What is anguish? Anguish is often referred to as an emotional distress and can encompass a number of different emotions, such as trauma, grief, sorrow, fear, and anxiety. Anguish is one of the most painful emotions that can be felt by humans.
When the Amalekites raided David's camp at Ziklag, burned it, and took the women and children as captives, David was in deep (anguish) distress (1 Samuel 30). Hannah knows all about anguish. She wept and would not eat when they were making their annual trip to Shiloh, because she was deeply distressed (anguish) and she prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly (1 Samuel 1:7-10). Before Jesus' arrest, He went to Gethsemane to pray. In this moment we see Jesus in great emotional distress, "He took Peter and Zebedee's two sons, James and John, and He became anguished and distressed. He told them, 'My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me'" (Matthew 26:37-38).
The feeling of suffering from anguish is typically preceded by a tragedy or some kind of event that have a profound impact on that person. It is one of those feelings that hurts so deeply that there are no words to describe it. Someone may experience anguish through the loss of a loved one, divorce, or the termination of a long term relationship.
Anguish delivers an immense emotional complexity, and that is why so many people have difficulty coping with it. Anguish has the potential to change you. It can affect your motivation and attitude. How? One of the areas that mental anguish attacks is the brain. That heartbreak pain doesn't originate from the head, but from the brain. The brain is being attacked.
When I lost my husband, I was in severe pain and his loss affected me mentally and physically. The grief wrecked havoc on my well-being. I cannot begin to explain the pain, emptiness, and loss of someone that I LOVED, and had been with all of my adult life. His death was an extreme traumatic event in my life, and my anguish has lasted a very long time. I felt like someone had "stabbed me in the heart." I felt that I was dying on the inside.
My grief still remains, but not so intense. The wound is still there, but it is no longer so raw. This pain may never go away. I cannot disown my grief. I own it. All of it. We loved each other very hard, so my grief should be hard. He was worth my loving him; therefore, he is worth me grieving over him. This is my testimony of my love for him and his worth to me.
Mental anguish usually leads to depression. When you are depressed, you lose the desire to do anything or most things. If your depression is prolonged and left untreated, it could spiral out of control and result in a variety of many different problems. I know someone who lost their loved one, that person was so depressed that they were unable to work. Since they couldn't work, they lost their job, which affected their livelihood. They couldn't pay their mortgage nor any bills, which brought about more problems. Those problems kept stacking up on top of each other, which intensified her anguish.
Anguish affects your attitude. Even the most positive person's attitude can shift when followed by a tragedy. Sometimes, people will blame themselves for the tragedy. They will push other people away. Most of the time they want to be alone, because they don't desire any kind of social interaction.
If you or anyone you know is suffering from some type of mental anguish, please get some help. Believe me, you are not alone. Also know that the Bible addresses every type of issue that we will face in life, including anguish. The Bible helps us understand our emotions and how to express our emotions. The Bible is a very powerful tool, and we can use it to help navigate our pain and suffering. The Bible tells us that Christ is our hope in life and death. The Bible is the created spoken Word from God for our hearing and healing. We can take all of our problems to God through Jesus Christ. God knows everything about us and He knows when we are facing difficult times. Only God can give you the perfect guidance, comfort, and peace when you are heavy hearted. Whatever you are facing, take that situation to God. Nothing is too big for Him, be it a financial burden, a relationship problem, pain and suffering, joblessness, rejection, or grief. Give it to God.
Only God can help you in your times of anguish. He can help you find strength. He can help you press forward. He can help you when you are confused, sad, or lonely. He knows that your emotions drains your strength, leaving you numb and at times feeling hopeless. He knows how those tears well up out of nowhere and at unexpected times. He knows that every time that you think that you are in control, you lose control. He knows that there are times when the pain becomes so intense that you don't have words to explain it. He knows that you can not dismiss the pain, no matter how hard you try.
God is right there with outstretched arms. Fall into His arms, and there He will grant you a peace of mind, and a calming for your heart. Even Jesus cried out in deep anguish while on the cross to the Father, and Jesus expects us to cry out to Him. He is always available to us, listening to us, and is ready for us to cry out our sadness and heartbreaks.