A Spiritual Remedy for Anxiety: The Rosary

Four rosaries a day keeps my anxiety away. That is my new motto. I am living it every day, and it is absolutely true.

“Whoa! Four rosaries a day? That’s a lot of rosaries!” That is the reaction I generally get when I tell people how praying four rosaries a day is changing my life.

Now the story of how, when, and why I began praying four rosaries a day deserves its own blog post (which I hope to write soon).

This post will focus on the effects of this beautiful new way of life I have discovered and the impact it has had on my anxiety.

I do want to begin with the fact that I hope you, the reader, understand at the outset that I am not suggesting that everyone with anxiety should start praying four rosaries a day. This was a personal call I had, and it has taken a long time to get where I can actually incorporate praying four rosaries per day into my life.

That being said, I do feel called to write about the effects it has had on my anxiety. Perhaps God wants you to experience the power the rosary has to overcome your anxiety as well.

How the Rosary Has Been a Remedy for My Anxiety

• Praying quiets my mind and heart. I feel peace and calm return each time I sit down and pray the rosary. Any anxiety I am feeling generally subsides very quickly.
• Sometimes when I am working really hard on a project or focusing strongly on a situation in my life, I experience a sense of “getting revved up” internally. Praying the rosary brings down this built-up energy. It is also usually just the break I need to see a situation or issue in another light and to help me resolve it.
• I experience the gift of meditating on the full life of Christ and Mary’s special role in it. This takes the focus off me (and my worries and fears) and returns it to where it should be — gazing upon the face of Jesus.
• After a rosary prayer session, I am able to clearly reflect on what is happening throughout the day, and I am more aware of God’s presence in each moment.
• While my anxiety usually subsides quickly once I begin praying the rosary, there have been times when a difficult conversation or something highly anxiety-producing happens right before I start praying the rosary. In these times, the anxiety or intensity of emotion I experience is so great that it remains throughout the whole rosary — until I pray the final prayer. Once I pray the final prayer, I experience immediate peace wash over me. Perhaps it is Mary’s gift to me for not giving in to the anxiety by stopping the rosary. Perhaps it is a sign of her great mercy for a suffering child of God. Either way, I can testify that Mary has never allowed me to walk away from fervently praying a full rosary without my peace restored.
•  Over the past few months, I have also experienced how spacing out the rosaries during the day has helped “regulate” my moods. (More on this incredible gift and its subsequent effects, as well as the many other ways this is transforming my life spiritually, in future posts.)

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Incorporating four rosaries into my day has been long process, but it has been extremely fruitful for me. And while I do not feel this is something God is calling every person to do, I do believe in my heart praying the rosary at least once daily is something that would be beneficial for everyone. Begin now, even if you have to start small to get there, such as praying one Hail Mary, one Our Father, and one Glory Be a day. Then try one decade a day, and so on.

A decade of the rosary (or one mystery), when prayed slowly and fervently, can take 2–3 minutes. I know if you feel God calling you to try this; He will be able to help you find 2–3 minutes of silent time. God always finds a way — He is the way!

God knows our lives and our hearts and what will help each of us on our journey to Him. The rosary is one way — a beautiful way and a way requested by our Heavenly Mother at Fatima and promulgated by many saints — to do this.

Consider it. Pray about it. Perhaps it could also help lead you to a life of peace and be a remedy for your anxiety, even in the midst of great anxiety and uncertainty, just as it has done for me.

In His Love,
Laura Marie Durant

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A Few Helpful Links

My favorite book about how to say the rosary, along with short and long meditations for each mystery: Pray the Rosary by Catholic Book Publishing

All the mysteries of the rosary and how to pray the rosary can be found on the Vatican website.

Here is a daily rosary podcast I sometimes use: A Rosary Companion on Apply Podcast

Please feel free to comment below on your own experience with the rosary, and share any helpful links you think I should include in this post.

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Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional or licensed therapist. I am speaking from my perspective and human experience and as someone that has struggled with anxiety and depression since childhood.

God is good and has given us the gift of medical and therapeutic treatment options when basic self-care isn’t enough to help us overcome our struggles with anxiety and depression. Don’t hesitate to reach out for this support when you need it. It’s a gift from God that will help you to recover so you can live your life to the fullest — which is God’s desire for you!