Depression and faithfulness

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I know a lot of people have struggled with depression at some point. I’m wondering how it affected your prayer life and your faith in the Catholic Church? It is just that for me it only leads me away from God and I don’t know if that is normal
 
It can also lead us to God. The world and its wrong and futile values, its tendency to be driven by pride and self-righteousness, its failure to value truth with any high regard, its overall hopelessness drove me both to depression and to look for truth and hope and for the God that such a search leads to.

"Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
"Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted."

I’m not saying that all depression stems from this reason and sorrow certainly isn’t something to be sought after. And yet if we’re too comfortable in this world, if we get along too well with its ways, if it doesn’t affect us negatively, there’s something not right about that either.
 
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It is definitely an ongoing struggle for me. I tend to feel isolated when I get depressed, and it is a challenge to pray at those times. I often feel like I am constantly riding a bicycle uphill in my spiritual life, and that as soon as I stop pedaling I will start to go backward. I know that somehow I should be letting Jesus help me pedal, but I haven’t figured out how to do that.
 
Psalms 22(23) and102(103) have helped me. I read about these Psalms being needed in cases of depression, spiritual struglle, certain hormonal problems. I started reading them reluctantly. You have to read them for at least 7 days. But, they helped. My mood no longer takes hold on me when it’s dark. I can move above dreams and thoughts that otherwise made me too sad. I continue to read even after 7 days.
It takes like 5-10 minutes in the morning after my received canon prayer. Worth a try methinks.
 
Yeah, my struggles with depression and anxiety, along with the secondary difficulties they bring (medication side effects, emotional distance and a host of others), have left me with very little faith in God or the Church. Quite frankly, I get tired of hearing how much God loves me or that he has a plan for me, given the mental and emotional struggles I’ve had to deal with in my life.
 
Daily mass was a place of rest for me, with Jesus. It helped immensely. But in a different place in my life, I was instead troubled by racing thoughts and prayer seemed impossible. I could just say Help me! and that was it.

Remember, the Holy Spirit helps us to pray.
 
Completely normal. In the middle of depression your brain is going through chemical hell. Trying to focus on things like God, love, or things higher up on Maslow’s Hierarchy. Your brain feels like it’s in a struggle to just survive. This is where that Catholic Church is so genius. I went through this. For 10 years without reprieve. We have so much support in the form of recited prayers, tradition, ritual, and logic that is basically an anchor that keeps the boat in place when the storms are raging above.

While you are going through it it feels like you’re far from God and just hanging on by your fingernails. However, it is this time that faith is growing like crazy. By showing faithfulness even when things seem dry your heart is growing closer and closer, and when things finally clear up you can see more clearly how near to you God was through it all. He’s walking through it WITH you, even if you can’t sense Him there.

Don’t let anyone say that just “going through the motions” is a waste of time. It’s SO not! It’s building faithfulness, and it will show. In the meantime, keep seeing a counselor and get medication that works for you. Make sure you are getting LOTS of sleep, have as predictable of a routine as possible, eat healthy, drink water, and exercise. I found going for long walks outside in the sun was a huge boost as well. The better your take care of your body the easier it gets. And do not hesitate to reach out to others. This thread should show you that there are a lot of wonderful people willing to lend support, and I am sure there any many more in your life that will be there for you too.
 
At one time I was struggling with anxiety and was worried that meant I had no meaningful faith. I spoke to a Dominican priest who told me he also struggled with anxiety (!) and anxiety and depression have nothing to do with faith. I can’t actually remember all the other great advice he gave me but it comforted me to know that a holy priest was dealing with the same issues. Then I knew clearly that anxiety won’t prevent God moving in your life.

I also agree that the rituals of the church are wonderfully uplifting and helpful when I am struggling to pray. I am so grateful for daily mass and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. I am able to stay in a place of peace with no anxiety when I regularly attend the sacraments and communal prayer.
 
I have been struggling with depression for quite a long time. I have learned it can lead people closer to God or it can lead them away from God. I know in my case, I struggle with praying because of my depression. It caused me to isolate myself from God as well as anger. But, going to Adoration and seeking comfort in Our Lady has helped me draw closer to God.
 
The difficult part of heavy depression is the loss of reason. When that oppressive episode of depression is on you, thinking reasonably can be almost impossible. Many times I know that whatever is bothering me is not really even a 2 on the scale of 1-10, but that doesn’t matter. The severity of it really is a sort of oppression that defies reason.

And at times like these, I may not be able to pray either. Whatever is occupying me simply takes control, and the rosary or other prayers are not happening.

And so here is a third way:
Imagination. Since I am not able to self direct my thoughts, I stop fighting the oppression. I begin to employ my imagination. During the most severe episode in my life I remember one night just placing myself at the foot of the cross, kneeling there while Christ’s blood dripped on the ground around me. And I found strength in that. Oddly enough, I found companionship in that moment. This moment was very real and alive. This moment was truly more real than my depression.

Fighting depression sometimes just makes it worse, so for me the decision is to suffer faithfully, and if possible, to say thank you even in the midst of it. Hard to do.
 
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Checked the psalms ,but.I.stillI.get a bit confused with the numbers in brackets , so is it.102 or.103 , thanks
 
May God bless you, and I don’t say it in a mocking manner or anything, believe know what you mean, I many a times just feel like throwing the towel,
A word of encouragement I got the other day was
God won’t allow tempation beyond what you can bear,
 
Azaryahtt said:
Checked the psalms ,but.I.stillI.get a bit confused with the numbers
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Psalm 22 in the Orthodox Septuagint Bible and 23 in Catholic Bibles. Psalm 102 in EO Bible and Psalm 103 in Catholic Bibles.
If you use the International versions then it is 23 and 103,.same.as Catholic Bibles.
 
O, thanks for the clarification, actually I checked Psalm 102, and seems very pertinent to the subject in question,
 
It hurts my spiritual life because I have a lot
guilt and shame. I tend to compare myself to others and don’t understand why my situation is the way it is. Self-pity can come from depression as well. It really depends on why exactly your depressed. I have exact specific reasons for being so.
 
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His book widely available, and youtube videos too

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The story of Fr Rob Galea is a journey from desperation to hope. Struggling under the weight of addiction and depression, Fr Rob was considering ending his life when redemption came through a phone call. Knowing that he needed help, Fr Rob fought his demons to forge a relationship with Jesus...
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rosejmj said:
I know a lot of people have struggled with depression at some point. I’m wondering how it affected your prayer life and your faith in the Catholic Church? It is just that for me it only leads me away from God and I don’t know if that is normal
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I was formally diagnosed with Clinical Depression in the mid 90s, but hindsight tells me I probably had it since childhood. How it has affected my faith in God and the Church has been mixed.

I still believe in God in the sense that I believe He exists but I no longer view Him as a universal force for good. I do believe God loves some people more than others and some He does not love at all. Many are called; few are chosen and all that. In my view, God does NOT love everyone; He has his favorites.

I still like the Catholic Church as an institution but I feel that it really has lost touch with its congregations. Some say “The Church needs to get in touch with the times” but I counter “No, the times need to get in touch with the Church.” Yet if I had my druthers, I’d probably quit altogether. I still identify as a Catholic but the only reason I still go to mass is to avoid getting into a fight with my wife.

I also believe that God is the cause - not the answer to - my suffering. When things go wrong for me - whether it is losing my job or dropping my car keys on the kitchen floor - I believe that God had a hand in it; either He deliberately caused the event or He failed to prevent it. My hopes and dreams go unfulfilled and probably always will be.

I really don’t go to confession anymore; not because I believe I don’t sin but because I see no point in it. If my life on this Earth is any indication of how much God “loves” me then in all likelihood I’ll be going to Hell when I die anyway. Nothing is going to change that and it would be awfully presumptuous for me to think I can change His mind.

All in all, I’ve just become pretty much indifferent to it all. I have a dead-end job and a loveless marriage. I see no point in reaching out to God because I know from experience that my prayers always go unanswered. Yes, I’ve heard all notions that “God answers all prayers but sometimes the answer is ‘No.’” or “God has something better in mind.” and all that. Well, as far as I am concerned if my prayers are not answered “my way” then they haven’t been answered period.

I hope that someday someone will tell me something that just completely blows me away; where I’m going smack myself upside of the head and be like “Wow! I’ve never thought about it that way! You know, you’re right!” but so far that has been elusive.

Frankly, I just don’t care anymore.
 
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A few years back, a friend told me that it was tough for me to understand about depression, because it is almost like you have to suffer from depression to understand what it is all about.
I pray for those who struggled with depression. 🙏🙏🙏
 
I have no particular wisdom to offer, but I’ll pray for you today. Maybe you’d be comfortable praying for other people, if not yourself?
 
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