The Cure for Our Epidemic of Anxiety
By Joe Pisani
While I was leafing through a health magazine, looking for the latest secrets to reach 100, I came upon a story that said three in four Americans felt anxious in the past two weeks. I’d really like to meet that one in four who wasn’t anxious and find out what their secret is.
Many of us are anxious about finances, health, the future, our kids’ future, the state of the world, the state of the union and so many things the list is seemingly endless.
A few people I know suffer from chronic anxiety. Some are on medication and others have therapists or belong to support groups. Still others have turned to practices such as yoga, deep breathing and transcendental meditation.
My college students often admit they suffer anxiety, and it troubles me to see so many young people debilitated by constant worrying. Research shows 32 percent of adolescents have an anxiety disorder, which is the most common mental health problem among young people. Even more troubling, the diagnosed cases for children and adolescents rose by more than 60 percent between 2016 and 2023.
They’re often tormented by feelings of inadequacy because their lives revolve around social media. As a result, they’re always asking: Am I not pretty enough? Will they make fun of me? Why can’t I fit in? Why can’t I be like the Kardashians or Sabrina Carpenter?
I was troubled by worries and fear long before social media was invented. I lived in an alcoholic home, so there was a lot of uncertainty and abuse. Plus, our family seemed to be one step away from falling off the financial cliff because my father’s work was seasonal and every December, just in time for Christmas, he got laid off.
At the time, I never realized there were consequences to all that childhood anxiety, which was like an emotional Petri dish, breeding adult anxiety. It seems I’m still fearful of the next catastrophe or crisis coming around the corner.
Nowadays, I’m worried about getting old, paying bills, cognitive decline and whether I’ll have someone to care for me, which suggests my anxieties have merely been repackaged for the senior years.
The saints realized there’s only one true antidote to this, and his name is Jesus. Our Lord was pretty explicit when it came to anxiety. You have to live in the present moment and you have to trust him. Really and truly trust him, because no matter what happens, he has everything under control.
Living in the present moment was a practice of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, a 17th century lay Carmelite whose advice was compiled in the spiritual classic, “The Practice of the Presence of God.”
It’s also a principle adopted by 12-step recovery programs, who embrace the motto “A day at a time.” You can’t live in a 72-hour day, with one foot in the past and the other in the future, while you’re not focused on the present.
Jesus is in the present and when tomorrow comes, he’ll give you all you need to make it through the day. As he said: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
And we’ve all heard the words “Jesus, I trust in you.” No matter what happens in your life, say, “Jesus, I trust in you.” But don’t just say it. Live it.
Trusting doesn’t mean you won’t suffer, but it does mean you won’t suffer alone. Even though you may feel like you’re alone, there’s always someone with you, and that someone is Jesus.
We also have to remember to take our spiritual medication. The Rx for a Catholic is grace, and you don’t need a prescription to get it. You need the sacraments and everything else the Divine Healer has to offer.
Sadly, this is where young people are at a disadvantage because they need to spend more quality time with Jesus so he can heal their anxiety.
The first step is put the cellphones down so Jesus can speak to their hearts. They have to stop scrolling through interminable postings on social media. They have to step out of the universe of distraction and into the grace of the present moment … and never forget a fundamental truth of our faith: No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace.