Anxiety and Obsessions: Psychological Struggle or Spiritual Calling?

If a person struggles with anxiety or obsessions in their life, where does it come from? Is it hereditary? Is it something they absorbed from their environment and society? Or perhaps there is a deeper, spiritual and eternal meaning to their struggle?

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“The place where you stand is holy ground.” Every place and every situation in a person’s life is connected to their unique purpose. No trait or difficulty a person has is a random flaw they simply have to endure. It is not something they must merely survive despite — it is part of their process of growth.

Difficulties as Messages

If a person, God forbid, is involved in an accident, there is a message there. Perhaps their reckless driving reflects a deeper trait — and if we look closely, we may find that they suffer from “reckless driving” in other areas of life as well.

The same applies to a person who suffers from anxiety, pressure, or obsessions. Such a person often struggles with an excessive need for certainty — wanting life to unfold exactly as they expect and desire.

The Need for Absolute Control

They become overly fixed and locked into the idea that life must function in only one way. Only if they are sure they will always be healthy, financially secure, clean, safe — and countless other forms of certainty, will they allow themselves to feel calm.

At the root of this struggle is a missing inner quality: humility, the ability to contain helplessness, and the capacity to adapt to situations that are not under absolute control.

Learning to Contain Uncertainty

A person must learn to contain helplessness. When they do, they gradually begin to live real life — the kind of life in which there is no absolute certainty.

Mental Struggles as Spiritual Work

The traits that manifest as psychological difficulties are part of a person’s spiritual work. At times, this spiritual work requires professional guidance and support, because on their own — and through ordinary means, a person may not be able to change these traits.

Psychological difficulties are deeply connected to a person’s character traits and inner qualities. Severe mental challenges may require professional help to guide the process of refining these traits — but the actual inner correction cannot be done by the therapist. That work belongs to the person themselves.

Effort Over Outcome

Despite the difficulty, as in all areas of life, God judges a person according to their effort and investment — not according to the final result. A person must do their part, from where they are. This is their personal spiritual mission.