BE NOT AFRAID -- Catholics Living With Anxiety Disorders

Thank you for making this group... it is amazing to know so many people who have my problem. We can all pray for each other in the loving unity of our Lord & Saviour.

I have Generalised Anxiety Disorder, making it extremely difficult or impossible to go outside much. The Lord be with you all...

Mary janik, it must be difficult for you.in my case living with an alcoholic was very difficult.I found some help with al -anon.It helped me see after a long time, that I couldn't fix him.I could only change me.They don't tell you what too do, they just help you see that you also need to take care of yourself.The serenity prayer spells it out in a nutshell.God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.Change the things I can, and the wisdom too know the difference.
It's been yrs since all of that for me.My own issues couldn't handle it anymore, actually made me worse being w an alcoholic.I 'm not blaming him.It just didn't work.God Bless

What are our six common fears?
Fear of : loss of love, criticism, poverty, sickness, old age and death.
What is fear, but… “False Evidence Appearing Real “ (Zig Ziglar, adapted)
Let’s see how some people overcame them with the truth of faith, in Christ.

Loss of Love (cf., Matt.5:8)
~ “Blessed is the man that loves You, O God, and his friend in You, and his enemy for You. For he alone loses no one that is dear to him, if all are dear in God, who is never lost.”(St. Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 AD, Confession 4 : 9)
~ “…love them with the Heart of Christ, to lead them to Him and to help them to love Him and Him alone. It was thus that Margaret Mary (1647-1690) loved her novices and desired to be loved by them. Loving them only in God, she wished only to lead them to God.”
(Henri Monier-Vinard,SJ; ‘St.Margaret Mary Alacoque: Novice Mistress after the Heart of Christ’)
~ “Consider how quickly men change and how little one can rely on them. Therefore hold fast to God who cannot change.” (St.Teresa of Avila, 1515-1582)

Criticism (cf., Matt.5:11)
~ “A man is what he is in the sight of God. That and nothing more.” (St. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226)
~ “If you fear man much, you will never do anything great for God. All things done for God stir up persecution.” (St. Ignatius Loyola, 1491-1556; cf., Lk..9: 22,sq
~“No, it is not being a hypocrite to speak better than we act. If it were, Lord God! where would we be? We would have to remain silent.” (St. Francis de Sales,1567-1622)
~“If you wait till you can do something so well that nobody can possibly find any fault in all that you do, you will never do anything.” ( John Henry Cardinal Newman, 1801-1890)

Poverty (cf.,Matt.5:3)
~ “We must be more desirous to need little than to have much, for those are really rich whose needs are the least.”
(Adapted from James E. Sullivan’s My Med. 191; and Frank Doyle, SJ ‘s article in CAN Feb. 2008, p.25)
~ “He who has God has everything; he who does not have God has nothing.” (St. Augustine of Hippo, LG..95)
~ “Teresa alone is capable of nothing, but Teresa and Almighty God can do anything and everything.” (St. Teresa of Avila)

Sickness (cf., Col.1:24)
~ “It makes me happy to suffer… to do what I can to make up all that has still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of His body, the Church..” (Col.1:24)
~ “Not the suffering itself, but the will to suffer, is the surest sign that a soul really loves God.” (St. Alphonsus Liguori, 1696-1787)
~ “To suffer everything and to suffer it for God is nothing. To suffer and not to suffer for God is a grievous torment.” (St. Gerard Majella, 1726-1755)
~ “To suffer and to love, that is the utmost that a man can accomplish in this world.” (Ven. Charles de Foucauld, 1850-1916)
~ “…pain is sacrifice without love;… sacrifice is pain with love.” (Mgr. Fulton J. Sheen)

Old age (cf., Matt.28:20)
~ “…old-age comes from Him, old age leads on to Him, and old age will touch me only in so far as He wills.” (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ, 1881-1955, adapted, Hymn of the Universe, p.90-91)
~“Age is a matter of the mind. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” (Anonymous) 


Death (cf.,1Jn.4:17-18)
~ “All men must die sooner or later. Those of us who are lucky die for love… I am one of the lucky ones,… I, too, die for love!”
(St.Thomas More, martyr, 1478-1535, quoted in My Med.54)
~ “My God I love You even though there were no heaven for me to win, no hell to punish those who dare against Your love to sin.” (St. Francis Xavier,1506-1552)
~ “For he who loves God with his whole heart fears neither death, nor punishment, nor judgment, nor hell; because perfect love gives certain access to God.” (Ven. Thomas a’ Kempis, 1380-1471; The Imitation of Christ 1:24:7)

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Hi, everybody.I so relate to much of everything you are courageously talking about.I'm diagnosed w major dep, anxiety and ptsd.My drs will give me these diagnosis but are hesitant to include crisis of faith (term I noted on one of the posts here) .I am so overwhelmed. There are so many triggers out there which makes it so difficult to get out.Even when I go to church it doesn't take much before I see, feel or smell something that makes me want too retreat causing me maybe not goin to church again for a couple of weeks.I suffer agoraphobic symptoms often as well.I know with a firm belief that if I can return too the church that it will help.But I 've been living like this since childhood.I 'm now 54.I hope to get to know you...

I suffer from depression & anxiety disorders. My husband is an alcoholic & refuses help. His mother has no intrest to help. I'm afraid I'm going to lose him. I don't know what to do.

I'm suffering a crisis of faith, depression and anxiety. I beg you to check my profile and threads and read it if you want to help me. Thank you so much and God help us all

Praying for all in this group and your intentions

Lord, please give me the grace to forgive others. Amen.

Thank you for your prayers BoistonEA, I shall remember you in mine as well. May God continue to bless us all!

Depression is an awful illness people who have never experience it can't understand it. I feel if I hadn't my faith, my Church and the Eucharist I would never cope. I do have good days as well as bad days. Remembering you all in my prayers God Bless.