> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://dd.malinoix.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # On Anxiety: An Adulterous Relationship Breakup - URL: https://dd.malinoix.com/on-anxiety-an-adulterous-relationship-breakup/ - Published: 2013-02-20T06:00:25.000Z - Updated: 2013-02-20T06:00:25.000Z - Author: Maggie Winterton - Tags: Health & Body, Anxiety/Depression, Church, Guest Blogger, Hope, Love, Marriage, Relationships, Singleness, Story, young adults, #wordpress, #Import 2026-10-12 13:59 ### ![an adulterous relationship breakup](https://dd.malinoix.com/content/images/wordpress/2013/02/an-adulterous-relationship-breakup-545x363.jpg) ### \[Guest Post by [Rebecca Halton](http://www.rebeccahalton.com/?ref=dd.malinoix.com)\] – Entangled in an adulterous relationship in my early 20s, I was no stranger to anxiety. *I lost unhealthy amounts of weight and sleep.* *I isolated myself, sequestered by secrecy and shame.* I was drowning under the weight of worry, fear, paranoia, shame and self-loathing. And even as a believer already, I felt too “disqualified,” too unworthy, to seek the One who I knew could rescue me. *What then?* ### That’s when I started to “circle the wagons”– to rally people in my life for prayer and counsel. The concept isn’t mine, but I know it’s inspired by the defense mechanism of settlers pioneering the West. If they came under attack, they would circle their wagons, creating a protective barrier, shielding their most vulnerable in the circle’s center. ### In my case of adultery, I eventually confided in close friends. From the outside looking in, my life seemed great, but I finally admitted I needed help. So I sounded the alarm. *I know these friends interceded for me.* *They prayed with and for me.* ### As I revealed my struggle, they spiritually encircled me in my time of weakness. And in numbers, there was strength. Ultimately, I was able to completely walk in repentance–and away from that adulterous relationship. It’s been one of the best decisions of my life (*the* best being my decision to embark on a relationship with Christ). ### It was by the Holy Spirit, because of my relationship with Christ, that I was convicted of my adultery in the first place. It was by Jesus’ sacrifice that I was reconciled to the Father. And it was by the Father that I was redeemed, restored, and liberated from that burden of anxiety. I still have times when I feel anxious–it’s hard not to with the current state of our lives and world. Now, though, I am quicker to circle the wagons. ### The war for our peace, joy, and strength in the Lord isn’t over. And while I’ve learned I can’t solely depend on interceding friends, my battle against adultery reminds me how powerfully community can help kick anxiety’s butt! *Perhaps you’ve experienced the pain of a break-up?* And in the wake of your break-up, you probably had friends who rallied around you. Rather than let you anxiously “post-mortem” your relationship (again), and wallow in the worrisome “what-ifs” of being single again, they intervened, right? *Maybe they pried pints of cookie-dough ice cream from your hands.* *Maybe they insisted you change out of your pajamas at 5 p.m., and into something cute to wear out to dinner with them.* *Maybes aside, they definitely helped you feel better.* ### Community like this is priceless, especially when you’re most tempted to hide behind your barricade of brokenness. Above all, I hope you’ll keep pressing on in your own training up as a spiritual warrior-chick. Think on and speak out the Word of God. Put on that Ephesians 6 armor. *Fellowship with the Father, through prayer and contemplation; and know that peace and victory are at hand.* *And sometimes, it’s the hand that’s taking your ice cream from you.* > *![rebecca halton](https://dd.malinoix.com/content/images/wordpress/2013/02/rebecca-halton-150x150.jpg)Rebecca Halton is the author of Words from the Other Woman: The True Account of a Redeemed Adulteress (Westbow Press). Though she’s been published on a variety of topics, from restaurant safety to international relations, she most enjoys writing and speaking about her testimony of redemption. To learn more visit [www.rebeccahalton.com](http://www.rebeccahalton.com/?ref=dd.malinoix.com).* \[Photo: [Lauren Welter](http://www.flickr.com/photos/%5Flauren%5Floves/?ref=dd.malinoix.com), Flickr\]