It is difficult to achieve peace of mind when you have to deal with stress almost daily. To one degree or another, almost everyone is forced to constantly be nervous for various reasons, ranging from eternally dissatisfied bosses to minor everyday problems. By learning a few techniques to calm your mind and relax your body, you can significantly improve your quality of life by becoming a more balanced person.
Losing peace of mind
In today's frantic pace of life, it is increasingly difficult to maintain peace of mind. People face various everyday problems and stress. As a result, the nervous system suffers, the person becomes nervous, which directly affects the state of mind. The soul moves away from God, anxiety and restlessness appear. Many people try to find solace by distracting themselves. Some business, hobby, someone gets a pet. But what will truly calm the soul if not a prayer for peace of mind?
Peace of mind
Which saints should you turn to to calm your soul and heart?
Over the past decades, people's living conditions have changed. Due to urbanization, the population is concentrated in cities. The larger the agglomeration, the more intense the rhythm of life, the higher the competition for prestigious and highly paid jobs. Modern communication systems provide access to an information flow that exceeds the capabilities of the human mind.
The nervous system cannot withstand the increased emotional and intellectual stress. Unfavorable factors are decreased physical activity, air and water pollution, and poor-quality products. The state of stress is familiar to many people in the age range of 20 years and older. When your soul is heavy because of existing material problems, troubles in the family, you don’t see a way out of the current situation, you want to cry, you need to come to church and pray.
Prayerful appeals to holy saints and the Mother of God can help. The Mother of God is the intercessor of sinful people before Her Son. Troubles do not arise on their own. Sinful thoughts and actions due to violation of God's commandments, the machinations of envious people and ill-wishers are the causes of failure.
The icon of the Mother of God “Rejoice, Virgin Mary” is filled with a bright and joyful feeling that is conveyed to a sincerely praying believer. The holy image is dedicated to the moment when Mary learned the Good News from the Archangel Gabriel: the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of human souls. Saint Matrona of Moscow suffered from physical ailments all her life, but this did not break her spirit. She was a support for the suffering and performed miracles of healing. A prayerful appeal to her image will help you calm down and give hope for solving problems.
Prophet John the Baptist is the most revered saint after the Mother of God. The Baptist of Jesus Christ announced to people that before them was the Messiah, who takes away the sins of the world. A prophet and martyr, an apostle and an angel, an intercessor of grace for people before God - this is the sacred image to which one should pray when one’s nerves are upset.
A guardian angel is given by the Heavenly Forces after baptism. He is always invisibly present nearby, hears thoughts. In confusion and loneliness, when there is no one to pour out your soul to, you should turn to him with prayer or tell him about your sorrows.
The early Christian great martyr Barbara was canonized for her unshakable courage and fidelity to the teachings of Christ. People turn to her to avoid committing a mortal sin due to depression.
How to calm your soul
The Church says that true peace of mind is achieved only in God. This requires constant communication with Him, that is, prayer for peace of mind. After going through serious life trials, King David wrote these words:
“My soul rests only in God: my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock, my salvation, my refuge: I will not be shaken any more” (Psalm 61:2-3).
With the double word “only,” King David shows his decisive rejection of all conventional methods of calming the human soul. It cannot be carnal love, friendship, work, entertainment, art. Only prayer to God, which calms the soul, gives strength to “carry your cross.”
“In a person’s entire life there is no other asset more precious than prayer” (Reverend Ephraim the Syrian, 306-373).
And the Monk Isaac the Syrian taught that
“Blessed are the pure in heart, because there is no time when they do not enjoy the sweetness of tears, in which they always see the Lord. While there are still tears in their eyes, they are granted the vision of His revelations at the height of their prayer, and they have no prayer without tears. This is what the Lord said: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Gospel of Matthew 5:4).”
Teachings of Paisius the Holy Mountain
Elder Paisiy Svyatogorets (1924-1994) said:
“Prayer means to place Christ in your heart, to love Him with all your being. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind” (Gospel of Luke 10:27), says the Holy Scripture. When a person loves God and has fellowship with Him, nothing earthly deceives him. He acts like he's crazy.
Play the best music for a madman: it doesn’t touch him. Show me the most beautiful pictures: he won’t even pay attention. Give me the most delicious dishes, the best clothes, the most beautiful aromas. He doesn't care, he lives in his own world. So it is with a person who has communication with the heavenly world: he is all there and does not want to part with it for anything. Just as a child cannot be torn away from his mother’s embrace, so a person who has understood its meaning cannot be torn away from prayer. How does a child feel in his mother's arms? Only someone who feels the presence of God and feels like a little child can understand this.”
According to the teachings of Elder Paisius the Holy Mountain, you need to accustom yourself to good thoughts.
“A good thought has great power - it spiritually changes a person. When a person casts out evil thoughts and cultivates good thoughts, his mind and heart are cleansed and Divine Grace lives in him.”
Saints who help you calm down
Many righteous people have experienced difficult times in life. Some were born and lived in poverty, while others were arrested and tortured during their lifetime. But difficult circumstances did not at all prevent them from finding peace in their souls, nor turned them away from God. Why did this happen? Because the saints learned to hear the voice of the Lord within themselves, they were able to discern the Almighty behind temporary events and enter into communication with Him. They will also help ordinary Christians with this.
In a state of anxiety and irritation, one should pray to the righteous:
- Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk;
- Bishop Nicholas of Myra the Wonderworker;
- Martyr Tryphon;
- Righteous John of Kronstadt.
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Prayer to the Great Martyr Barbara, so as not to be nervous
Holy glorious and all-praised Great Martyr Varvaro! Gathered today in your Divine temple, people who worship the race of your relics and kiss with love, your suffering as a martyr, and in them the Martyr Christ himself, who gave you not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, with pleasing praises, we pray to you, the well-known desire of our intercessor: pray with us and for us, beseeching God from His compassion, that He may mercifully hear us asking for His goodness, and not leave us with all the necessary petitions for salvation and life, and grant a Christian death to our belly - painless, shameless , in peace, I will partake of the Divine Mysteries, and to all, in every place, in every sorrow and situation who require His love for mankind and help, He will give His great mercy, so that by the grace of God and your warm intercession, always remain in good health in soul and body, we glorify the wondrous one in our saints The God of Israel, who does not remove His help from us always, now and ever, and forever and ever, Amen.
Prayer to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for peace
O our good shepherd and God-wise mentor, Saint Nicholas of Christ! Hear us sinners, praying to you and calling for your speedy intercession for help; see us weak, caught from everywhere, deprived of every good and darkened in mind from cowardice; Try, O servant of God, not to leave us in the captivity of sin, so that we may not joyfully become our enemies and not die in our evil deeds. Pray for us, unworthy, to our Creator and Master, to whom you stand with disembodied faces: make our God merciful to us in this life and in the future, so that He will not reward us according to our deeds and the impurity of our hearts, but according to His goodness He will reward us . We trust in your intercession, we boast of your intercession, we call on your intercession for help, and falling to your most holy image, we ask for help: deliver us, servant of Christ, from the evils that come upon us, and tame the waves of passions and troubles that rise up against us, and for the sake of Your holy prayers will not overwhelm us and we will not wallow in the abyss of sin and in the mud of our passions. Pray to Saint Nicholas of Christ, Christ our God, that he may grant us a peaceful life and remission of sins, salvation and great mercy for our souls, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Saint Tikhon of Voronezh, Wonderworker of Zadonsk O all-praised saint and saint of Christ, our Father Tikhon! Having lived like an angel on earth, you, like a good angel, appeared in your wondrous glorification. We believe with all our souls and thoughts that you, our merciful helper and prayer book, with your honest intercessions and grace, abundantly bestowed on you from the Lord, are constantly contributing to our salvation. Accept therefore, blessed servant of Christ, even at this hour our unworthy prayer: free us through your intercession from the vanity and superstition that surrounds us, the unbelief and evil of man. Strive, quick intercessor for us, to beg the Lord with your favorable intercession, may He add His great and rich mercy to us sinners and unworthy His servants, may He heal with His grace the incurable ulcers and scabs of our corrupted souls and bodies, may He dissolve our petrified hearts with tears of tenderness and contrition for our many sins, and may He deliver us from eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna: and may He grant to all His faithful people in this present world peace and silence, health and salvation, and good haste in everything, and such a quiet and silent life lived in every piety and purity, vouchsafe me with the angels and with all the saints to glorify and sing the All-Holy Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer to the Martyr Tryphon for nerves
O holy martyr of Christ Tryphon, quick helper and quick to obey the intercessor to all who come running to you and pray before your holy image! Hear now and at every hour the prayer of us, your unworthy servants, who honor your holy memory in this all-honorable temple, and intercede for us before the Lord in every place. You, saint of Christ, shining in great miracles, exuding healing to those who come to you with faith and intercede for people in sorrow, you yourself promised before your departure from this corruptible life to pray for us to the Lord and you asked Him for this gift: if anyone in any need, sadness and illness of soul or body, if he begins to call on your holy name, may he be delivered from every excuse of evil. And as you sometimes did to the princess’s daughter, in the city of Rome, tormented by the devil, you healed her, her and us from his cruel machinations, save us all the days of our lives, and especially on the day of our last breath, intercede for us. Then be our helper and quick drive away of evil spirits, and our leader to the Kingdom of Heaven. And where you now stand in the presence of the saints at the Throne of God, pray to the Lord, that he may grant us also to be partakers of everlasting joy and joy, and that with you we may collectively glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Comforter of the Spirit forever. Amen.
Prayer to Saint John of Kronstadt
The Lord is the destruction of my despondency and the revival of my boldness. Everything is Lord for me. Oh, truly this Lord, glory to You! Glory to Thee, Father's Life, Son's Life, Soul's Life, Holy One - Simple Being - God, who always delivers us from spiritual death, caused by passions to our soul. Glory to Thee, Trinitarian Master, for from one invocation of Thy name you enlighten the dark face of our soul and body and bestow Your peace, which surpasses all earthly and sensual good and all understanding.
Prayer to St. Athanasius of Athos for peace of mind
Reverend Father Athanasius, a great servant of Christ and a great Athonite miracle worker, during the days of your earthly life you taught many on the right path and guided you wisely into the kingdom of Heaven, comforting the sorrowful, giving a helping hand to those who give you a helping hand, and a kind, merciful and compassionate former father! Even now, dwelling in heavenly lordship, you most especially multiply your love for us who are weak, in the midst of life, we are in need, tempted by the spirit of malice and passions that war against the spirit. For this reason, we humbly pray to you, holy father: according to the grace given to you from God, help us to do the will of the Lord in simplicity of heart and humility: to overcome the temptations of the enemy and the fierce sea of passions, so that we will calmly pass through the abyss of life and through your intercession to the Lord we will be worthy of achieving the Kingdom promised to us Heavenly, glorifying the Beginningless Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Before the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow”
Hope of the unreliable, strength of the helpless, refuge of the overwhelmed, protection of the attacked, intercession of the offended, bread-loving, delight of the hungry, nectar of heavenly rest for those thirsty, Mother of the Most Blessed God, Most Blessed and Immaculate Virgin! I alone resort to You, to Your protection I wholeheartedly bow my knees, Lady. Do not despise crying and tears, the joy of those who cry! Even if my unworthiness and the damnation of my sins terrify me, but this whole-bearing image assures me, on it Your grace and power, like an inexhaustible sea, I see: the blind who have received their sight, the galloping lame, wandering as if under the canopy of Your charity, those who have been laid to rest, and those who have abounded at all times. ; Looking at these images of pardon, he came running, blind with his spiritual eyes and lame with his spiritual feelings. Oh, Unstoppable Light! Enlighten and correct me, weigh all my sorrow, weigh all misfortune, do not despise my prayer, O Helpful One! Do not disdain me, a sinner, do not despise me, a foul one; We know that you can do everything, the greatest will, oh my good hope, my hope comes from my mother’s breast. I am committed to You from the womb of my Mother, I am left to You, do not leave me, do not depart from me, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Acquiring spiritual peace
Inner peace and tranquility is a gift from God that must be earned. Most often, this spiritual peace comes to a person as a result of very long efforts.
“Because the peace that Christ gives is the peace of the soul of a person with a clear conscience, with strong faith and trust in God. This world cannot be shaken by any external temptations, problems, or tragedies. Feeling is more natural and correct for a Christian. That which the Venerable Elder Paisius the Svyatogorets very accurately called a feeling of good concern. A person must constantly test himself with the Gospel and strive for unity with God. To do this, he must fight in the most merciless way with what his old man whispers and tells him. And if a person tries to live like this, he has the opportunity to enjoy the mysterious, incomprehensible, special feeling of being with God and in God” (Metropolitan Longin of Saratov and Volsk).
To calm the conscience and achieve peace in the soul of a Christian, the Holy Fathers advise resorting to the Sacraments of Confession and Communion as often as possible. As St. Ephraim the Syrian taught:
“The truly blessed thing is not to sin: and for those who sin, not to despair, but to cry about what they have sinned in, so that through tears they can again achieve bliss.”
Serenity Prayer
Is there a special prayer for peace of mind? As the Holy Fathers say, any real prayer is a source of peace of mind.
In the modern complete Orthodox prayer book you can find the prayer of the Optina elders. This prayer is addressed to God. In it, the believer asks for strength to calmly, with full trust in God’s Providence, endure all the hardships of the coming day. Therefore, it is recommended to read it in the morning, before starting the day. The prayer was compiled by the elders of the Optina Monastery (Kaluga region).
According to legend, the original author is considered to be the Monk Ambrose (1812-1891). Other Optina elders who lived after him added one line at a time. This is how the modern form of this prayer appeared. The content of the prayer is very similar to the prayer from the evening prayer rule, “petitions for every hour” of St. John Chrysostom (347-407), which is also called upon to bring the human soul to a calm state. After all, peace is achieved by confidence, in this case, that nothing will happen without God’s will.
Prayer with Patience
You should not expect a magical effect from prayer. To calm the soul, a Christian needs spiritual work. Therefore, the Lord does not always give what we ask for immediately, in the blink of an eye. To do this, you need to wait patiently and believe that all trials and experiences are given to everyone according to their strength.
“Through your patience save your souls” (Gospel of Luke 21:19). The Lord Himself knows when the “right” time for help comes.
“After all, He knows better than you what is good for you, and perhaps as a result of this he postpones the fulfillment of the request, wisely forcing you to be diligent towards Him, so that you know what the gift of God means and guard what is given with fear. After all, they try to preserve everything that is acquired with great effort, so that, having lost what they have received, they do not lose even the great efforts and, having rejected the grace of the Lord, do not find themselves unworthy of Eternal Life” (St. John Chrysostom).
The prayer of St. John Chrysostom from the evening prayer rule consists of 24 parts, according to the number of hours in the day. It contains a request for the granting of patience, meekness and generosity. For believers, patience is not perceived as cold stoicism. Patience is an imitation of the Savior, who lovingly endured death on the cross for the sins of the human race. Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk (1724-1783) noted that through patience the believer shows his devotion to the will of God.
There is a special petition to the Lord for the gift of patience, that is, in essence, a prayer for peace of mind.
But “prayer is not a fantasy, but a contact with God who lives in our heart. The Holy Scripture says: in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts of the Apostles, 17:28). We move, live and breathe in God. God is here. How He is here, I don’t know, but He is here, and we are in Him, and He is in us - His love, warmth, blessing, mercy. He is everywhere: in your room, bedroom, kitchen, in the yard, on the street, in the subway - wherever you go, you can feel that God is next to you” (Archimandrite Andrei Konanos).
Saint Tikhon of Voronezh, Zadonsk Wonderworker
O all-praised saint and saint of Christ, our Father Tikhon! Having lived like an angel on earth, you, like a good angel, appeared in your wondrous glorification. We believe with all our souls and thoughts that you, our merciful helper and prayer book, with your honest intercessions and grace, abundantly bestowed on you from the Lord, are constantly contributing to our salvation.
Accept therefore, blessed servant of Christ, even at this hour our unworthy prayer: free us through your intercession from the vanity and superstition that surrounds us, the unbelief and evil of man. Strive, quick intercessor for us, to beseech the Lord through your favorable intercession, that He may add His great and rich mercy to us sinners and unworthy His servants,
may He heal with His grace the incurable ulcers and scabs of our corrupted souls and bodies, may He dissolve our petrified hearts with tears of tenderness and contrition for our many sins, and may He deliver us from eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna: may He grant peace to all His faithful people in the present world and silence
health and salvation and good haste in everything, and so, having lived a quiet and silent life in all piety and purity, vouchsafe me with the angels and with all the saints to glorify and sing the All-Holy Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer of the Optina Elders
Lord, let me meet with peace of mind everything that the coming day will bring me.
Let me completely surrender to Your Holy will. For every hour of this day, instruct and support me in everything. Whatever news I receive during the day, teach me to accept it with a calm soul and a firm conviction that everything is Your Holy will. In all my words and deeds, guide my thoughts and feelings. In all unforeseen cases, do not let me forget that everything was sent down by You. Teach me to act directly and wisely with each member of my family, without confusing or upsetting anyone. Lord, give me strength to endure the fatigue of the coming day and all the events during the day.
Guide my will and teach me to pray, believe, hope, endure, forgive and love. Amen.
Benefits of Spiritual Exercises
According to Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, prayers are like arrows. Any, even the shortest appeal to God during the day will have its effect. It is not for nothing that the Apostle Paul taught Christians to pray constantly. Many people often want to be perfect in everything. This is a trap into which the devil lures you - if you can’t immediately become a great man of prayer, then you shouldn’t do it at all.
But by taking one small step every day, you can go all the way to heaven. Therefore, it is worth praying regularly.
Prayer to the Lord for the granting of patience
Praise be to You, Father of mercies and God of all consolation, that You never leave Your sufferers without visitation and consolation. To punish - You punish them, but You do not put them to death; although You are often the hidden God for them, You are the Savior of them all. Seal this consolation, O Lord, in my heart and make it true to me when disaster is near and there is no helper. Be my light when I sit in darkness; make sure that the knowledge of my sins and what they deserve produces in me true humility and patience.
Strengthen the faith in me, as in Jacob, when trouble comes, so that I will fight and not let go of You until You bless me. Make sure that I do not run away from You in suffering, O my Shepherd, but that my cheerfulness increases and I become more zealous for Your prayer and praise. Open my mind, so that I understand the Scripture, learn from it Your ways, and in true silence of heart I completely and completely surrender to You, through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord! Amen.
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Before the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow”
Hope of the unreliable, strength of the helpless, refuge of the overwhelmed, protection of the attacked, intercession of the offended, bread-loving, delight of the hungry, nectar of heavenly rest for those thirsty, Mother of the Most Blessed God, Most Blessed and Immaculate Virgin!
I alone resort to You, to Your protection I wholeheartedly bow my knees, Lady. Do not despise crying and tears, the joy of those who cry! Even if my unworthiness and the damnation of my sins terrify me, but this whole-bearing image assures me, on it Your grace and power, like an inexhaustible sea, I see: the blind who have received their sight, the galloping lame, wandering as if under the canopy of Your charity, those who have been laid to rest, and those who have abounded at all times. ; Looking at these images of pardon, he came running, blind with his spiritual eyes and lame with his spiritual feelings.
Oh, Unstoppable Light! Enlighten and correct me, weigh all my sorrow, weigh all misfortune, do not despise my prayer, O Helpful One! Do not disdain me, a sinner, do not despise me, a foul one; We know that you can do everything, the greatest will, oh my good hope, my hope comes from my mother’s breast. I am committed to You from the womb of my Mother, I am left to You, do not leave me, do not depart from me, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
