What is anxiety? This emotional state, common, is a natural and temporary response of the organism to face stressful situations. It occurs, for example, in the face of a test, a vacation trip, a job interview or the end of a relationship.
However, it can be excessive and continuous agitation or anguish of someone who, because of this, cannot keep himself in balance and at peace. While anxiety symptoms normally disappear once the stress is overcome, if it is pathological, worries, tensions or fears remain and can lead to crises.
As a disorder, it manifests itself through the belief that something bad is going to happen, which causes irritability, nervousness, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, lack of control over thoughts and behaviors, phobias and panic. . Still, with insomnia come tremors, sweating, shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness and tachycardia.
Therefore, intensity, frequency, duration and characteristics of symptoms represent the difference between healthy and what requires professional consultation with a psychologist or psychiatrist and even the use of specific medications.
These professionals even identify whether anxiety is a symptom of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), social phobia, Panic Syndrome, Agoraphobia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ( PTSD).
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that in 2019, around 301 million people suffered from anxiety disorders. He pointed out that España leads the ranking, with about 18,6 million cases. She concluded, in the World Mental Health Report (2022), that already in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, 76 million people were affected.
Some initiatives turn to spirituality. In 1988, the WHO included the spiritual sphere in its multidimensional concept of health, without being limited to a specific religious belief or practice.
However, does spirituality really improve anxiety? Read on and understand this relationship and the impacts on mental health.
Spirituality and Health
Spirituality is the connection between human beings and the Divine, the reunion with their own essence, with their own spirit and with the energy that makes them part of Creation, not limited to a philosophy or doctrine, but, at the same time, being able to be exercised through it.
There are two spiritual dimensions: the vertical, known for the belief and relationship with the transcendental and with the practice of religion; and the horizontal, in which the meaning of life concerns relationships with the self, with other people, with the environment and with the idea of ​​hope.
Whatever the construction of spirituality, the relationship it has with health is ancestral, being present in all peoples throughout the ages and exerting influences on general and mental well-being.
The study “Spiritual experiences of transcendence in patients with advanced cancer”, carried out in 2013 in Switzerland, concluded that spiritually-oriented experiences promote less pain, less anxiety, greater acceptance of a terminal illness and can generate a new spiritual identity.
Spirituality can provide a means to increase the regularity of positive emotions and, at the same time, reduce those that lead to problems and illness.
However, some people, depending on how they understand spirituality or the religious bond they establish, see the disease as a “divine punishment” or a penance they must go through, feeding feelings of guilt, resigning and avoiding or abandoning the necessary medical treatments. , thus favoring situations of stress and anxiety.
Anxiety and spirituality
Throughout life, everyone goes through threats to physical, emotional and mental integrity that affect balance. These are stressful situations that require adaptive responses. Such situations can be: separations, job loss, changes in the environment, the arrival of a baby, illness, bereavement, the cycles of life, etc.
However, these situations should not lead the human being to anxiety disorders, as they greatly disturb personal, social and professional life, require a lot of care and can last a long time and generate other problems, such as substance abuse, depression and even the suicide.
According to Lancetti and Amarante (2006), mental health is related to a “healthy mind”, which goes beyond the absence of disorders. It is the expression of the incessant search for well-being and facing obstacles. It involves being able to expand awareness, knowledge, one's own value in society and also understand the meaning of life.
Mental health represents the balance between the dimensions of the human being and is related to openness to new experiences and daily changes.
Spirituality, in turn, can favor this understanding. When a person believes that life is under the control of something greater, he tends to deal with situations better and is able to fight suffering and frustrations in a more optimistic way. Knowing that there is superior help produces feelings of peace and trust.
Spirituality leads people to reflect on beliefs, values ​​and to make better use of their own abilities. It encourages the human being to identify a purpose, find comfort and understand the cycles and finitude of life.
A survey conducted by the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS) and the University of Juiz de Fora (MG), in 2014, identified that the greater the degree of spirituality of a person, the lower the risk of developing anxiety disorders. .
When anxiety disorders are present, spirituality helps to deal with suffering, to trust one's own strength and alternatives to recover, not give up, face stressful situations and adapt, encouraging hope and positivity.
Is Anxiety Spiritual?
For some religious beliefs, anxiety as a disorder of the psyche can easily be associated with some kind of punishment or penance. However, it is a disorder that occurs for several reasons, such as genetic factors, the specific family history for the problem, environmental factors of high stress, the psychological structure of the person or a physical illness, especially if it is serious or terminal.
Science, in a broad way, has already pointed out the worsening of the non-treatment of anxiety disorders, since the social and work life of patients is affected, bringing damages to the process of evolution, to the quality of life and to the feeling of happiness both for themselves and for their surroundings.
When not treated properly, anxiety negatively influences the perception of self and others, the ability to see the bright side of things, opportunities for reflection and growth, and the perception of one's role in the world and life purpose. It causes discord, aggression, deceit, precipitation, misjudgments and various diseases.
Anxious people tend to live outside the present tense, with too much of the future and want to have control over situations and people. They end up losing the perception that there is order in the universe and that everything has a reason and a moment to happen.
Pathologically anxious people fail to recognize that everyone enjoys free will and, therefore, make their own choices and decisions at the time they deem appropriate, facing the consequences of what they chose or decided upon.
According to the spiritist view, for example, anxiety is characterized by the restlessness of the spirit, which is in disequilibrium. The anxious, somehow, have lost confidence in Divine Providence or lack confidence in themselves and in their own ability to achieve.
They sometimes fail to see life as a gift, with gratitude, with joy, and with a willingness to forgive. They end up nourishing a low vibration, becoming trapped in harmful sensations, emotions and feelings, which attract dense and harmful spiritual energies, which keep them in this tune and make them even sicker.
The cause of anxiety can come from past lives and childhood issues, originating from parental demands on behaviors and results or from information that generated anguish and insecurities.
However, everyone comes to this life for the purpose of spiritual evolution, which requires integral health and self-knowledge, so that each one faces their challenges with wisdom, peace, faith and hope.
The search for spirituality can help with anxiety
Given the above, we saw that anxiety can favor a person's life, mobilizing them to act, protect themselves and face adversity. It can also be an impediment to her social, professional and evolutionary life. Therefore, it is essential to seek the help of a psychiatrist or psychologist when:
- occur at random, inappropriate or purposeless times;
- is frequent, intense and lasting, interfering with daily activities;
- is accompanied by sweating, palpitations, nausea, dizziness or other symptoms described above.
It is important to understand that mental anguish that arises after a person experiences or witnesses a traumatic event does not signify an anxiety disorder, but requires care. Therefore, the diagnosis should be made by a specialized professional such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. It is he who is able to identify and distinguish disorders or pathologies.
In fact, to make the diagnosis, the specialized professional adopts specific criteria and considers the severity of each case. It checks for other disorders that could cause the problem, as well as triggers for flare-ups such as heredity, depression, sleep disturbances, etc.
In addition, he still investigates the life history of each person to identify behavioral patterns and possible ways of treating the problem. You may order physical exams to identify possible illnesses that can cause anxiety.
Thus, the search for spirituality can help with anxiety, but even if it is used and alternative therapies to treat it, traditional intervention is essential. If drug treatment is indicated, it should never be stopped or replaced, as with therapy sessions.
How does spirituality help to improve anxiety?
As discussed, spirituality contributes to the prevention of anxiety. Even if anxiety occurs in a pathogenic way, spirituality contributes to the therapeutic process, being even adopted as an adjunct in conventional treatments. This is because it offers:
1 – connection with the divine essence and intuition;
2 – development of beliefs and skills to face challenges and transform doubts and uncertainties into hope and optimism;
3 – opportunity to balance physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and social health;
4 – knowledge that can be useful in stressful situations in the face of life cycles;
5 – connection with personal values, feelings and thoughts;
6 – stimulus to self-knowledge;
7 – restoration of primordial bonds with family members;
8 – increased feeling of well-being;
9 – development of subjective aspects of faith, courage, trust, inner strength, happiness and hope;
10 – reflection on the meaning of life, the purpose of living and personal and spiritual resources for the pursuit of evolution;
11 – encouragement to deal with serious, chronic and terminal illnesses, leading the person to accept the treatments proposed by medicine, psychology or other therapeutic areas;
12 – the possibility of reaching a state of balance and inner peace and comfort in the face of difficult life situations, such as mourning, tragedies and catastrophes;
13 – faster recovery after moments of crisis;
14 – reduced stress, increased resilience and improved quality of life.
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To conclude, anxiety can be prevented through daily practices that promote self-knowledge and a connection with spirituality. Some alternatives are meditation, Yoga, prayer, Family Constellation, Mindfulness, consumption of teas and use of florals. Remember to take care of your health in an integral way, observing the physical, mental, spiritual and social aspects. Surround yourself with positive energies and seek balance, peace and happiness.
