Shaken faith: how to get it back?

[Heinz55]

I was raised catholic and have always believed in God, attended church and sought comfort from the belief that good will triumph ultimately. I now realise that my life has been blessed up until recently. that is not to say I haven't had tough times but over the past 5 years life has become harder and harder. Primarily it is financial but that seeps into every area of your life. I believe that when things go not-quite-how-you-hoped then that path is not for you and so would head off down another one confident that everything will work out. Lately every where I turn is negativity and hopelessness and I can't seem to get a break. I despair of the future and often think that death would be preferable to this living hell. But overall I WANT to believe in a God that will help me find the right path - at present I feel abandoned and I want to believe that He would not abandon me but I don't know where to turn. I do not feel reassurance in the church or in prayer. What does one do at this stage??? I didn't realise how important my faith was til this and I don't know where to turn.

[youmaycallmeSSP]

First off, please book an appointment to see your GP to talk through your low feelings. They will be able to help if you are depressed.

[Gingerdodger]

You sound so low I am sorry you are having such a difficult time. I agree that going to see your GP would be a good idea as you do sound very down and they may be able to help.

How is your church at providing support? Is your parish priest someone you could talk too, they may be able to put you in touch with parishioners who you can talk too and who can help or a local group?

God won't abandon you and obviously your faith is really important to you and this is a time when you need to use support available through your church or any other means. I hope you can find some answers and some practical support.

[Italiangreyhound]

Heinz55 really sorry you are feeling so low.

Please do go and talk to your GP. I agree with youmaycallmeSSP and Ginger.

It is very common to feel depressed at different points in life and there are all kinds of support that the GP surgery may be able offer. If you have a good friend in real life could you share your concerns with them (about feeling low) and maybe get them to go with you to the GP if you need support to talk to your GP.

You don't mention children or a husband, if you have young kids could sleep deprivation be adding to your worries? Are things OK with your husband or partner if you have one? These can all be things that add to feelings generally, for good or ill. You mention money, could there be a chance to chat to your partner or someone about finances etc to put your mind at rest a bit. I know a lot of people are feeling the strain financially. Sometimes I have found it very hard to face financial worries but once you begin to look into it there are sometimes ways to work things out and the problem can be uncovered and can be resolved.

[Italiangreyhound]

Heinz55, with regard to the spiritual side of your comments. I am very sorry you feel this way.

Personally, I do believe that ultimately good will triumph over bad.

However, this life is not easy, for us in our country with the pressures we have and it is often terribly bad for others around the world too. I am not saying this to depress you, just that it is a fact, and sometimes seeing how the world is, that good people do not always get a break etc, can be quite upsetting too.

I spent years feeling bad myself because fertility problems meant we could not have a second child. It took me a long time to move on, a lot of things contributed to that moving on. One was getting some counselling.

Another thing that helped me spiritually was a Christian weekend away. (I am Christian and go to a free church.) It may be that some time away at a spiritual weekend, contemplative or whatever, or even a day away at a retreat or something may help a little to give you some peace.

If you do have young kids that may not be possible and it may be that some support from church, as Ginger suggests, would also help.

Actually, it is not an either or situation, I think help and support from different areas would probably assist you.

You are thinking of your needs and asking for help - that is often the start to things getting better; I really hope for you that that is the case.