Where does anxiety come from? Where do bad behaviors start? Why does fear take over? We might say these things come from our jobs, financial circumstances, or challenging people. All these things can be stressful, but they are not the cause of stress, anxiety, and fear. So, what is? Our thoughts are the cause.
When we encounter a situation, our initial thought drives everything. That thought leads to an emotion. The emotion leads to a behavior or action. The behavior or action affects relationships. Then we have the result. The result stems from that first thought. Attempting to change your behavior would be impossible without changing your thoughts. You might change for a week or two, but if you don't change your thought processes, that behavior will come back. In my years as a therapist, I have walked many people through this transformational process into real life-change.
Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Rethink focuses on replacing harmful mindsets that promote negative emotions like depression, anxiety, fear, and self-loathing with God's truth. Toxic mindsets fuel negative emotions and produce destructive behaviors. We cannot be truly free of toxicity until we transform our thinking.
