Archpriest Pavel Gumerov: the Devil,peace depriving

Actually there is no direct connection with the demon the word "concern," of course not. And for the seeming harmony we should be grateful to Bolsheviks – or rather, reform of Lunacharsky in 1918, after which the expanses of the Russian language jumped "terrible demon", "demon peony" and others. Before the reform, all these words have the prefix "no". I just came up with this name, to catch, to attract the reader's attention to a very important and relevant topic: how to cope with anxiety, depressing state that is called anxiety. Although etymologically in the word "anxiety", I repeat, nothing infernal in the world, but agree that in this state there is something "from the evil one". That deprives a person of peace, can not be from God, and therefore, worry is sin.





"All things in the paint," says St. Isaac the Syrian.

Like many other sins and passions, the restlessness comes from a very natural human characteristics, just brought by man to the exaggerated excesses, and degenerated into a sinful state. Every person in varying degrees, experiencing everything that happens with him. We experience fear, anxiety, excitement. All these properties are inherent in us from God. They are warning signs of danger or impel to some action. They not only help ourselves, but forced to be indifferent to the suffering of others, to help other people. We are worried about the neighbors worried, and it is also an alarm bell calling us to action. But it is bad when fear, anxiety and anxiety take us over, when we begin to over-Express these emotions. This condition can become obsessive, dominant, and then panic. Here is close to a mental disorder.

Anxiety from lack of faith

Excessive anxiety can give all sorts of reasons. For example, mental illness, genetic propensity, psychological trauma and so on. The anxiety can be quite natural causes. It can be a reaction to the difficult, disturbing life circumstances, which are currently burdened man. This condition is called reactive anxiety. But again, it's bad when the measure is lost and anxiety becomes chronic and permanent shape.

What sins lie at the basis of unnecessary alarm, concern?

First, the lack of faith.

Many people counted themselves as believers, real faith and love for God are not. Because "perfect love casts out fear"(1 Jn. 4: 18). The lack of genuine spiritual life prayer experience produces every kind of superstition, fear of the dark spiritual world and worrying about the future.

Any priest has to regularly communicate with people who resort to the temple from twisted horror faces and start to tell the priest that they want to jinx it, "make", put a spell, to inflict sickness and all sorts of failures, etc., etc. Start to ask, ask the question: "Why do you think so?" And it turns out that they found somewhere under the carpet tuft of hair, or discovered a pin, supposedly with magical order stuck in their school, or just something often began to hurt... Recently I went to the service in the temple, and there I've been waiting for a woman. She was terribly frightened. Told that works in the beauty salon, and said that recently the staff found under the Desk chair, one of their hairdressers the money she seems to be specifically planted in order to lure all the customers. What to do now, because all the other masters have already started to fall income and generally the school will soon go bankrupt, as other employees of scissors and combs will stay without a job?

Sometimes facing fears is clearly demonic nature, when people beg the priest to take the cross, which they accidentally found on the street, or supposedly they will inevitably go all the sickness and unhappiness of the man who lost the cross.

The belief in witchcraft, the evil eye, damage from a lack of genuine faith in God.

Because: "If God be for us who can be against us?"

What happen all these phobias? From a lack of real faith. Would it, people wouldn't be afraid of psychics and witchcraft, and knew: "If God be for us who can be against us?" (ROM. 8: 31).The existence of a spiritual world they believe in, but the faith of this one-sided, based on fear of the dark forces. In the absence of a living experience of prayer, communication with God, our lady and the saints this faith can turn into panic and fear of the unknown, the feeling of his insecurity.





Anxiety, panic, born of faith, may arise not only from fear of the evil eye or faith in omens. If there is a real strong faith, reasons for fear may be the fear of disease, old age, job loss, fear of poverty, concerns for children and other worldly fears. All of them are treated by turning to God. Faith can be strengthened only by personal experience. When you start to turn to the Lord when you have established a living prayer relationship with the living God, fear, anxiety recede. You already know that you're not alone with your problems, because with you Lord. And the more you gain experience of prayer, the more clearly you begin to feel the hand of God, His presence in your life.

"Put on the Lord thy care, and He will sustain you. Never will He be moved to the righteous" (PS. 54: 23), is evidence of the Psalmist David.

"The soul that came to know the Lord fears nothing except sin," – tells us the venerable Siluan the Athonite.

In addition to prayer communication with God and hope for His help and protection anxiety treated also strengthen faith in the Providence of God and submission to His Holy will. A believer knows that whatever God does is for the best. Everything that is sent to us, for something we need. It or a gift of God, or a lesson to us.

Anxiety and sadness

Of sin except lack of faith in the basis of anxiety is one of the eight passions that is called a passion of grief. Passion, unlike ordinary sin, is rooted sinful addiction, is a chronic sin disease. The Apostle Paul speaks of this sorrow: "godly Sorrow worketh repentance to salvation but the sorrow of the world worketh death" (2 Cor. 7: 10). Worldly sorrow is just excessive worldly care, anxiety, lead to constant worrying, depression. Anxiety, anxiety, anxiety anyone is able to bring to the depression.

Sadness, as well as the lack of faith, you can win a prayer to God, to strengthen faith in Him and hope in His good Providence.

A Christian knows that without the will of God, and "hair of your head will not perish" (LK. 21: 18).

In the suffering, afflictions, trials, believers should see a lot of sense for them. They are sent to our development, so we learned a lot, things have started to appreciate, showed their best qualities. And when you begin to see that "not in vain, not by accident life from God is given to us", wrote A. Pushkin St. Philaret (Drozdov), and start to appreciate life, to see in it great meaning and great gifts of God. Then a negative picture of the world, a disturbing condition caused by exaggerated worry, retreat.

The Lord gives us in the gospel indicating that our inevitable for any earthly man care about earthly things of bread and worldly Affairs must not be excessive: "so do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its fairly for each day the evil thereof." (Matt. 6: 34). Care, work, parenting and socially useful things – all that is needed and necessary, especially lived in a world without it can not live.But when all these begin to care overly bother us, they become evil. In Church Slavonic translation of the Scriptures concerns the so called "day of anger". Blessed Theophylact the Bulgarian, interpreting the text says that the Lord "topic of the day calls worry and sadness." Thus, we care about the future, but that care does not become a source of constant concern and anxiety. Because this condition is very distracting from the spiritual life leads man to a state of permanent stress.

How to avoid this tension and anxiety about worldly Affairs? Always share the main and secondary:"seek ye first the Kingdom of God... and all these things will be added unto you" (Matt. 6: 33). First, we think about the salvation of souls, and only then about what to eat or what to wear, and not Vice versa. Then care about the material items will bother us enough to enter into a state of anxiety and fear of the future.

Anxiety and the spirit of peace

Restlessness, anxiety and are born from them the sadness status, the opposite should strive to achieve in my life every Christian. What is the aim of the Christian life?According to St. Seraphim of Sarov, the acquisition of the Holy spirit. If the people courted him, he gives the gifts, one of which is the condition of peace, peace of mind. Here it is said the Seraphim of the world, which gives the Lord:"it is Impossible to Express by any word that mental well-being, which it produces in those people, in whose hearts it introduces God. Christ the Saviour calls it a peace from the bounty of His own and not of this world, for no temporary earthly prosperity can give it to the human heart: he is more than bestowed by God Himself, why is the world of God". This is the "spirit of peace", which need to acquire, and then around you will be saved thousands. That's what we should aim for. Because the Kingdom of God has come here, in earthly life, – in the soul of man. And the Kingdom of heaven is, as you know, eternal rest, peace and absence of anxiety and depression. In pursuit of God, living a spiritual life, prayer, the sacraments, trying to build their lives according to the commandments of God, we overcome the anxiety. Conversely, people who are far from spiritual life, violating the commandments of God, it is very difficult to be at rest and peace.

If a person violates all (or almost all) the ten commandments, could he not worry and nothing to worry about? Very doubtful, unless his conscience is already completely burnt. People living without God, serve his passions, really suffer, don't get no rest, no sense of life. And for those suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction anxiety, sadness, depression, almost all everyday condition. Psychiatrists, psychotherapists well know, how many people, very rapidly after youth, making mistakes, sins, and then without breaking anything already in adulthood suffer from various mental disorders, neuroses and depression.

As you can see, a clear conscience, living the commandments of God helps us in how to get rid of the anxiety.

Today is not very common to find young men who keep their chastity and purity before marriage. And then, in family life, they suffer from jealousy, fear that their spouse will cheat on them, throw them or infect "bad disease." If young people before marriage led a dissolute lifestyle began to cohabit together before marriage, they secretly realize that after this we can hardly expect from each other and of chastity and mutual fidelity. But following the commandments of God, leading a Christian life, it is possible to avoid such anxiety and worry. Now in many churches, the practice of mandatory confession and Communion for embarking on the sacrament of marriage. I confess everyone then I will marry. And what a joy it is to meet young people who did not allow himself bodily relations with each other before marriage. And you know, thank God, these newlyweds I have met a lot. And most surprisingly, many of them were people still very far from the Church.

They just felt that he couldn't resist and committing the sin of fornication, they will lose a lot and pay for intemperance they have in family life. Because we know: "be Not deceived; God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap: he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting" (Gal. 6: 7-8).





Uncertain economy

Talking about the spiritual causes of anxiety and methods of dealing with them, move on to more mundane things. Say a little about how to deal with anxiety, restless condition in our daily life, so to say at the household level.

Let's start with the fact that almost all our fears and anxiety completely unrealistic.Psychologists say that over 90% of them are far-fetched and groundless. We are experiencing that, most likely, will never happen. As the Bible says about that: "There have they feared with fear where no fear" (PS. 13: 5). Holy Scripture echoes and domestic folk wisdom, remember the proverb: "fear has big eyes".

Let us ask ourselves a question: how often was justified in the reality of our fears and insecurities? Very, very rarely.

Of course, our constant concern is understandable. Modern man from all sides just crushed a disturbing, negative information, which we generously provide a variety of media. How often do we go crazy because I couldn't get to close to us the person and it turned out that he just phone died (ran out of money in the account, a mobile phone was in the area, poor communication, etc.); who among us has not experienced for allegedly not turned off the iron at home or Unliquidated light, who did not start to mentally say goodbye to the earthly life and loved ones and imagine how it would detonate the car bomb of a terrorist, when our train suddenly stopped for a few minutes in the subway tunnel? Now recall that, with rare exception, all was resolved quite well. The mobile phone is forgotten at home, the iron was switched off, the train in five minutes, went on his way...

What does this mean? That all our fears are in our head. They just aren't the same as was entirely virtual fears famous character of fairy tales of the brothers Grimm – Clever Elsa. I think many people remember this cautionary tale from childhood. Once there was a girl, Elsa. Wooed her boy Hans. Once, during a feast in the parental home, Elsa went to the cellar for beer. There she saw high on the wall pick. She began to imagine that when he and Hans get married and have a son, the boy goes in the basement, and a pickaxe might fall on his head and kill him. She wept bitterly about it, that her fears had succumbed to family members and the groom. Hans marveled at "the intelligence" and "foresight" Elsa, married her.

The desire to completely control their lives and the lives of loved ones is always a source of concern

Yes, many of those persons who have a great imagination and is able to make mountains out of molehills. Most often, a "Smart Elsa's syndrome" affects women as being more impressionable and have great imagination. These ladies tend to be will hyperopic, all to control their children and husbands, worry about them, worry. They are prone to jealousy, begin to suspect their spouses of infidelity at the slightest provocation. By the way, the desire to completely control their lives and the lives of their loved ones – always a very big source of concern.

Although, in fairness, I must say that many men are suffering from high anxiety, coupled with a rich imagination. The main problem of people of this type – the loss of reality. They need to understand that fear is normal, but in any case can not let him take us over, otherwise he will completely possess our soul. Use the analogy from the world of technology. Almost all modern cars now put a limiter, which allows you to damage the motor with excessive load. When the revs when driving in first gear becomes critical, triggered special shut off and the engine revs immediately drop.

Such a limiter alarm very well set themselves to anyone who is exposed to excessive anxiety.

It is important to learn to share our thoughts on the good and bad coming from the evil one. Harmful – in this case anxious, restless, dreary – need to learn when to cut off. Not to let them on the threshold of our soul. To ward off by prayer, as all harmful thoughts and replace with other positive, life-affirming.

Methods of dealing with unwanted thoughts detailed in various ascetic works.

It is important to understand the unreality, artificiality of our fears, to realize that they are not caused by real danger, and our not very healthy emotional state. It is the real cause of our anxiety. In this state very well also help all kinds of sedation and sedation.

Smart Elsa was worried about the not yet born child and about some completely unrealistic events. Of course, this situation is anecdotal, but any normal parents feel a very natural concern for children, especially when they are far away from us and communication with them is limited.

For example, travel, serve in the army, lie in hospital. But then you need to understand feelings, anxiety, concern for a child, not help, but only yourself will bring yourself to a nervous breakdown. To provide help at a distance, too, is very difficult and sometimes even impossible. But what we can do to help her children and all the people are going through, is our prayer. No wonder they say: "a mother's Prayer from the bottom of the sea pulls". When I was very worried about the children, I usually read the Canon to the Theotokos. It is in almost any Orthodox prayer book. Even its name – "the Canon, poemy in any trouble, mental and obschenii" – it is clear that it is particularly suitable for such situations. When we turn to God, to the Mother of God, we trusted Them with our troubles, worries and feel that you're not alone in dealing with our problem.

Be ready!

What to do when the issue that concerns us, is not fictional, not imaginary, but quite real and serious? Scripture does not teach us to live carelessly and thoughtlessly. N

no, it just tells us that you can't let worrying about everyday problems, to take us over. The care of our earthly Affairs should not become the dominant feature of our lives and cause us anxiety and lack of faith. Therefore, "sufficient for the day is the evil thereof."

But at the same time, Christ calls us calm and balanced to prepare for future challenges, then we have not experienced unnecessary anxiety and do not panic: "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it so that, when he laid the Foundation and is not able to finish, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, this man began to build and was not able to finish? Or what king, going to war against another king, will not sit down and consult before, whether it is strong with ten thousand to oppose coming at him with twenty thousand?" (LK. 14: 28-31).

Very often we are afraid of the unknown, neznakomoi for us the upcoming situation or some kind of new for us. In this place of the gospel we find the answer, how to beat this fear. You should carefully consider the problem that is "sit down and calculate costs" to collect information on it, to consult with knowledgeable, experienced people. Then the insecurities, fears will recede, because a large part of it comes from inexperience and lack of knowledge. It also helps the visualization. When we lose, how would the situation: imagine what could go wrong and under what conditions, and then represent the situation with a good position for us and try to understand how to behave, that it ended successfully. For example, what if I could counter with ten thousand more numerous army of the enemy? Not worth it then to begin negotiations about the world? Or, on the contrary, you need to think about what it is better to choose the tactics and how to prepare soldiers to overcome superior enemy forces. Knowledge of the situation and a proper, sober assessment of their own capabilities will help to cope with fears.

Walking towards fear, we are able to overcome him

Anxiety, fear of unknown, unfamiliar situation stem from lack of experience. Walking towards fear, we are able to overcome him.Monk paisios of Athos tells how he conquered his childhood fears: "when I was little, I was afraid to walk past the cemetery in Konjic. So I slept in the cemetery three nights and then it was gone. I was blessed himself with the banner and went there, even the lantern is not lit, to scare nobody".

To help cope with the anxiety and the prevention of some troubling situations. For example, many of us suffer from forgetfulness, distraction and constantly nervous that you will forget, you will miss something important. Here again helps prevention. You can maintain a diary or record of current Affairs in the electronic notebook.Some forgetful people glued prominently notes-reminders. Such simple techniques will help to save many nervous cells.

People who have the habit of always being late everywhere, also often worried, worried because of this, and then still wait in fear of reprimand from his superiors. To avoid stress of being late can be a very simple way: to take it a rule to always come to work or to an important meeting for 15-20 minutes ahead of time in advance to plan your day and current Affairs.

All the better

We talked about how to overcome anxiety and fear of the expected problem. But what if we are faced with the challenge face to face? Because it's easy to panic, start to worry and lose heart.

The share of one of my friends dropped a huge number of misfortunes and sorrows. In his large family of children were born disabled or became established as a result of car accidents. He and his wife suffered numerous illnesses, he's always been in a very difficult situation. Misfortune pursued him at almost every step. To be honest, if I fell on only ten percent experienced the afflictions, I would fell into a deep depression. Once I asked the sufferer, "What helps you through it?" And he answered me: "Once I realized that all I God sends is very necessary for me and my family. That happens to me, – things are inevitable. They are either the consequence of my sins, or sent to me for my own good and salvation. Realizing this, I almost ceased to fret and worry. I felt that are within the Providence of God about me and my family."

My friend really taught me a lot. To his sorrow he treated philosophically. Even in great misery he saw great benefits for themselves and their families and was able to rejoice that he gives God.

Problems, sorrows, and losses in our life are inevitable. But to worry, to be anxious, we are forced not they themselves, but a wrong attitude towards them. From this conclusion you need to learn to see the benefit and get the joy from everything that happens to us.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience" (Jas. 1: 2-3), tells us the Apostle James.

A wise man long watched the elderly woman who constantly cried in any weather – and when the sun was shining, and when it was raining. The sage asked the old lady: "Why are you always crying? What's bothering you? Why neither the sun nor the rain is not pleasing to you?" Then the woman said to him: "I Have two daughters. One of them is a laundress, she does the Laundry, and the other sells umbrellas. If the sun is shining, the umbrellas, nobody buys and the daughter is left without income. And in rainy weather, dries linen and hard work of the laundress. So I worry for them." Then this wise man gave the woman advice: when it rains, be glad for the umbrella saleswoman, and when the weather is Sunny, be happy for the one that does the Laundry. After that, the woman calmed down, was always in a good mood and was happy for his two daughters.

The results

Again briefly recall, what helps us to cope with anxiety:

1.Faith to God and hope for Him.

2. Submission to the will of God.

3.The Lord's prayer, asking for help.

4. Correct, objective, vision problems, experience them as they come.

5.Willingness to the problem, information about it, other people's experiences.

6.Prevention of disturbing situations.

7. The ability to see in problems of useful, joyful moments. published

Author: Archpriest Pavel Gumerov

 

P. S. And remember, only by changing their consumption — together we change the world! ©

Source: www.pravoslavie.ru/100389.html

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