Religion in tough times

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[Caomi_Brannon]

As most of you know, I've been struggling with depression. This is common knowledge. What most of you don't know is that my depression took a turn for the worse around June 6th. It got so bad that some things happened and I landed myself in a mental hospital for about 6 days. While I was in there, I wrote a prayer to my goddess (An Morrighan) and hung it up in my room. I was roomed with a lady who was Catholic. She was a very sweet lady who had a nice little break down due to stress. One day she was in our room when I came in from my bloodwork and she was waiting for me. I though "Oh, crap, she's going to say my prayer has offended her and I need to take it down." I thought this because I had noticed she had been looking at it a lot lately. Instead, she turned to me and told me she was going home later tonight, they were letting her out. She wanted to know if I could copy my prayer for her so she could have it at home. Even though we were such drastically different religions she thought it was beautiful and inspiring. That it really showed that religion can help you get through the hardest times of your life.

So, my question to you is: What do you do to keep track of your faith when everything in your life seems wrong? What about your faith helps you through trials?

[Psimon]

So, my question to you is: What do you do to keep track of your faith when everything in your life seems wrong? What about your faith helps you through trials?

When everything in my life went wrong last fall, faith is what I ended up turning to (turning back to, really, I guess), along with the usual panoply of therapists, medications, and horrible coping mechanisms. Prayer and meditation helped center me in something other than abject misery when I was ready to get out of bed and do things, to a point. There were and still are days I end up staying in bed, days when I starve instead of following my meal plan, et cetera, but if I catch a bad mood before it becomes a horrible mood, some of my devotional practices can help pull me out of it just enough to function (as can for that matter playing with my cat, watering my garden, or rearranging furniture, really). 

I guess it's just kind of become one in a multitude of other coping mechanisms, and is way more beneficial than most. That's actually a bit of a downer, isn't it. I'd rather my faith be a bit more than that.

Also, all the best in dealing with depression. It sucks, and that's pretty much all I've got on the subject despite long experience.

[Caomi_Brannon]

Also, all the best in dealing with depression. It sucks, and that's pretty much all I've got on the subject despite long experience.

Thanks, I'm bipolar, and have been having a lot of issues dealing with it. I ended up curled into a little ball in the middle of the road, crying.

But I agree, faith is important in very stressfull times. I'm horrible about devotional work, but sometimes I can just pray and it makes me feel better. I think faith is very important in stressful situations.

[Caomi_Brannon]

Thanks, I'm bipolar, and have been having a lot of issues dealing with it. I ended up curled into a little ball in the middle of the road, crying.

But I agree, faith is important in very stressfull times. I'm horrible about devotional work, but sometimes I can just pray and it makes me feel better.

I could add a second question. Has your faith ever encouraged others? Have you ever been inspired by others?

(edited to add a thought and take out repetetion)

[Melamphoros]

Thanks, I'm bipolar, and have been having a lot of issues dealing with it. I ended up curled into a little ball in the middle of the road, crying.

But I agree, faith is important in very stressfull times. I'm horrible about devotional work, but sometimes I can just pray and it makes me feel better. I think faith is very important in stressful situations.

Ouch, I know what that's like so you have my deepest sympathies.  I learned to take it one day at a time, if you want any advice.

In my tougher times, I try to draw strength from my gods and try to stick it out.

[Juniper]

Thanks, I'm bipolar, and have been having a lot of issues dealing with it. I ended up curled into a little ball in the middle of the road, crying.

But I agree, faith is important in very stressfull times. I'm horrible about devotional work, but sometimes I can just pray and it makes me feel better. I think faith is very important in stressful situations.

I'm sorry to hear that you have been going through a tough time.

My mum is bipolar, and when I was a young girl I didn't understand what was going on with her. I just hid my head in the sand and ignored it. When I was 16 I had a (small) breakdown, and ended up seeing a councellor for 18 months who really helped me deal with the situation with my mum, amoungst other things. I really don't think it's a coincidence that at the same time my religion became a big part of my life, whereas before it had been pushed to the side lines. Along with analyzing aspects of my life and my personality, I had also found myself analyzing my spiritual life. My spiritual beliefs was one of the things that helped me to emerge from that negative part of my life. My religion has continued to be important to me ever since.

I'm glad that you too have found comfort in your spirituality.

[wowgolds987]

[First post. Meaningless message, spam-oriented username and spam links related to username in sig.  Everfool removed the links. Randall removed the entire message and banned the user.

[wisdomsbane]

Thanks, I'm bipolar, and have been having a lot of issues dealing with it. I ended up curled into a little ball in the middle of the road, crying.

But I agree, faith is important in very stressfull times. I'm horrible about devotional work, but sometimes I can just pray and it makes me feel better. I think faith is very important in stressful situations.

My hubby is bipolar too.  I hate watching what he goes through.  I do know that going to church sometimes helps him, but that's only if he can stand being around other people long enough.  (He's Christian, as I've mentioned elsewhere.)

I've had times in my life where all I wanted was to just curl up and ignore the world (my antisocialness showing through), and in some ways my own practices helped.  Meditation, and visualization.  Basically by working myself into a state where I didn't have to pay attention to the fact that people were around, unless it was actually important to what was going on at the time.  (For example, boss needs something done at work.)  But, the two biggest factors in my being able to stay out of those moods, my gram (who passed three years ago, and who I communicate with regularly, although not so much in the normal way), and my children.

I am almost religiously devoted to my children.  Although, I honestly thought that I would never be able to make it as a mom because of some of my emotional tendencies, they have actually helped me keep these tendencies under control.  Also, in teaching them ways of relating to the world, and to their own emotions, I have begun to teach myself the same thing (and again, these same things come partly from my religious practices).

I think, though, that it has a lot less (for me) to do with my religion and faith (mostly because at these times I wonder what the point of religion is along with everything else), than with the practices I have learned to use within the context of my religion.  Also, with some of the things I read as a result of my religion.  (I currently have a book of Buddhist writings, I have read through pretty much arbitrarily, but plan on using some of the sayings in daily or at least weekly practice.)

I also work out, and this, too has something to do with my religion (I have a dagger that I use on those occassions when I have no chance of little ones coming in contact with it, it is dedicated for this purpose, and my work out is basically a meditation in and of itself, it's kind of hard to explain without going into a lot of details about my specific religion, etc.)

I don't know if any of this really answers the questions at hand, but it is what I do on a more than physical or mental level to "pull myself out" of the moods I get into.

On the note I made about my hubby, I have learned to be his "shield" in these situations.  Basically, I let him rant and rail as much as he needs to, and when he needs it I give it back to him.  I absorb the energy overloads he gets, and give him energy when he is in one of the "lows".  There have been more than a few times where I have physically acted as a shield against him going after someone else when on one of the "highs".  I know he won't hit me, so I stand in his way of hitting someone else, and talk him down.  I think it may be the idea of someone half his size not being nearly half as afraid of him as someone bigger than him, it's kind of a shock to the senses, and puts out the fires, so to speak.  (Again, don't know if this helps any, but it is what works for us.)

[LyricFox]

[First post. Meaningless message, spam-oriented username and spam links related to username in sig.  Everfool removed the links. Randall removed the entire message and banned the user.

Stupid shitty spammer. I've only had a couple of sips of coffee and now I have to go look at SPAM recipes. I hate people like you.

German SPAM Pizza

http://www.spam.com/eatspam/contest_recipe.aspx?recipeid=240

[Finn]

German SPAM Pizza

http://www.spam.com/eatspam/contest_recipe.aspx?recipeid=240

Oof. Talk about depression--if that doesn't make anyone depressed, I don't know what would.

[LyricFox]

Oof. Talk about depression--if that doesn't make anyone depressed, I don't know what would.

Yeah. There is substantially more membership suffering if I have to go find a SPAM recipe before I've even made headway on my first cup of coffee. Not fair, I know, but there you have it.

[Melamphoros]

Oof. Talk about depression--if that doesn't make anyone depressed, I don't know what would.

Agreed.

[SnowyCrow]

Speaking from someone that is and has been dealing with depression, ( cervical cancer, my husband and high school sweatheart disclosing he has been unfaithful for 8 yrs and wants a divorce, having to move in with my younger brother...all in the span of a month!) my faith has been the shining light along a very dark tunnel.  A few years back i did a dedication to Hecate after what would be too long a story to go into.  Suffice it to say, I asked for a sign and got one that signified her to me.  It seemed strange at first to be a dedicate of a non native deity but then again, the Cherokee don't have god/desses per say.  I began to rely heavily on my candle work and "prayer" or meditation to Hecate and communing with my totem, the crow obviously.  I am now a very self confidant woman.  When things began to unravel I took a step back and relaxed...meditated...asked for guidance and things started to fall into place.

I am a much happier and more attuned person to my beliefs and faith than before.  It gave me a fertile soil in which to plant my self..my soul has bloomed into one that i am more than happy to desplay to the world.  Someday, I will find myself growing next to another bright bloom, hopefully a pagan onew this time.  ( my former hubby was irish/catholic!)

[Celtee]

SnowyCrow,

Please leave the quote tags in your replies. The links they provide are necessary for tracking so we know who and what is being replied to. You will find the quoting rules here.

Thanks.
Celtee,
Cauldron staff

[gg_13]

While I was in there, I wrote a prayer to my goddess (An Morrighan) and hung it up in my room.

i find that when you are in a tough time, insted of struggling with keeping your religion, let it help you to get through the situiation.  you are lucky to have survived your depression, and i am really happy for you that you did.  in 04, my uncle lost his life to  it.  your prayer sounds really nice, would it be okay if maybe you could copy it down for me?

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