Is their a good way for a Catholic to deal with an anxiety disorder?

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nocoastlayman

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Hello everyone!

If you’ve read my earlier posts, you all know that I’m currently a teacher and also that i’m having a lot of stress due to a lot of issues. Anyway, are their any tips that are key to beating or calming my anxiety (and sometimes depression, though for me depression is easier to get over, its more like a heavy coat, anxiety eats me up like acid) or other problems?

The toughest thing right now is that I have been let go due to budget cuts at my school. I’ve interviewed for two jobs and got rejected from one. Anyways, searching for a job stresses the bejeezes out of me because I hate not having a future. I’m getting my masters in special education, but I don’t want to be taking on more debt just for school (I’m 44000 in the hole plus about 6000 in the hole for my car.) My big worry is though that God doesn’t care about me or any of these problems. I know this isn’t true, but I just don’t feel like God cares. He’s just kind of watching and sitting there. It makes it tough because I want a God who’s a warrior who will help me out. I know i have to put in effort on my own (and I have) but it feels like God is just letting me drown under the waves.

This stresses me a lot too because I hear from so many of my Catholic friends “pray and don’t worry” which annoys me. How am i not supposed to worry? Its so natural for me and I don’t want to end up being some poor bum. I just can’t stop worrying. To be honest it makes me wish that I could just pass away or that I could just have an easier life. I know everyone has crosses, but it seems like due to genetics (my family suffers a lot from anxiety and depression) and other factors I think my cross is heavier than others even though I know it isn’t.

Sorry for the text. wall (I do that a lot) but I guess I’m just wondering what I can do to calm my. anxiety and realize that God does want to help me. I know God cares and I’ve felt his presence and his guidance before. How can I get that fearlessness and confidence back? (BTW I don’t have a spiritual director. I do see a counselor as of right now though but I think i need more spiritual needs)

God Bless

Nocoast!
 
I was going to suggest a counselor - it’s good that you are seeing one! I too have anxiety and once I found a good counselor my symptoms improved a lot. In my case, my counselor was not Catholic, but still Christian and knowledgeable and appreciative of Catholic theology, and that was a good spiritual support in a way that my purely secular counselors had not been able to offer.

You might call your priest and ask to set up an appointment for spiritual direction. If he’s not available for that, you could ask for references to people who are available for spiritual direction.

Good luck in your job search! While not ideal, I’m sure you can get on a sub list or two and at least get called most days, even though the income will be less, while you search for a full-time position. If your anxiety permits, you can also look for part-time work. For me, the feeling of financial instability is a huge anxiety trigger, so it was actually better for me to be working 2-3 part-time jobs and knowing I could still make a dent in my loan payments, rather than work less and have a lot of free time to worry, if that makes sense. :o

Praying for you!
 
First, remember that depression and anxiety can distort perception of things and it can seem like God isn’t paying attention or answering prayers among other things. And it’s difficult to sell yourself for jobs when one is anxious or depressed.

If you aren’t doing some type of therapy there are various things that can be done to address the worries. A counselor can help bring things back into a healthier perspective and help you prepare for interviews so you don’t unintentionally sabotage yourself. You might benefit from working with both a pastoral counselor and a mental health counselor. Some parishes have a pastoral counselor on staff but I don’t know how common they are. You may have to call someone in your diocese, maybe Catholic Charities. If they don’t offer something like that ask them to refer you to someone that does.
 
I have a bit of anxiety now… of sharing this with you, for fear it will do you more harm than good. But I thought you might find this post interesting I found on a blog:

littlestsouls.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/joy-in-the-spiritual-life-q-a/

You might want to look around on the blog and see what you can find. developing peace will not happen overnight but takes time, as it takes time for the brain to change its structure when its instinct is to worry.

All the best,
Edarlitrix
 
We’re not supposed to give medical advice, so I’ll just tell you what I did.

I also come from a family with a lot of depression and anxiety. Talk therapy didn’t do me much good; medication sort of helped, but I didn’t like the numbed feeling. I finally got a lot of relief when I cut all sugar and grains from my diet and started eating low carb/high fat.

I still have some depression and anxiety from time to time, but I can deal with it.

I wasn’t expecting to feel better emotionally. I thought I’d lose some weight (which I did) and control my T2 diabetes better (which I am), but losing most of the depression and anxiety was an unexpected blessing!
 
Somehow while reading the OP, I get a sense of Déjà vu. Is this something like another issue you’ve had in the past? Maybe it was someone else with a similar situation…
 
The whole worrying thing… yes, it took me years to figure that out (there are some things I am very slow at!). So I decided that I would take worrying as a sign that I should be praying, because worrying doesn’t actually accomplish anything, and praying is the most powerful thing a human can do! And it has helped 🙂
 
nocoastlayman said:
Hello everyone!

If you’ve read my earlier posts, you all know that I’m currently a teacher and also that i’m having a lot of stress due to a lot of issues. Anyway, are their any tips that are key to beating or calming my anxiety (and sometimes depression, though for me depression is easier to get over, its more like a heavy coat, anxiety eats me up like acid) or other problems?

The toughest thing right now is that I have been let go due to budget cuts at my school. I’ve interviewed for two jobs and got rejected from one. Anyways, searching for a job stresses the bejeezes out of me because I hate not having a future. I’m getting my masters in special education, but I don’t want to be taking on more debt just for school (I’m 44000 in the hole plus about 6000 in the hole for my car.) My big worry is though that God doesn’t care about me or any of these problems. I know this isn’t true, but I just don’t feel like God cares. He’s just kind of watching and sitting there. It makes it tough because I want a God who’s a warrior who will help me out. I know i have to put in effort on my own (and I have) but it feels like God is just letting me drown under the waves.

This stresses me a lot too because I hear from so many of my Catholic friends “pray and don’t worry” which annoys me. How am i not supposed to worry? Its so natural for me and I don’t want to end up being some poor bum. I just can’t stop worrying. To be honest it makes me wish that I could just pass away or that I could just have an easier life. I know everyone has crosses, but it seems like due to genetics (my family suffers a lot from anxiety and depression) and other factors I think my cross is heavier than others even though I know it isn’t.

Sorry for the text. wall (I do that a lot) but I guess I’m just wondering what I can do to calm my. anxiety and realize that God does want to help me. I know God cares and I’ve felt his presence and his guidance before. How can I get that fearlessness and confidence back? (BTW I don’t have a spiritual director. I do see a counselor as of right now though but I think i need more spiritual needs)

God Bless

Nocoast!
Click to expand...
Spiritual needs and trusting God are important. God does and always will care for you. In the case of anxiety and depression, I suggest you visit a doctor and get a proper diagnosis. I have suffered from both and continue to experience both. May God bless you, and strengthen you.

Peace,
Ed
 
If presently you can not do anything about your problems, then why waste time obsessing. It’s a mental trap. And for all practical purposes it will hurt, not help you. It will take effort to be positive. And if you do a lot of obsessing, it’s a bad habit that you must overcome. Make the most of your time. Even if it’s something simple like physical exercise, walking, doing things around the house. You can also do things in a less intensive way, looking for a job, reading etc. Try to control the activity of your mind by distracting it from your problems. Also think of God, and what He says in Scripture about His love for you, and concern for your problems. These problems can make us stronger spiritually, and give us real security in life and peace that doesn’t depend on existing situations that can change from day to day. We all need the stability that comes from a deep trust in God, and it also our proof that we do indeed love Him. The great lesson is by giving us these problems we go to Him for the answer,only to find that He is our greatest need. Thoughts can’t hurt you if you d on’t let them, and recognize them for what they are!
 
I’ll pm you some of the advice I’ve heard about how to deal with anxiety. 🙂
 
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