Emptiness in the body. Getting rid of the monotony of life

One of the grave consequences of sin is the devastation of the soul. What is emptiness? The Holy Scripture, touching on this topic, speaks of the meaningful and insignificant for man, of the useful and useless, of the eternal and temporary, speaks of the soul in which there is no place for God.

It so happens that a person has a lot, but God is not in him - and everything is meaningless. For example, acquiring this much, a person lost his conscience, lost love - and now nobody needs him and he does not need anyone, everything has become gray, uncomfortable ... It is against the background of the “brilliant external” that the deadly glare of emptiness appears, for nothing pleases the heart without love.

God arranged the human heart in such a way that it is not saturated with anything - only love! Man is godlike, eternal, and therefore cannot be satisfied with anything external, visible, carnal. All people lack something, they want better, more, so on to infinity, to death. And its tragedy is not in the fact that everything is not enough for a person, but in the fact that he does not really know what he needs. Many confidently declare that they know what they want, but life convinces that this is a seduction. All his life a person turns and fusses, searches and does not find, takes and throws. It is the soul that feels hunger, which a person cannot always understand.

Everyone knows what food is for the body. And what is food for the soul? But if there is thirst, then there must be something that satisfies it. What is this Scripture on faith (in the limitless possibilities it is impossible otherwise) reveals this secret through the concept of "God is the land of all desires."

If a person does not believe in God, then he begins to realize himself in another. Tries to fill his life with what he understands what the world has to offer. And man begins to wander in search of earthly joys, which always end in disappointment, because he begins to get tired of desires, feels confusion from their meaninglessness. The forces of the soul melt away, life passes, and everything in it is emptiness.

No earthly joy can replace God. The soul needs spiritual food, the soul longs for the love of God, it was created for it, and if this thirst is not quenched, the soul begins to suffer, suffocate. And the more persistently a person seeks to arrange his life without God, the more stubbornly he seeks joy besides Him, the more he experiences the meaninglessness of life, its emptiness.

Just as the feeling of loneliness is felt more strongly in a big city, where there are many people, but no one cares about you, so the emptiness of the soul is experienced more deeply against the background of material wealth, when a person has a lot of everything.

It should be noted that smart people have never aspired to luxury, loves its "emptiness". The very presence of "many" is a formidable sign of emptiness, since acquisition is nothing more than an attempt to replace the main with the secondary. But the time of seduction passes, and the passions no longer please, the gaping emptiness becomes a constant human sensation.

“I am the bread of life; He who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst ”(John 6:35). God - man - life - it is so simple and clear for a believer. God for him is everything - alpha and omega, beginning and end.

Man needs a little on earth, because he is not of the world. Life on earth is the road along which he returns to his Fatherland, to God. For some reason, many want to live on the road, although this is impossible, no one stays on it - God's order in this is strictly observed. People tend to excessive contentment, forgetting that they are on the way, not thinking about the fact that "everything goes away." They try to change the meaning of things in their minds, but things naturally remain in their meaning, but the meaning of human existence, from the point of view of the eternal laws of being, is completely distorted. And then the mind stops being smart. Losing God, he loses support, that is, he becomes meaningless, falls into emptiness. A mind without meaning is a "living corpse", this is the terrible presence of life in the depths of death.

Life - such a wonderful gift from God - becomes a burden to man.

This is explained by the fact that emptiness is not only the absence of God, emptiness is something more, it is the presence of the prince of abomination, the spirit of lies, the spirit of doubt and denial, a rebellious spirit yearning for meaningless freedom. The fact is that when a person seeks to saturate his heart with earthly joys, then in pursuit of them he often neglects conscience and rationality, for the world does not give anything just like that. But the removal of conscientious and reasonable barriers opens access to his soul to the prince of abomination, "a man-killer from time immemorial."

And then the longing of the meaninglessness of life begins, a feeling of loneliness arises, turning into sadness. An eerie sight when a person, having all his lives, lost in his desires and devastated his soul with passions, leaves life, sometimes, as seen from the outside, because of trifles. And today's freedom is an insatiable desire for appearances that destroy the soul. Man is placed before a gaping abyss of emptiness, before the open mouth of hell, where the mind is completely reborn and madness sets in.

Now many look to the West with lust, how people know how to “live” there, without thinking that the joys of this world are only temporary oblivion, that they never remove the “eternal” questions and the “eternal” problems generated by them, which no one will escape. Some try to dig deeper and completely surrender themselves to the power of passions and unnatural pleasures. But even then nothing is allowed, and the person sinks into an even greater emptiness. The emptiness of life in the "prosperous" West is felt brighter, its deadly reflections are more noticeable there.

The West has brought deceit to the possible limit, it lives with God without God, that is, it recognizes God and worships demons, considering this to be the highest intelligence, which seeks to "make us happy" too. And this terrible experience of life with a “double moral standard” is accompanied by the mass death of souls due to the confusion and darkness of knowledge, due to the introduction of destructive demonic principles into life.

Orthodoxy is always unambiguous, it is an honest attitude towards oneself and towards God in any, even the most difficult, circumstances. And therefore, the feeling of despair, of hopelessness is alien to a believing person, for in him the most terrible prospect is dissolved by hope. This is the life-giving of the Orthodox faith, when the invisible God through the fulfillment of hope is made visible.

Faith in God, alive and wise, is the overcoming of emptiness. God was sought in the wilderness, in poverty; God was sought in the absence of worldly noise, honor and glory.

Christ came to earth "... and there was in Him neither appearance nor greatness" (Isa. 53: 2). He rejected everything in order to gain man, and man must not attach his heart to anything in order to obtain God.

Everything in the world means nothing, except for these two values \u200b\u200b- God and man; everything is irrational, everything is conditional, everything is relative, everything is emptiness. Only in God does a person become meaningful, and everything in the world becomes meaningful only through a person who relies on God.

Emptiness is an inner feeling of losing something very significant. Devastated is an individual who is deprived of inner strength, as well as who has exhausted his mental resources. You can often hear the following sayings: "for some reason, empty inside ...", "something is missing ...". This state happened to everyone. And it seems like the circumstances are unchanged and everything is as usual, but something is not right. I don't want anything and not cute, my soul is green melancholy. In psychology, this state is called emptiness.

What is emptiness

In psychology, emptiness is interpreted as a state of emotional emptiness, a lack of moral strength, and the ability to live an energetic life. The reasons for the occurrence of this condition or sensation in an individual can be distinguished as follows:

- overstated requirements. When a person makes increased demands on himself or on other individuals, for example, a wife to her husband or vice versa, a mother to a child, a boss to subordinates. The inability to adequately assess oneself or others, the expectation of something better, the setting of unrealistic, unattainable goals ends with the individual not getting what he wants. His needs are not met, his dreams are not fulfilled, his expectations are not met. The result is emotional emptiness;

- life routine. In our life there are not so many holidays. Most of it is our usual affairs. Work, family, study - a standard set. Ideally, work is a place where an individual is engaged in a business that gives him pleasure, and money is still paid for this, vacation is paid and a bonus is given. The family will always support and understand. But life is different;

The work may be beloved, but the boss is a tyrant, turns it into a living hell, in the family, too, not everything is smooth and the same thing is repeated every day. Then a person forgets about his needs, about spiritual growth, self-development, about the good sides of life and plunges headlong into gray everyday life. Therefore, life begins to seem to him empty and aimless.

- environment. Everyone knows such a simple pattern: "tell me who your friend is, and I will tell you who you are." A person's environment significantly affects the way of life, his views and tastes. If life begins to seem empty and meaningless, you need to check your surroundings. If a person is surrounded by people without goals and hobbies who consider their life meaningless, then, most likely, he will think the same way;

Bad habits also contribute to feelings of emptiness and aimlessness. They not only harm the body, but also undermine spiritual health. Bad habits include not only cigarette smoking or drug use, but also computer games, excessive passion for social networks.

Virtual life dulls the sense of reality, steals a lot of time, makes you dream of easy money, a beautiful life. Instead, in order to achieve something in life, to develop, to be useful, a person spends time on aimless sighs and regrets.

You should always remember that the state of emptiness is subjective and can always be overcome.

How to get rid of feelings of emptiness

There are several ways to get rid of emotional emptiness.

First, you should think about how long you have been in this mood. If not for long, then you need to analyze what events or individuals caused this. Perhaps you yourself are doing something wrong and understand that it should be corrected.

There is no specific recipe for getting rid of the feeling of emptiness, but there are methods that do work. To do this, you need to fill your life with love, as well as care. A person surrounded by loved ones and loving people is more stress-resistant and emotionally stable.

It is important to spend more time in an environment where you are truly loved, cared for and genuinely worried about. These include close friends, parents, husband, wife, children. Time devoted to loved ones will strengthen relationships, make them stronger and deeper, and will also fill every minute of life with meaning. But with individuals who suppress, cause feelings of guilt, emptiness and dissatisfaction, communication should be minimized.

The next way to get rid of emotional emptiness is to revitalize your social circle. You can make new friends, enter into a close relationship with a new partner. Or if you have a loved one, then you need to try to bring something new, unusual into the relationship. This will force you to open up in a new way and open up new sides in your partner. At an age when the social circle is already established, it is harder to make new acquaintances and relationships. But it is better to train yourself to say “yes” more often to new invitations, offers and people, because if you leave everything unchanged, then how can you expect improvements in life?

A four-legged friend will help get rid of the feeling of emptiness. With the advent of a pet, a person's life changes, it becomes more meaningful and meaningful. Research studies have shown that people with pets are less likely to experience feelings of loneliness and dissatisfaction with life. The very fact that a four-legged friend is waiting at home, who is completely dependent on care and attention, who is sad when the owner leaves, and is immensely happy to return, fills life with meaning. Nowadays there are a lot of homeless animals, and by taking a homeless kitten or puppy into your care, you can do good to yourself and to him. Life will acquire a new meaning, and the animal will receive a home and a loving owner.

No matter how trite it may sound, but when a person becomes kinder, he ends up receiving what he radiates. You can walk immersed in gloomy thoughts, delving into your own feelings and problems, but this will not bring good results. Better to take your mind off yourself and think about others. You can help your grandmother cross the road, buy flowers for your mother just like that, get your child a ball from a tree, donate money for treatment to a seriously ill person and immediately feel more significant and needed. Famous people who are involved in charity work admit that their lives have completely changed and acquired new meaning. After all, a good deed done brings joy not only to those around, but also to the person himself.

The answer to the question "why?" Will help to get rid of the feeling of emptiness. The ability to reflect and find the reason is very important for a person, so it is important to answer to yourself the question "why do I feel empty?"

After talking with a close friend, you can get an objective view from the outside, as well as friendly, irreplaceable advice in everyday life. If there is no one to talk openly with, you can turn to a psychologist.

A psychologist is a qualified specialist in solving personal problems. He will help you understand the problem, and also tell you how you can positively change your life. But if the feeling of emptiness has turned into, then the help of a psychotherapist is required.

To get rid of the feeling of emptiness, you need to learn to look for meaning in every day you live. Our thoughts determine our actions and all subsequent life. In every day and event, you need to try to find some meaning, and something good.

In order to happily accept the daily routine or do something that is not particularly pleasing, you need to find a source of inspiration. This is a new book, a hobby, a future journey.

And if work is hard labor for you, then you can pamper yourself with a cup of coffee or put an aquarium at work before work. This little thing will make life brighter and more enjoyable.

It is very important to take care of yourself, eat healthy food, get enough sleep, go in for sports, without denying yourself good rest and life joys.

By cultivating the good in yourself, you can get rid of the bad. Each person is the blacksmith of his own happiness, and what kind of life he will live depends not on other people or circumstances, but only on himself.

If an emptiness has settled in the soul for a long time and interferes with breathing deeply, a person needs help. Whether you believe in the existence of a soul or not, such a feeling arises sooner or later. This phenomenon is also called psychological pain.

What is the soul?

In order to determine that emptiness has settled in the soul, one should understand what the soul is in general. In many religious, philosophical and mythological traditions, the feeling of emptiness is characterized from completely polar angles. In the general understanding, the soul is the incorporeal essence of a living being. Psychology defines the soul as the mental abilities of a living being: mind, character, feelings, consciousness, memory, perception, thinking. Without all of the above, a person is overtaken by emptiness in life.

Depending on the philosophical system, the soul can be mortal or immortal. In Judaism and Christianity, only humans have immortal souls. The Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas attributed the "soul" (anima) to all organisms, but argued that only human souls are immortal, respectively, the emptiness of the soul is inherent only in people. Other religions (most notably Hinduism and Jainism) believe that all biological organisms have souls, and some teach that even non-biological objects (such as rivers and mountains) have souls. The latter belief is called animism. Thus, spiritual emptiness is attributed to all that exists.

In science, the soul is also used as a construct to denote a certain substance in the human brain. It is important to note that science has yet to prove or disprove the existence of the soul.

Biologist Cyril Barrett wrote that the soul is a word to denote an idea that people have invented and grown within themselves to represent the feeling that their existence is endowed with a conscience. Barrett explains that the soul is a property that emerges from the complex organization of matter in the brain, thus the emptiness in the soul has a biological explanation.

In 1901, Duncan McDougall conducted an experiment in which he measured the weight of patients during life and after their death. He argued that at the time of death, weight loss was observed to varying degrees, as a result of which he concluded that the soul weighed 21 g was in the patient's heart. In response, eminent physicist Robert L. Park wrote that McDougall's experiments today do not have any scientific value.

Causes of Mental Emptiness

There is only one thing that can fill the spiritual emptiness - love. There is only one reason for inner emptiness - the absence of love. But this is not the absence of someone else's love, which provokes an inner emptiness. And it, in turn, is due to self-forgetfulness from self-dislike.

Inner emptiness stems from a person's lack of connection with the spiritual source of love. When you deny yourself, condemn yourself, ignore your feelings, try to destroy feelings through addiction to drugs and rituals, you will certainly feel empty. In this case, oblivion sets in, which is called "emptiness in the soul."

In this case, your ego is hurt and filled with false beliefs about who you are. A wounded ego can cause a person to view themselves as inadequate, unattractive, not good enough, unimportant, bad, and wrong. A long stay in this state will doom a person to loneliness and detachment from reality.

These are programmed beliefs that have no basis in truth, but they can control a person's life, make him feel depressed. When you think that you are not good enough, then you turn to dangerous "helpers" (drugs, alcohol) to try to forget, to feel good, to fill the void that arises in the soul. But emptiness outside and inside are completely different things.

False causes of emptiness in the soul

Do you often feel empty inside? Discover the true cause of inner emptiness and determine what to do with it.

Many feel empty inside, and most people have false beliefs about the emergence of a state of emptiness. Common reasons why a person feels empty are:

1. The partner does not give the person enough attention and affection.
2. There is no reliable partner for a fulfilling life.
3. The work does not satisfy the ambition, and at the end of the working day there is a feeling as if the soul was exposed.
4. The long-awaited success and takeoff on the career ladder does not come.
5. There is not enough money for a comfortable life.
6. Life is boring and not interesting.
7. Lack of love, attention and approval from friends and family. Life is perceived as hopeless gray everyday life.
8. There is an acute shortage of sex, which seems to be quite real to fill the inner turmoil.

None of these situations are the real cause of inner emptiness. What does a person usually do to try to fill the inner void? A person begins to perform the following rituals:

1. Consuming a large amount of food (especially sweets), alcohol, cigarettes and drugs are also used, even if you did not want it before.
2. Detachment from the real world by immersing yourself in television or the Internet. Passion for gambling or shopping. The emptiness is filled in such moments, but this feeling is false.
3. Trying to get the attention or approval of others with your inappropriate behavior.

There are many rituals that people begin to perform to try to get rid of the emptiness in the soul. They may work at a certain moment, but soon the emptiness will return anyway, and the person will again seek dependence in order to create the appearance of the fullness of life and soul. The fact is that any method (be it eating sweets or shopping) only helps to eliminate some of the symptoms, if an emptiness has settled in the soul. The underlying cause of mental illness is still behind the scenes.

Symptoms of Mental Emptiness

There are some symptoms that signal a person's mental emptiness. The symptomatology was formed thanks to the efforts of psychologists and psychoanalysts. Likely signs that the inner emptiness is still present.

1. Feeling that the person is not as good as others.

2. The desire to be useful, a false sense of guilt in front of everyone.

3. Vain striving for the absolute ideal always and in everything.

4. I don't want to do anything and I don't want to talk to anyone.

Every person has periods when melancholy and anxiety rolls over, when it becomes unbearably sad and as if something inside is oppressive and annoying.

The feeling of inner peace disappears somewhere and only remains feeling of inner emptiness... Oddly enough, but it cannot appear unexpectedly and suddenly, it overlaps for a long time and regularly, attacking you at the very moment when you absolutely do not need it.

Often a feeling of emptiness in the soul arises against the background of unresolved problems with health, family, work, cloudy weather, depression.

But if you look at this in more detail, it turns out that the factors listed above are only a consequence of such an oppressed state.

The true reasons for emptiness in the soul, fears, anxieties are not personal problems, but the fact that you forget about yourself as a person, put aside your desires and needs, sacrifice yourself in everyday life.

Did your life seem alien, empty and meaningless to you? Have you asked yourself the question "Am I doing everything right?" How often do you think that just a while ago you imagined your life differently?

No matter how sad it may sound, the feeling of inner emptiness, just like depression, is a disease of a modern person.

What to do and how to solve this problem? First you need to gather your strength and decide for yourself that you are ready to act and fight this problem. In this state, it will be more difficult for you to make such an important decision, but if you want to start feeling a sense of inner peace and happiness again, then you need to try to convince yourself of this.

Frequent options that most people use on a subconscious level are these are 2 extremes.

The first extreme lies in numerous communication, a person tries to hide all the problems in front of himself, believing that a lot of communication with people will help to do this. But, being left alone with your thoughts, you will understand that the feeling of emptiness in your soul has not left you.

And the other extreme is self-isolation, loneliness, which leads to excessive and deep introspection, a lot of wrong thoughts and conclusions, and withdraw into yourself.

Indeed, what can help you now is work on yourself and self-realization. The first step to improving your condition and position is to increase your self-esteem.

Understand that in order for self-esteem to not go down, you do not need to live in discord with your desires, principles and values. Learn to love yourself, start believing in yourself and in your capabilities. Already start to value yourself as a person and enjoy life.

FROM THE DIARY OWNER.
Every day dozens of people come to my Diary searching for a single word - "emptiness".
Personally, this is very depressing for me. And after thinking it over, I decided to make this composite article, which, in my opinion, will answer those who need this difficult and difficult question - how to get rid of the inner and mental emptiness? Here we will talk about the different types of emptiness.
And may only fullness be with you!

***

Emptiness in the soul, what to do?

Storm in the heart, in the soul emptiness-
The soul loves sad songs.
Eternal pieces of ice float into the void.
Where you are not, the heart pulls to the bottom!
Need to suffer? Or maybe forget?
Anxious to think that it won't be yours?
You are far away forever and forever
We must forget, not suffer endlessly!
Will I live without you or not?
Who will answer me that you are my ban?
No brakes - just say a word:
"Do you love me?" - the heart is beating quietly!
I know you suffer, I feel bad too
And my head is all right.
But why can't I live without you?
It seems that I'm just going crazy.
I will never forget you.
And you have to forget? - I'm not yours anymore ?!

Loneliness, depression, emptiness in the soul - these are the feelings that are often visited by quite successful people who have achieved a certain status. This problem cannot be solved simply by filling up the free time. Even having found a new interesting business, lighting up, after a while a person loses his passion and again plunges into an inert state, in which only emptiness remains inside. Many resign themselves to this situation, doing everything out of habit, feeling a heavy burden on their souls and trying to somehow diversify the gray everyday life, and gradually losing self-confidence.

The way out can be attending various trainings. By attending a self-confidence training, it will be much easier to set life goals and priorities that will help you get out of such a devastated state. Organizational constellations are one of the interesting techniques taught by trainers. In general, this term refers to building relationships within the production team, but it was borrowed from family psychology, so it works great in everyday life. Using organizational constellations, you can understand your place in the world, in relationships with other people.

One of the principles that organizational constellations have is the balance between the concepts of "take" and "give". Interpersonal relationships are largely composed of these concepts. The imbalance can lead to various consequences that can be understood and realized with the help of specialists who conduct self-confidence training. Understanding will allow you to make the right decisions, build new relationships with people around you, filling your life with vivid events and experiences that touch to the core. So, gradually, using the knowledge that the self-confidence training gave, you can fill the void formed in the soul with a bright and unforgettable experience.

In any case, emptiness in the soul is formed only when something important and necessary has gone from life. It is often common for a person to look for opportunities for retreat, to prepare excuses, because it is always very difficult to start something new, to find that business and emotions that will fill the soul. At the same time, the void inside cannot be filled with another jump in career growth or self-affirmation of a person. Such events delight the soul for a short while, after which it is emptied again.

To fill the soul with joy, it is enough to learn to enjoy the little things that once upon a time, in childhood, touched to tears, to tenderness. You can rejoice at the singing of birds, a beautiful sunrise, blades of grass breaking through the asphalt and other little things that a person, growing up, simply stops noticing, and the emptiness in the soul begins to grow more and more.

A person who knows how to rejoice in trifles, to sympathize with someone else's misfortune will never say that he has an emptiness inside. His soul is filled with vivid emotions that remain in his soul for life and never leave a person.

***

Hello! Please help me in my situation: I don't know how to get rid of the feeling of emptiness, loneliness. I have a boyfriend, but we don't have a relationship, I don't see our future. And that makes me feel very bad. He drank, we swore, then we made up, but an emptiness remained in our souls.

Olga, Moscow, 25

Answer: Hello, Olga.

When a void remains in the soul, it must be filled.
The fact that you now feel emptiness and loneliness is quite natural. There is a young man with you, but as if not with you either. You do not see a joint future. What can be done in this situation? Make a decision.
Perhaps the time has come when the relationship has exhausted itself, they need to end.
How can you fill the void? Something new, exciting, bright. It can be a new romance, friends, cinema, theater, music, work.
It can be skydiving or a trip to where you have never been.
Emptiness and loneliness are next to us when the present does not suit, and the future is foggy.
It remains only to remember ...
You can transform your reality, your life yourself.
You have already taken the first step by writing this letter.

Best regards, Elizaveta Karpushkina, Psychological Center for Solutions

Female loneliness is scary

Do you know what it is
Female loneliness?
When there are two in the blanket
But I don't want to cuddle ...
Favorite book is closed
The second week, it seems ...
And the new dress is forgotten
And the mascara will smear on the cheeks ...
And if in work up to the throat
From morning until late at night ...
And stupid, empty suitors
And the body no longer wants ...

When holding a phone
You do not sleep, only lightly doze ...
Coquetry suddenly became a gimmick
But still you accept it ...
When the refrigerator is empty
But the wine in the bar is good ...
When it tastes good at first
And then only the invoice requested ...
When autumn is after winter,
And then winter again ...
When you don't ask anyone
But only - I myself ...

You know what it is
Female loneliness? ...
When it's no longer worth living
And I don't really want to ...

Loneliness ... all people are lonely in one way or another ... and there may be an emptiness in the heart, even when they hold your hand and say “love” ... and sometimes, hundreds, even thousands of words are not able to fill the emptiness of the soul ... heart ... and thoughts ...

Phrases ... memorized, taken from books and not at all conscious ... views, in which there is not only a spark, but even the slightest meaning ...

The touches ... bold, but cold - because after them there is only cold ... which spreads through the veins ... and touches a warm lump in the chest ...

Emptiness ... again and again ... and again ...

Here it is ... loneliness ...

But you need ... not so much ... to know that you are needed and loved ... to feel that everything said and done goes from heart to heart ... and warms the soul, like the rays of the sun warms the body ... and each look says more than hundreds of empty words ... and every touch gives heaven ... heaven on earth ... called ETERNITY ...

FROM THE DIARY OWNER:
Get yourself a man. Or a dog ... although I like cats or decorative rats more.


***

Who will fill the void in the alcoholic's soul?

A priest should be able to distinguish drunkenness from licentiousness, and licentiousness from illness

I am often told: "There are so many patients in Russia, for example, with leukemia, including children. Maybe we need to help them first, and only then help drunken adults?" And they add: this is a free choice, no one forced a person to drink, and children suffer not of their own free will. Instead of answering, I ask in such cases: should aid be selective? Those deserve help, but these don't? Everyone should be helped; the maturity of a society is precisely determined by its ability to help as many people as possible.

Who said alcoholism is "free choice"? Of course, a person drinks the first, second or third glass voluntarily, but the disease does not ask further. She grabs everyone indiscriminately, both a homeless person and a senator can become her victim. Alcoholism, like any disease, is indifferent to titles and regalia. If we follow the path "we help by this, but this is not," then why then treat, for example, lung cancer? After all, no one forced the patient to smoke. So you can agree to the complete absurdity.

Alcoholism is a biopsychosocial disease. To whom does an alcoholic rush first of all when he realizes that he is not able to cope with drunkenness on his own? Very often - not to the doctor. To the priest.

Of course, the priest himself, without a doctor, will not help the patient. It happens that a person comes to his confessor and complains: "I drink, I can't stop." The priest answered him: "Read the prayer forty times, make a vow before the icon." This, of course, is not harmful, but it cannot replace medical care.

The priest must be able to determine where drunkenness, where licentiousness, and where there is already a disease, and send a person to a specialist. It is very important to establish contact between the Church and doctors. For example, in the Holy Trinity Seminary in the American city of Jordanville, they are going to introduce a special course on alcoholism. Over time, the priests will have to navigate the problems of drug addiction, but today drug addiction cannot compete with alcoholism in terms of "popularity."

When a person wants to quit drinking, heals himself and really quits, at first it seems to him: the most important thing is to quit, "to quit", and then all problems will settle down by themselves. He does not realize that as soon as he quit drinking, an emptiness forms in his soul. Well, I gave up drinking, and what time to fill? What to do with energy? It is very difficult to fill the vacuum. A sober person turns to God, but not knowing how to do it, he strikes into God-seeking.

A holy place is never empty - the fragile souls of yesterday's alcoholics are willingly lured by sectarians, and these sects are far from always harmless to life and health. Therefore, we can say that the Church has its own interest here - not to lose her flock. For example, Catholics in the United States have traditionally mistrusted the 12 Step program. They did not take into account the fact that in the United States, most alcoholics (apart from American Indians, Aleuts, Chukchi) are Italians, Poles, Irish, i.e. mostly Catholics. And the Protestants, numbering more than four hundred denominations, willingly accepted alcoholics and helped them. Of course, the sick went to where they were expected. Catholics saw that they were losing their flock, and in the late 60s they began to open their centers.

Sometimes representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church militantly oppose the "12 steps" program and its spread in Russia. More than once I have heard that Alcoholics Anonymous groups are almost sects to which the former alcoholic is tied down the grave. Such statements are either from illiteracy or from bias. It is no secret that some clergy are involved in commercial anti-alcohol programs, and for them any free program is like a bone in their throat.

Sometimes our priests simply do not have information, and therefore do not fulfill the decrees of their bishops. In Russia, the 12 Steps programs have repeatedly received the blessing of the highest hierarchs of the Church, in particular the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II. As a rule, loud or politically engaged people make statements about the dangers of the 12 Steps program, about its mythical "pitfalls," and about "sectarianism". "This is the spirit of the rotting West!" They shout. Why don't they then give up antibiotics or cell phones?

Of course, the United States is a much more prosperous country with a more mature society and, as a result, with a different attitude towards alcoholism and alcoholics. They won't point a finger at you if you don't drink with everyone, they won't even ask why you don't drink, and alcoholism is considered a "normal" disease - there are diabetics, heart patients, hypertensive patients. There are also alcoholics. In Russia, alas, they are not yet ready for such an attitude to the problem. And a lot here depends on the clergy, on how much they are able to seriously concern themselves with the national tragedy, as long as the state is not concerned with it yet.

Evgeny Viktorovich Zubkov - psychiatrist, director of the International Institute for Alcohol Problems (USA)
NG-Religions - 04.07.2007.

FROM THE DIARY OWNER:
Better not to abuse alcohol.

***

Emptiness ... Emptiness of the soul and heart of the color of gray fire, extinguished and aimlessly extinguishing. The reasons for the appearance of emptiness can be different situations, for example, such as unrequited love or friendship, parting, loss, disappointment in something or someone, betrayal of the closest person or a lie that is later revealed, betrayal, playing with your participation and time , cruelty, misunderstanding, envy, slander, sadness and emptiness in the end. How and with what to fill it and whether it is necessary to fill it at all is a purely individual question, because if you understand why there is emptiness in your soul, then you need to do so as to fill it with what you lack, or live drowning in sadness and sadness ... Small sorrow is eloquent, great sorrow is silent. Emptiness can fill the soul to the brim, close the heart from everyone, awaken conscience and take away trust in people who honestly treat you, it is boundless and silent, it is immense and sad, sometimes I am covered with such emptiness that there is no air for my soul, but not for the body, the heart refuses to love, the mind refuses to believe and trust, and I want to understand everything down to the smallest details and motives. Yes, it happens, but what to do, such is life ...

How not to overcome the feeling of emptiness in the soul, apathy and lack of meaning, how not to ease mental pain

By and large, this article is silly and pointless. What is the point of finding a way out of apathy and overcoming the emptiness in the soul, when we all cannot escape the sad end?

So then I invite only those readers who are so empty and do not care about their time, energy and attention that they are too lazy to even look for another occupation. The rest, I will ask you to leave, your emptiness and apathy are ostentatious, you are attracted by mental rushes, so follow them, do everything so as not to do anything. And when it works out - welcome to the complete emptiness!

We gather and study what there is a feeling of apathy and emptiness in the soul

Well, now only our own people remain, you can give free rein to your own stupidity and do whatever you want, even if it is harmful and dangerous for yourself. Let all these "universal human values" burn with a blue flame, all the same they have the same continuous emptiness and there is no sense.
Compared to the feeling of emptiness and apathy, everything else pales. It tightens, you fall into it, with it everything else becomes ghostly and crumbles right in your hands. Drawn by emptiness, you indifferently dangle through life like a turd in an ice hole, and all this lasts forever. Everything seems meaningless and loses its value in contact with the feeling of emptiness. And there is also this emptiness in the stomach, it seems to twist a person into an embryo position. And, complementing apathy, this emptiness is felt as pain, pain from something lost, long forgotten and meaningless. The source of this pain is already so distant and uncertain that no details can be seen except for the very feeling of painful emptiness and apathy.

What else is there in the emptiness of the soul besides pain and meaninglessness?

This mental pain is dull and constant, and nothing changes in its source, no matter what happens in life. Sometimes it might seem that something really good and meaningful happened in life, something that changes life and gives the soul peace, and then a moment still came ... such an ordinary, unremarkable moment, and the pain in the soul again gave about know myself. Everything changes except her. And this feeling is already exhausting, not even the pain itself, but its expectation, invariably justified. If earlier it was possible to escape and be distracted, then the further, the less this escape works, the greater the share of emotional experiences associated with the inevitable expectation of pain. And so, at some point it becomes clear that it is no longer possible to reduce the pain further. Whatever you do, no matter how much effort you put in, it does not work, all solutions that worked before literally slip through your fingers. All the same. That's how she is, Apathy. This is how it is, the Void.

What is really happening, what is the meaning of all this, and why does apathy not go away with emptiness on its own?

Yes, everything in emptiness is the same, except for one ... among all possible directions there is one special. Not even a direction, but some vague image that penetrates the apathy and touches the soul, and then you feel how the eternal dull pain penetrates the soul, comes to the surface and becomes sharper, sharper, takes on precise contours and wounds in specific places, tearing and devaluing, dissolving in emptiness practically everything in which one could find support and support. And that's the only thing that makes sense. The meaning is absurd, perverse, mocking ... and no alternative. More precisely, as ... either this meaning, or none, i.e. emptiness and meaninglessness. And in order to follow this meaning and overcome pain, you need to have nothing supervaluable behind your back, a certain amount of selfless stupidity and despair, no rushing in your soul, a little masochism, stubbornness and curiosity. If curiosity and hope brought you here, and you entered here without an invitation, then instead of hunting for meaning, you will receive another imitation of life and quickly become disappointed in what is written below. This meaning is given only to those who are ready to go further with their whole being and put their whole soul into it, and everything that cannot be taken with them is cut off and left behind forever. Don't even cut it off yourself, but let your pain do it.

What is the way out of the feeling of apathy, spiritual emptiness and pain?

In order to overcome this pain of emptiness, it is important to remember about another feeling - about the expectation of pain. Then it will become possible to choose between a specific pain here and now, in a well-known place, or another pain that is everywhere and nowhere, which is poured throughout the soul, which itself never goes away, which makes everything else meaningless. There is no "right" choice on this path: each time, faced with new pain and new loss, you can either take a step forward or stop to mourn the loss, let go of an unviable piece of soul inside yourself, collect your remaining life into a single point and accept emptiness in place of the lost. Until you accept emptiness into your soul, and there will be no place for new meaning in life. The new arises in the void. And then the pain recedes, it ceases to be an endless background of life. When you see new things growing inside and out, pain ceases to be the only meaning in life, a reliable world appears around you, on which you can rely and in which you can find support in difficult times. And the new pain becomes less destructive and devaluating, now contact with pain will not completely destroy the world.

What is new in the emptiness to replace pain and apathy? When does choice become stable and not subject to apathy?

Well, we figured out the initial perception of life within apathy, overcame it and left it behind, abandoned the ballast, and took a meaningful step towards the source of pain with all our souls. So far, only a vague image with the same unformed meaning looms ahead. And now there is enough mental strength and attention to study the current situation in more detail ... How did it happen that somewhere beyond perception there is a source that has caused constant pain? How can something in the soul of a person hurt that does not belong to him? What else is this pain associated with? What made this pain permanent? If you look closely and look into the emptiness of your soul, in the direction of the source, then sooner or later you will remember a situation in life when something unbearably painful happened, from which I really wanted to run away, when the first step to escape was taken, when I wanted to dull my feelings and keep at least something alive inside yourself regardless of the price. Enough time has passed since then to understand the consequences, to feel the price and get used to your fear of pain. When the price is fully realized, you can begin the reverse process, you can return to the place of dramatic events and see those features of what happened, which were ignored in a panic of flight.

What creates pain? What can be done to overcome pain and make emptiness truly neutral and not devaluing?

Before the escape, obviously something very dangerous happened, something extremely important for life, slipped out of control and deprived of the mental strength to fight. At some point, a turning point came and the fight against danger had to be abandoned, after which flight became the only available way out. And there, at the place of the struggle, something vital remained unfinished, abandoned, without which life is empty, soulless and meaningless. And all this time, a piece of a living soul was in a place of struggle, thrown into the void, rejected and deprived of vitality, in unsuccessful desperate attempts to reunite with the escaped integrity. From time to time she managed to penetrate into a new life, and then she brought with her all the accumulated despair and anguish of the elusive life ... this pain was unbearable, and the only way to protect herself from it was apathy, which made everything around me insignificant. Yes, apathy is a way to survive, knowing that you have betrayed and abandoned some vital part of yourself, a part of your soul. Now that you have perfect apathy, you can come back and feel safe looking at the results of your defeat. And the peculiarity of this defeat is that the person, at the moment of flight, tore himself to pieces, where one part firmly clung to something impossible, in the hope that an inhuman effort would be able to return what was desired, and the second part recognized the impossibility of victory, appreciated the desire to direct all efforts to accomplish the impossible as deadly to herself, and fled the battlefield to save at least some life.

What important, lasting needs are behind pain and emptiness?

And now, when the escaped defective part of the soul returned to the abandoned, powerless, but not surrendering ... now, in addition to the defeat itself, a painful dialogue arises between the roles of the escaped and struggling to the end.

In this dialogue, on the part of the runaway, there is a lot of guilt for betrayal, fear that this will continue forever, and irritation at the stubborn blindness of the struggler, and on the other hand, there is a lot of hopeless despair with shame and pride wounded by defeat, which seems to be tantamount to admitting his insignificance and complete rejection, aggressive accusation of betrayal, that it was your efforts that were not enough to win. It was these feelings that were the source of pain, they, in contact with each other, caused bouts of dragging emptiness in the soul and led to apathy. When a person refuses to devalue these feelings, when he refuses apathy, when he recognizes all these feelings in himself, when he allows himself to live them to the end, without rejecting or running away, first comes sorrow and grief for what was irretrievably lost, and then the consent and reconciliation of the torn in the struggle of the parts, a feeling of closeness, calmness and unity arises in a tired soul, as well as a real meaning that cannot be devalued in any way. At this moment, you can abandon the senseless exhausting struggle for the impossible and find better use of your forces, find another way to be alive. And there are many such ways, and my site and my work are about them.

FROM THE DIARY OWNER:
I think this is a very timely topic. People in a modern metropolis are often lonely, not understood by loved ones or their environment. I'm not talking about a faceless crowd, because it is stupid to be equal to the opinion of some strangers. It is more scary when your loved one does not understand you or you yourself cannot understand your feelings. Depression should not be allowed, learn to get out of difficult situations using the right means - positive thinking and kind attitude, first of all to yourself.
I really hope that these articles will help someone to sort out doubts. And the number of people looking for this terrible word "emptiness" will become much less.



... ... And again push the emptiness of shadows apart,
To pray for the innermost to powerlessness,
Chimera of delightful passions
Raise on exhausted wings….

And tearing apart the allure of the sticky gloom
Comprehend the truth from Revelation ...
I'm not humble - this is a good sign -
Blessed is only the one who has accepted the spirit of humility ...