Good Faith Sara Billups Explores ‘Nervous Systems’ and How to Build a Non-Anxious Life
Oct 23, 2025
Sarah Billups, a Seattle-based writer and cultural commentator, dives into the complexities of faith and mental health. She shares insights from her upcoming book, discussing how understanding personal and generational anxiety can foster peace. Billups illuminates the concept of 'holy indifference' as a tool for navigating fear, particularly in churches and politics. She highlights strategies for nurturing anxious children and emphasizes the importance of community and presence in countering today's pervasive anxiety.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Faith As A Bodily Calming Anchor
- If God is real and good, trusting that reality can help us calm down amid uncertainty.
- Sara Billups frames faith as a foundation for bodily and emotional steadiness, not as easy answers.
Book Began With Personal Family Inquiry
- Sara began Nervous Systems to explore her lifelong anxiety and family history.
- She traced personal patterns into communal and political anxieties to find through-lines.
Anxiety Is Embodied And Cumulative
- Anxiety often shows up first in the body as stomach tension, adrenaline, or lingering "emotional hangovers."
- Sara uses the body as a linchpin to link personal, church, and political anxiety.
