Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to header Skip to footer

For Youth

Freed from anxiety and suicidal depression

From the April 2022 issue of The Christian Science Journal


For many years I struggled with suicidal depression, intense anxiety, and low self-esteem. I ached to understand who I was. I grew up attending Christian Science Sunday School, but I wrestled with questions like “Why did God make me who I am?” “Who really loves me?” “Who notices me and cares that I’m taking up space?”

I had so many questions, but I struggled to fully embrace what I’d learned in Christian Science, because most of what I’d read in the Bible and in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, was about God. I didn’t want to know any more about God. I wanted to know about my own identity, and that felt completely disconnected from what I had grown up hearing about how God created all of us—that we are good, and loved by Him.

I often had breakdowns in which I would spiral, cry, and feel so deeply unhappy. Frequently, these would lead to me texting a friend, seeking validation. It was embarrassing to ask friends what they thought of me, and I’d never really believe their kind words anyway. Rather than finding encouragement, I would come away from these exchanges feeling even more restless and unhappy.

Sign up for unlimited access

You've accessed 1 piece of free Journal content

Subscribe

Subscription aid available

 Try free

No card required

More In This Issue / April 2022

concord-web-promo-graphic

Explore Concord—see where it takes you.

Search the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures