Constant anxiety at mass

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bgn2000

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Hello,

Recently I was asked to be an EMHC for my parish. I think it is a great priviledge to be chosen to do this work, but I’ve been having a problem since I have been given the blessing. I am constantly anxious at mass, to the point of feeling sick in my stomach and cannot concentrate at all. I know I’m supposed to be thinking outwards, my weakness has always been self-consciousness. Mass is not the same anymore for me, and as much as I want to serve God, I dread it now and it’s wearing me down. It reminds me of my school days. what can I do about this? Feeling sick and weak to he point I’m going to faint. It’s horrible and not doing anyone any good.

what could I do?
 
Talk to the priest one to one about it let him guide you forward. 🙂 In the meantime if you can, offer these anxieties to God and Trust in God.

Peace be with you
xxx
 
bgn2000 said:
Recently I was asked to be an EMHC for my parish. I think it is a great priviledge to be chosen to do this work, but I’ve been having a problem since I have been given the blessing.

what could I do?
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Well, you’re not required to perform this ministry; it’s not like, having been commissioned, it’s your vocation or something. You could, if you wanted to, just ask to be excused from being an EMHC…
 
Tell your pastor that you’ve come to realize that this is not a good ministry for you and you no longer want to be an EMHC. You can go into more detail if you wish but you don’t have to. Simply saying, “Fr., I’m sorry, I can’t do this any longer,” should be enough.
 
bgn2000 said:
Hello,

Recently I was asked to be an EMHC for my parish. I think it is a great priviledge to be chosen to do this work, but I’ve been having a problem since I have been given the blessing. I am constantly anxious at mass, to the point of feeling sick in my stomach and cannot concentrate at all. I know I’m supposed to be thinking outwards, my weakness has always been self-consciousness. Mass is not the same anymore for me, and as much as I want to serve God, I dread it now and it’s wearing me down. It reminds me of my school days. what can I do about this? Feeling sick and weak to he point I’m going to faint. It’s horrible and not doing anyone any good.

what could I do?
Click to expand...
I can totally relate to your anxiety. I have similar problems just attending mass, especially if I arrive too late to get an “ideal seat”, or people sit too close to me, or I have a runny nose. It may seem trivial to some, but anxiety can be really painful, I actually quit and RCIA class because they met before church and never let us out early enough. I know I should have just spoke to the leader about it but I have anxiety over confrontation situations too.

Anyway enough about me, just wanted you to know you are not alone. Mine got better as I became more familiar with mass and the people in the church. Perhaps yours will fade too, if you stick it out. But ultimately, you don’t want it to negatively effect you to the point of depression or skipping mass, its a tough decision, I would try and talk to the priest or another leader and hopefully he is understanding about it…maybe with support you can conquer this and be stronger for it. Or maybe its not right for you…only you will know.

Praying for you!
 
bgn2000 said:
Hello,

Recently I was asked to be an EMHC for my parish. I think it is a great priviledge to be chosen to do this work, but I’ve been having a problem since I have been given the blessing. I am constantly anxious at mass, to the point of feeling sick in my stomach and cannot concentrate at all. I know I’m supposed to be thinking outwards, my weakness has always been self-consciousness. Mass is not the same anymore for me, and as much as I want to serve God, I dread it now and it’s wearing me down. It reminds me of my school days. what can I do about this? Feeling sick and weak to he point I’m going to faint. It’s horrible and not doing anyone any good.

what could I do?
Click to expand...
I can totally relate to your anxiety. I have similar problems just attending mass, especially if I arrive too late to get an “ideal seat”, or people sit too close to me, or I have a runny nose. It may seem trivial to some, but anxiety can be really painful, I actually quit and RCIA class because they met before church and never let us out early enough. I know I should have just spoke to the leader about it but I have anxiety over confrontation situations too.

Anyway enough about me, just wanted you to know you are not alone. Mine got better as I became more familiar with mass and the people in the church. Perhaps yours will fade too, if you stick it out. But ultimately, you don’t want it to negatively effect you to the point of depression or skipping mass, its a tough decision, I would try and talk to the priest or another leader and hopefully he is understanding about it…maybe with support you can conquer this and be stronger for it. Or maybe its not right for you…only you will know.

Praying for you!
 
I don’t know what a. EMHC is, but I was once asked to carry up the gifts. I felt I had to. I was so nervous the water and wine were shaking visibly in my hands and i forgot to genuflect… Needless to say, I have not been asked to do anything again!

If you want to do this thing, I advise talking to your doc about medicine. And some cognitive bevavoiral tips can help you desensitize in that particular area.

If its important to you, there are ways to get around the panic. If its not, its OK to say no!
 
littlenothing said:
Oh, duh. Thanks. Im not good at…what are they? Acronyms?
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In this case, abbreviation.

Acronyms are those abbreviations that can be said as words:
SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing** Apparatus),
RADAR (RAdio Detecting And Ranging),
UNICEF (United Nations I**nternational Children’s Emergency Fund).
 
I think everyone at one time in their lives experience ‘stage fright’. Sometimes the anxiety diminishes as the function of eucharistic minister becomes more routine. As others have advised, talk to your parish pastor.
 
Many of the prayers we pray are about letting go of our anxieties, yet we remain anxious. It seems I am meeting more and more people who suffer from anxiety. I would suggest that rather than quickly running to a psych or going on meds, to pray a Novena, then turn it over to God.
At one time or another everyone has some anxiety in their life, but I think this malady is the work of the devil. I came to this conclusion when I had a similar experience.
When I first became an EM (I volunteered), I became very anxious each time it was my turn to serve in this capacity. I questioned myself, “Why did I volunteer?” I almost had myself convinced to quit, saying to myself, “This must not be the ministry God intended for me.” :confused:
I contemplated on the matter and prayed for guidance. Meanwhile, I continued serving as EM, filled with anxiety et all.
One day, I realized that the devil didn’t want me serving God in ANY capacity :mad:. He constantly is at work trying to discourage us.
I suggest you pray and contemplate on why you get so anxious. You may find over time that you will let go of the anxiety and become more confortable in that position.
Sometimes we have to serve in a capacity where we are most needed, even if it’s uncomfortable:) so, just offer your service up to God and let Him handle the rest.👍
 
You have two choices. Stick with it and drive through your anxiety. Sometimes anxiety wanes over time. Or you can resign your role as an EMHC. Either choice is completely acceptable. I agree with others that it’s wise to speak with your priest, who can give you more insight. I hope you come back and let us know how it works our.
 
Point well taken, casadepaz, and I don’t normally suggest rushing out to get meds, even with my patients. However, panic is so crippling, meds are usually needed, at least short term. If this is just a bit of nervous stomach issue, speaking to. A priest and prayer may very well help. But if its anywhere near panic, good luck. I still have no idea how to beat that one, try as I might and confess as I might.

Incidentally, I once brought up my insomnia in confession. It waned. I bring up anxiety all the time. No dice. Sometimes it really is your catecholamines.
 
Sorry,
I agree with your post.

I didn’t mean to imply Not to take meds or seek help with a professional. I personally, have received answers through intense prayer and contemplation.
Speaking with a priest is definitely needed here, and reconciliation helps us to put our thoughts and short comings into perspective.
 
casadepaz said:
Sorry,
I agree with your post.

I didn’t mean to imply Not to take meds or seek help with a professional. I personally, have received answers through intense prayer and contemplation.
Speaking with a priest is definitely needed here, and reconciliation helps us to put our thoughts and short comings into perspective.
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No need to apologize! By all means take anxieties to the foot of the Cross! And to your priest. I do! Fortunately, there are means God gives us to control our anxieties. It can be really hard to know sometimes if you are dealing with something that just belongs with God in prayer or do you need some meds?

I have wondered about the deliver us from all anxiety thing. Does that mean earthly cares and concerns?
 
I’m would never say that you should persevere with the EMHC duties, but I can speak as someone who suffered from crippling anxieties and self-consciousness for a large chunk of my life.
At times, way back, I was asked - out of the blue - at small weekday Masses, to do the scripture reading, and it filled me with fear, though I didn’t have time to get too worried and really couldn’t refuse. I have experienced panic attacks standing up in front of people, so used to be afraid it might happen if I was reading from the lectionary.
Then my parish priest asked me if I’d become a lector, and read on a regular basis on Sundays. My first instinct was to refuse, but he said I read well, so I agreed.
For the first few times, my heart was pounding as I went up to the lecturn, but with time and practice, it became something I enjoyed and felt privileged to do.

Sometimes - and I don’t want to impose my views or experience on the OP or anyone on this thread - we can gain confidence by doing the thing we fear, and that confidence can then spread out into wider circles of our life, so that we end up (as I did) feeling a lot less anxious and self-conscious in general.
I think in my case I knew God wanted me to do this, and it turned out to be a blessing.
 
ATeNumquam said:
At times, way back, I was asked - out of the blue - at small weekday Masses, to do the scripture reading, and it filled me with fear, though I didn’t have time to get too worried and really couldn’t refuse. I have experienced panic attacks standing up in front of people, so used to be afraid it might happen if I was reading from the lectionary.
Then my parish priest asked me if I’d become a lector, and read on a regular basis on Sundays. My first instinct was to refuse, but he said I read well, so I agreed.
For the first few times, my heart was pounding as I went up to the lecturn, but with time and practice, it became something I enjoyed and felt privileged to do.
Click to expand...
I’ve been a reader for decades and I still get wobbly-kneed if I become a reader in a new parish or for a wedding and even, somewhat, if I’m reading at a different Mass from the one at which I normally read.

But it’s not something that I focus on during the Entrance Rite, etc. For the OP, being an EMHC preventing her/him from worshipping in the way he/she wants and, for me, that would be good enough to say “Sorry, Father, this is not the ministry for me.”
 
Yes, it means delivery from ALL anxieties that we deal with in our daily life. In my opinion, anxieties come from fear of something. We might have panic attacks when we stand at the edge of a cliff, or we might have anxieties when we are asked to do a certain job, or stand in front of an audience. Some people have anxieties about not having any possessions, so they horde.
Recognizing our feelings and responses to circumstances then praying for help in these areas and surrendering our will to God, allows Him to make changes in our life.
Too many people rely on meds and not on God.
That is not to say that medication is not necessary in some cases, but I do feel it’s handed out too easily. It is amazing how many people I’ve met that take some mood or anxiety altering medication. Let’s turn to God (and our priest) first.
 
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