. Just as the scripture talks about building your house on solid ground, these are tools that you can use in everyday life as your tools to equip you with dealing with everyday life, coinciding with your faith and the Bible. One is deep breathing. Slowing down that breath tells your nervous system that you are safe. Try inhaling through your nose for a count of four, holding that for four, and exhaling through your mouth for a count of six.

Another tool is grounding through your senses, maybe looking around, naming five things that you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things that you can smell, and one thing that you can taste. This helps to pull the mind out of those racing thoughts and back into the present moment. Being in nature cannot only be Grounding, but it can also connect you closer to God in your spiritual journey by giving you time for meditation and relaxation.

Lastly, try some muscle relaxation. Gently tensing and releasing different muscle groups like your shoulders, fists, and jaws. We often carry anxiety in our bodies without even realizing it. Letting that tension go can help the mind flow. This isn’t about making anxiety completely disappear, but to give you a way to pause, reset, and remind yourself that you are not powerless with these feelings.

Alyssa Avant: I love that we’re not powerless if we can believe it. I learned that muscle relaxation technique in third grade when I was diagnosed with anxiety. This may be dating myself or aging myself, but this was back when there were cassette tapes. The counselor or psychiatrist that I went to gave me a cassette tape, and it was a man’s voice telling me which Area to relax.

Like your fist, then your shoulders. You have to tense up your shoulders and then relax them. Anytime I had anxiety or a panic attack, my mom would always say, Go listen to your tape. It got to where that was annoying; it was like, okay, I am tired of this tape. However, the older I got, the more I grew to love the tape. I don’t know where it went. I would really like to have that tape. There is a YouTube video of it, believe it or not.

Deanna Woods: I was about to say that, Alyssa. I even did that in sessions with clients. They would ask if there are YouTube videos for guided meditation. Yep! Pandora and Apple Music also have some type of guided meditation or relaxation music that is helpful if you’re able to get outside and walk. It’s really not about the kind of music that you like to listen to. For some people, it is the soul or quiet, instrumental music. I had one client. His favorite music was hard rock and heavy metal. And in my mind, I’m like, how is that? How does that …

Alyssa Avant: Relax, you?

Deanna Woods: How does that relax you? However, when I put it on for him, he started rocking back and forth like how we hold a baby, and we soothe that baby. He was self-soothing by listening to heavy metal by singing the words. After the song was over, I said, “Do you even realize what you just did?” And he was like,” No.” I said, “You just soothed yourself as if you were an infant upset and frustrated.” He was rocking back and forth to the music, and it calmed him. It’s really not about the type of music. It’s about whatever works for you.

Alyssa Avant: Yes. I was relieved to find, a few years back, that there was still such a thing as relaxation exercise. Even though I missed the nostalgia of the actual voice. It really has worked. They are out there; you just have to go to YouTube or Pandora and find them for yourself. We have talked about these tools, but also at some point, there comes a time when we might need more help than that. What signs might indicate that we should reach out to counseling or professional support instead of trying to just manage our anxiety on our own?

Deanna Woods: Great question. Maybe counseling or even medication might be helpful, depending on the severity of the anxiety.  An example may be your mind always racing, you can’t switch it off if it’s interfering with your sleep focus, and your ability to enjoy life. Those are some of the signs or red flags. Another could be that it’s affecting your relationships with other people. Maybe you’re pulling away from that friend group. You’re snapping at loved ones, feeling short-tempered, and feeling overwhelmed. Maybe the racing heart, tension, stomach issues, and constant fatigue.

Some of these things are geared more towards women after a certain age. I’m not gonna age you and me at all, Alyssa. We’re from the same age group, but as we get older, our body chemistry starts changing. Caffeine really can affect and trigger that anxiety. From a health perspective, maybe reach out to our OB-GYNs or our primary care physicians to make sure it’s not anything first medical that’s going on, make sure it’s not something going on with our heart, or maybe we need to change our diet. Caffeine intake can also cause an increase in anxiety. And, if you’ve tried some of these coping strategies, such as prayer or journaling is great. I know, Alyssa, you have had journals for years.

Alyssa Avant: Yes.

Deanna Woods: Exercise has always been a great underutilized tool, and if it still feels like the anxiety has the upper hand, maybe seek a counselor or your medical provider. A lot of people think that if they need counseling, people are just gonna think they are weak. But it’s not a sign of weakness. It’s about getting support, learning tools, and creating that space for healing. Also, you don’t have to carry it alone.

Alyssa Avant: That’s right. Absolutely. That is where we feel like we can do it by ourselves, but many times we just need that other person’s perspective, and we also need a little bit of reassurance. I want to make sure that this podcast is about that encouragement and that hope that we all need. So if a listener, at this point, feels overwhelmed right now and they don’t know where to begin, what would you say to encourage them today?

Deanna Woods: All of us deal with worry at times, and there are moments that may be more so than others. Really seek out spiritual support from your pastor and understanding. Maybe a women’s support group through your church or Bible study.  If you’ve tried some of these different coping mechanisms that we’ve talked about today, and they really haven’t been very helpful, just pause for a minute and realize that you’re not alone and you don’t have to stay this way. Sometimes the first step isn’t fixing everything, but it’s simply just acknowledging, “Hey, I’m struggling right now, and I need some help.”  Just to try to figure out how to get through all the life changes in this messy world that we live in.

Alyssa Avant: I know that this podcast will go in many different places, and I know you also offer some remote-type counseling options as well. Because of this, I wanted to give you an opportunity, because you are a practicing counselor, to share with us how, if someone does need that help, how they would go about getting in touch with you.

Deanna Woods: My website is Woods Wellness and Counseling, and the email address is woodswellnessandcounseling@gmail. You can reach out through email or the website. If you’re not locally here in Mississippi, you can do telehealth or come to my office in Grenada. Psychology Today is a great resource; you put in your zip code, and it pulls up all the providers that are in your area. You can go there and see if any are in your network, and see if they accept your insurance.

If it’s not counseling, and maybe you really feel like something medically is going on, we always wanna start there first. I ask all my clients, “Have you ruled out the medical first before we start?” Especially in our age group, things start changing in the body’s chemical hormones.  We want to make sure that there isn’t anything going on there. Those are the other avenues for reaching out for support.

Alyssa Avant: I wanna say thank you so much for spending your time with us today. It has been super helpful, and I hope that everyone will use some of those techniques you gave us. I know I’ve used some of those in my past, and they have really helped me. And just wanna thank you for your availability and time today.

Deanna Woods: Yes, ma’am. Thank you.