A Shaft of Light from Heaven

by Kristy McElhinny

My boyfriend and I had broken up. My landlord had sold my house. I was house-sitting for a work-friend. It was summer and I’m a teacher so there was no work to occupy my mind. At that time, I didn’t have a faith community to lift me up. I was alone, in an unfamiliar place, with no one to talk to and nothing to do; torture for a person with an anxiety disorder. My panic got out of control for another one of those week-long stints.

I called out to God and heard no answer back.

One Sunday, I decided to go to the tiny church that was within walking distance on the backcountry road I called home for that month. I describe myself as a carcass that day. I felt utterly lonely, exhausted, empty and pathetic. I knew I was at my lowest point. How could I feel like this when I am a child of God. I’m a failure. Maybe I’ve done something wrong to deserve it. Where am I going to live? Will I be alone for the rest of my life?

Understanding Anxiety Disorder

By Katherine Spitz

Maybe you know a woman who checks her stove three times before leaving the house. Or, perhaps you have a friend who refuses to fly on a plane, or who seems to worry excessively about her children’s health. These women may brush off their quirks, but they are likely suffering – just like the millions of other women - with an anxiety disorder. While depression gets more media attention, anxiety disorders are actually the most common type of mental health problem in the United States. While the disorders affect about 13 percent of the general population in any given year, women are much more likely than men to be affected by certain anxiety problems, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. All too often, people suffer in silence, embarrassed. It’s a good bet that the suffering person won’t talk about having a problem at the sisterhood fund-raiser or by the office water cooler. All too often, people suffer in silence“The average person would be surprised at who has an anxiety disorder,” says Dr. Jeffrey Moore, a psychiatrist at Akron General Medical Center in Ohio. “There are many people you run into on a daily basis who have a diagnosable or diagnosed-and-treated anxiety disorder. While you don’t think they are especially calm people,” Moore continues, “You wouldn’t think they would have to seek therapy or be on medication.”