“Be yourself and be that well.”
Feeling Anxious or Depressed?
Many people in our world today experience feelings of being anxious and depressed. Though it is often more common than we may think, the feelings can be very uncomfortable and frightening. We list depression and anxiety together because they are often experienced together, or we cycle from one to the other. Though they are painful, they are an aspect of life which, if embraced, is the doorway to a strength and renewal beyond that which is currently apparent. Below are some more specific factors involved with anxious and depressed feelings.
Feelings of Anxiety?
Anxiety is the body’s natural response to life situations. Sometimes the feelings which come with it can be more overwhelming than at others. Though it can be uncomfortable, it is a very normal part of being human.
Symptoms of anxiety can range in degree and intensity. Sometimes it is simply an inner tension we need to work through. Other times, we experience feelings of restlessness, irritability, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and controlling worry. Some of us are more physiologically and neurologically disposed toward anxious feelings and some of us have had unfortunate past experiences which make us more prone to it. Either way, there is much hope!
At the Heart of it
On the face of it, anxiety involves symptoms and feelings. Underneath the surface feelings are fears of outcomes, certain people, social situations, not measuring up, or even existence itself. For instance, we may fear the scrutiny of others in social situations or we may simply have a sense of inner tension which often accompanies us. But at the heart of anxious feelings is a desire for safety, adventure, reaching our potential, and connecting with transcendent love, truth, justice, beauty, and goodness. Directing and nurturing these inner longings is key to successfully processing, learning, and growing through the anxiety. When properly nurtured the anxiety can be a vehicle to tremendous riches. It is like a window into what is truly meaningful to our very most authentic self and to experiencing a more profound happiness. Therefore, embracing this opportunity to work through our anxiety is key to living our life as full as possible!
Our Work Together
Fully accepting where you are today, the way you feel, and your story without judgment are absolutely key to beginning any work with anxiety. One aspect of working with anxiety is managing it and reducing the symptoms, but more importantly we seek to work on strengthening your inner core self. Directing and nurturing the true desires behind the anxiety to a place where they can be fulfilled our fundamental to successfully processing, learning, and growing through the anxious feelings.
We provide a supportive, peaceful, and non judgmental environment in order to guide you on a journey to the fruitfulness which is through and then beyond the anxious feelings. We focus on synthesizing a clinical approach to anxiety with the truth, beauty, and goodness of our Catholic faith to provide a truly integrated solution which can free you to embrace Christ’s love, and in turn to loving Him, yourself, and others.
God has conceptualized and created you uniquely from the beginning - there is not another one like you. You are His most precious gift!
“The worst prison would be that of a closed heart.”
Feelings of Depression
As with anxiety, depression is often the body’s natural response to life stresses. It is a normal part of life, which many people, even Saints, have and are experiencing.
Depression can be simply feeling sad or down. Other times we may experience deeper existential feelings of sadness, perhaps accompanied by emptiness, or hopelessness. Sometimes these feelings will lead to a diminished interest or pleasure in work and play, avoiding tasks, not taking care of ourselves, loss of energy, difficulty concentrating, feelings of excessive guilt, and feelings of worthlessness. Depression does not have just one cause. It often stems from a combination of neurological/physiological dispositions, ways of thinking, unresolved emotions, past trauma, and current life stress.
At the Heart of It
As with anxious feelings, there are different layers to the depression. On the surface are the symptoms and feelings we experience. Underneath, there is some amount of discouragement and even despair. But at the heart of someone experiencing depression is a desire for safety, relationship, and reaching our potential. Though it is uncomfortable, within the depression there is a source of tremendous riches. It is like a window into what is truly meaningful to our very most authentic self and to experiencing a more profound happiness.
Our Work Together
As with anxiety, fully accepting where you are today, the way you feel, and your story without judgment, are absolutely key to beginning any work on depression. Directing and nurturing the true desires behind the depression to a place where they can be fulfilled are fundamental to successfully processing, learning, and growing through the depressed feelings.
We provide a supportive, peaceful, and non-judgmental environment in order to guide you on a journey to uncover the fruitfulness which is within, through, and beyond the depressed feelings. We focus on synthesizing a clinical approach to depression with the truth, beauty, and goodness of our Catholic faith to provide a truly integrated solution which can free you to embracing Christs love and in turn to experiencing a greater love of God, yourself, and others. God has conceptualized and created you uniquely from the beginning - there is not another one like you ever. You are His most precious gift!
Other Forms of Anxiety
Panic Attacks
Panic attacks can be very scary for those who experience them. They are often unexpected and seem to come out of the blue. This surge of fear is often accompanied by the experience of sweating, trembling, chest pains, shortness of breath, light-headedness, nausea, feelings of being detached from oneself, and even a fear of dying. Those who experience them more frequently sometimes avoid being with friends or family for fear of slipping into a panic attack. Caritas utilizes stages of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and other therapies in order to help those who suffer from this kind of experience.
Social Anxiety
Sometimes our fears and anxiety come out more when we are in a social, performance-based situation, around big crowds, when exposed to unfamiliar people and possible scrutiny by others. There is often an uncomfortable anxious anticipation of these types of situations. Social anxiety can make us feel like we are not ourselves, and interrupt our normal mode of operation.
Social anxiety contains a two-fold paradox: First we fear the scrutiny of others, yet secondly we often truly desire to let our most authentic self be known. Thus an inner tension is present. At Caritas we guide each individual along paths which help to synthesize these seemingly incompatible inner states.
“The purest suffering produces the purest understanding”
Saints Who Struggled with Anxiety and Depression
St Augustine
After his mother died, and during the 40 years that followed, Augustine’s powerful personality would manifest itself frequently in a propensity to implacable anger and severe depression. He lifted himself up from those abysses by means of prayer, sacrifice, and work. Keeping himself busy with healthy activities was a great remedy, both in his many responsibilities as a bishop and in his many hours of reflection, study, and prayer that transformed him into a great defender of Church doctrine. Saint Augustine made a choice to allow his depression and inordinate anger to lead down the path to a deeper understanding of himself and his reliance upon God. Though he continued to struggle long after his conversion, he did not give into the temptations to believing he was not worthy of Gods love and to being a great member of the Body of Christ.
Julian of Norwich
She was a lay Christian Mystic, who received many visions from God throughout her life. She struggled in her life with visions that gave her great anxiety and was tempted to believing that her anxious feelings were a sign that she was not Holy or close to God. She was able to recognize this faulty thinking and the pitfalls of using emotions/feelings as an indicator of her journey on in the spiritual life. In our modern day lives we also can fall prey to feelings that “we are bad,” that something is wrong with us, or that we are not close to God because we have anxiety. Let us take strength from Julian of Norwich’s example that feelings are not facts - that our love of Christ goes far deeper!
St. Ignatius of Loyola
He suffered from anxious scrupulosity and perfectionism. He would fall into a state of great unrest, irritability, discomfort, insecurity regarding himself and his own decisions - frightening doubts, great depression and difficulty persevering in good intentions. Deep depressions befell him when he fell short of perfection. So severe he even considered suicide! He allowed this suffering to turn into insight and light regarding his reliance upon God, not himself, for strength. He made a choice to learn from his struggles which fueled a wonderful dialogue with God. He ended up writing one of the greatest books on Catholic meditation.
St. Elizibeth Ann Seton
She suffered from a constant feeling of loneliness and melancholy, so profound that she thought several times of suicide. She faced many problems during her life, especially regarding her family; her beloved husband died young. In financial ruin when she converted to the Catholic faith, many of her family and friends rejected her. Reading, music, and the sea helped her feel happier. After her conversion, the Eucharist and charity became her source of daily strength. She used her depression as an avenue to a deeper connection with God, herself, and others.
St. John Maria Vianney
Despite all the good he did, he couldn’t manage to see his own relevance before God, and lived constantly with an intense inferiority complex, considering himself to be useless—a symptom of depression which would accompany him throughout his entire life. During times of difficulty, he would turn to the Lord and, despite his suffering, would renew his determination to persevere in his work with trust, faith, and love for God and neighbor. Many of us today struggle today with a faulty belief that we do not measure up to others and that our faith is irrelevant. St John Vianny is a great example of how we need to respond to such faulty beliefs - By accepting that these beliefs are faulty and having as much faith, hope, and love as we can.
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
Edith suffered intense depression, starting before her conversion, principally on the many occasions when she was scorned and humiliated because she was of Jewish origin and a woman. An intellectual, a philosopher, a disciple and assistant of renowned philosopher Edmund Husserl (founder of the philosophical school of phenomenology), she finally found in God the Truth she sought so earnestly, thanks to reading the works of St. Teresa of Jesus. She then embraced God’s grace with such totality that it gave her the strength to deal not only with her intense interior sufferings, but also with the deadly darkness of Nazism. She is an example of someone who persevered through the scorn of others and doubt to find the truth. She could have easily gave into the prejudice against her or used it as an excuse to stay stuck, but she made a conscious choice not to. This is a great example of looking beyond the short term feelings to make choices rooted in the truth!
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