Saint Paisios on Anxiety: Why the Devil Whispers and Christ Gives Rest
8:17
What the video says
This video presents teachings of Saint Paisios on anxiety, arguing that anxiety comes from the devil and that God is not a tyrant who suffocates us. It claims modern escapes—psychologists, meditation, yoga, travel, and medication—fail because they ignore the soul and God, and that true peace comes only through humility, faith in Christ, and hope in eternal life.
The video warns against spiritual delusion, excessive ascetic rigor, and pursuit of material goods, urging simplicity, moderation in fasting and prayer rules, and trust in God rather than in oneself.
Key moments
- Saint Paisios reveals that anxiety comes from the devil, not from God, who is not a tyrant; the Church has special prayers against anxiety.
- The person who has everything but suffers from anxiety does not have God; anxiety grows as we abandon simple life in nature and pursue luxury.
- Meditation, yoga, travel, and psychiatric medications are illusions; anxiety disappears only when one understands the deeper meaning of life, and healing comes through divine consolation.
- Psychiatrists who do not believe in God or acknowledge the soul are themselves full of anxiety; real rest comes only from believing in God and eternal life.
- There is an invisible war: the devil pushes people toward their existing inclinations, making the sensitive overly sensitive and pushing zealous believers beyond their strength to create anxiety and despair.
- Against the modern myth of 'believe in yourself,' Saint Paisios says: put your hope in Christ, not in yourself; simplicity gives rest, and the more you worry about possessions, the further your heart is from God.
- Even silence and prayer can increase anxiety through spiritual delusion; most divorces begin with anxiety from chasing material things, neglecting children, and quarrels over trifles.
- Do ascetic struggle with self-denial and trust in God, not selfishness; if tired, read only what you can of the evening service—old people lived simply and did not fret over small details.
This video presents teachings of Saint Paisios of Mount Athos on the causes of anxiety and the path to peace of soul. According to the saint, anxiety is not from God, who is not a tyrant, but is an attack of the devil; the Church offers special prayers against it. A person may have every material comfort yet remain restless, because without God there is no true rest.
Saint Paisios observes that as people abandon a simple life close to nature and pursue luxury, anxiety grows. The video contrasts modern remedies—psychologists, meditation, yoga, travel, and medication—with the saint's claim that these cannot heal the soul, since they ignore its deepest need: faith in Christ and hope in eternal life.
Psychiatrists who deny the soul are themselves, he says, often full of anxiety. The discussion also covers spiritual delusion: even prayer and ascetic effort can increase anxiety when practiced beyond one's strength, as the devil pushes zealous believers past their limits to drive them to despair. Against the modern slogan 'believe in yourself,' Saint Paisios directs hope to Christ rather than to one's own powers.
He counsels simplicity and moderation—modest fasting, a manageable prayer rule, reading only as much of the evening service as one can bear—and warns that chasing possessions, quarreling over trifles, and neglecting children breed the anxiety that underlies many divorces. The video closes with an invitation to trust in God rather than oneself, and includes links to a free prayer guide, further videos on Saint Paisios, and related resources.
Main points
- Anxiety comes from the devil, not from God; the Church has special prayers against it.
- Material comfort without God brings no rest; luxury and departure from simple living deepen anxiety.
- Meditation, yoga, travel, and medication are called illusions; healing comes through divine consolation and faith in eternal life.
- The devil exploits inclinations—pushing the sensitive to despair and the zealous beyond their strength—so even prayer can breed anxiety through spiritual delusion.
- Counsel: put hope in Christ, not yourself; keep fasting, prayer, and life simple and moderate.