5 Orthodox Prayers to Help Ease Anxiety

While we live in one of the safest eras of history, we have the highest rates of fear and anxiety. Our church offers so much relief from modern day anxieties, but many of us still suffer from periods of anxiety, overthinking and overwhelm. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, women are twice as likely to suffer from anxiety. 

Personally, whenever I’m going through times of anxiety, I need prayers that are a bit softer and more uplifting. As one bishop said to me, some prayers are the right medicine for specific ailments, and here are some that have worked for me in the past. 

1. The Canon to the Guardian Angel 

While we pray to our guardian angel at each liturgy, our relationship to our guardian angel is often overlooked or misunderstood. He can help us ward off those anxious thoughts and protect us from the many attacks against our soul. Sergei Bulgakov stated that the Guardian angel is one who “preserves from evil and who sends good thoughts.” This canon is full of beautiful references to light and to offering thanksgiving, both of which ease anxious thoughts. Song 6 in particular always stands out to me:

2. The Akathist of Thanksgiving

We know that intentional gratitude is one of the most effective ways to combat anxiety. Luckily, we have the liturgy every week that focuses on this, but once Monday and our to-do lists roll around, we are back to worrying. One of the most amazing prayers is the Akathist to thanksgiving, written by a priest in a prison camp in 1940. I love this akathist because it focuses on the healing nature of beauty and being in awe of God’s simple gifts. Here’s one excerpt of the akathist that I particularly love:

3. The Great Doxology

   Every Saturday night, after a few hours of praying, we turn on the lights and the priest says “Glory to Thee who has shown us the light!” The Great Doxology is my favorite moment of the all-night vigil due to the hopeful and joyous tone of this prayer. Here’s an excerpt from the prayer:

4. Anything to the Theotokos

   A few years ago, my mother bought me this prayer book with only prayers to the Theotokos (prayer book linked below.) It made me reflect on the compassionate and maternal nature of the Mother of God and how many of us run to her to help with despondency. This book is beautifully written and made; it has a blue leather cover with detailed ornamentation. It was hard to choose just one, but here’s an excerpt of one of the prayers:

5. The Psalter

Several years ago, I was invited to join a women’s Psalter group for Great Lent. It quite literally changed my life. Reading the psalms was one of the most powerful experiences I had, and many of the women reported similar experiences. This isn’t a coincidence, the Psalms address the complexity and challenges of the human experience. As St. Augustine said, the psalter is “The silence of the mind, the harbinger of peace.” He also said that the singing of the psalms “increases faith, hope and love; it shines like the sun, it cleanses like water, it cauterizes like fire and soothes like oil.” While there are many beautiful quotes written about the psalms, none are quite like reading the psalms themselves. Below I’ve linked a beautiful Psalter created specifically for Orthodox women.