Depression, anxiety and stress seem to be knocking at the door of every home and religion is helping to combat these diseases
Science confirm that religion reduces depression, anxiety and stress.
Depression is a serious mood disorder, it can affect the way you think, feel, interact with people and cope with every situation of daily life. It can cause deep feelings such as sadness and a loss of interest or pleasure in things once enjoyed. It can be fought in many ways, and it has been shown through clinical trials that religion can help greatly reduce factors such as stress, depression, anxiety and alcoholism.
Anyone can be affected by depression, and it can happen at any age, but it often begins in adulthood. Depression is more than an emotional state, although of course, it usually involves profound changes in a person´s emotions. Sadness and anxiety are the most common emotional states associated with depression, although anger and irritability are also commonly found in depressed individuals.
Depression affects some areas of our mental and physical life beyond our emotions. Depressed people often experience difficulty concentrating or focusing, some develop a kind of "tunnel vision" in which their thoughts are rigid and have a severe tendency towards the negative. In many cases, suicidal thinking is present, driven by thoughts or feelings of hopelessness and despair
A person with depression often feels physically exhausted, with low energy levels, little or no motivation, and slowed movements.
The good news is, depression is highly treatable, with reports that 80% to 90% of people respond well to treatment. Finding a good spiritual advisor, psychotherapist or psychologist who can help you understand and work through the causes of your depression, as well as develop coping strategies to treat the symptoms is the first step to feeling better.
Studies conducted by the Department of Preventive Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil, in conjunction with the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil, confirm that, the effects of religion on health in factors such as stress, depression, anxiety and alcoholism, are highly positive on patients.
The study was published in 2015 and endorsed by Cambridge University Press. You can consult the complete study from the original source: "Religious and spiritual interventions in mental health care".
"Religious and Spiritual Interventions in Mental Health Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials", this is how they named the studies carried out on this subject, showing highly favorable levels in the use of Religiosity as a treatment for depression, stress, anxiety and alcoholism.
He describes that "few studies have investigated the clinical applicability of these tests," and that "the purpose of this document was to evaluate the impact of religious-spiritual interventions (IRE) through randomized clinical trials (RCTs).
The specialists indicated in the report that "protocols involving intercessory prayer or distant healing had been excluded. The study was conducted in two phases through spiritual reading: (1) Title and abstracts; (2) Full articles and evaluation of their methodological quality. Then, a meta-analysis was performed.
Results of the studies about religion & depression reduction.
Through the methods used by the specialists, they affirm that "4751 works were obtained, of which 23 remained included". The meta-analysis showed significant effects of religious-spiritual interventions (IRE) on the general symptoms of anxiety. They also found that, "studies have shown that these ´religious-spiritual interventions´ decreased stress, alcoholism, and depression.
The report concludes that randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on IRE showed additional benefits, including reduction of clinical symptoms (primarily anxiety). The diversity of protocols and results, associated with the lack of standardization of interventions, points to the need for more studies evaluating the use of religiosity/spirituality as a complementary treatment in health care.
Maintain spiritual practices.
Depression makes us feel like we can´t go it alone and when you feel like you´re in a bind you need all the outside help you can get.
Staying connected to God´s grace in these difficult times can help you regain peace of heart and mind. He will arrange grace to help you emotionally overcome depression or anxiety. If you cannot sustain your prayer life on your own, find a prayer partner, some close family friend and spiritually mature in faith, with whom you can pray every day and who can help you overcome that depressed state.
Prayers for depression and anxiety.
Below, we want to share with you a prayer that can help us to relieve a little of our suffering from anxiety, depression or stress and to deliver those burdens into God´s hands.
Remember, there is no dark valley too deep for God to draw you out of.
Prayer for depression.
Father of mercies, I do not understand why I am going through this dark stage of my life where depression seems to have taken over my mind and heart. I can no longer find peace. I do not understand why this has happened to me. I confess that I often feel confused in the midst of this darkness. But I know that I can trust you. I know that you are good, that you love me, and that you continue to do me good, even when I am not able to look at you. I know that you are a faithful God and that everything you do is for my good and your glory. So you say in your Word:
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose". (Romans 8:28)
I thank you for working through this depression for my sake. I don´t quite understand what I can get out of it, but I take your word for it. I firmly believe that you will use this darkness to make me more like Jesus. So I raise this prayer to you for the depression. I trust you to do me good, even when I cannot see your goodness. Amen
Pray Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be.
Prayer for anxiety.
Good Father, I come to you at this time to ask you to grant me peace of mind and calm to my troubled heart. I am filled with anxiety. My soul is like a turbulent sea. I can´t seem to find my balance, so I stumble and worry constantly. Give me the strength and clarity of mind to find my purpose and walk the path you have laid out for me. I trust your God of Love, and I know you will heal this anxiety in me. As the sun rises each day against the darkness of the night, so will I rise through your power. Please bring me serenity. In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen
Qriswell Quero, Venezuelan, faithful husband and father of a family. Electronic engineer and missionary of the faith. Committed to the proclamation of the Gospel. Solid believer that there are always new beginnings. Whoever has God has nothing to stop him.
