Naming and taming anxiety and negative stress

Editor’s Note: The Dioceses of Boise, Baker and Spokane are sponsoring this online Anxiety and Stress Management workshop with Catholic therapist Jim Otremba. The following is an interview with Janica Hardin from Boise, Idaho, who took the course last year. This is her testimony about her experience with the online Zoom course.

By Janica Hardin

For the ICR

Tell our readers about your life journey. What brought you to take the Stress and Anxiety Course with Jim Otremba?

As a certified Wholistic Nutrition Health and Life Coach, I am always looking for new resources, especially Gospel- and Catholic-based, to further my own health and well-being and to add to my knowledge and resources in helping others live their best life.

There are a lot of things going on in the world religiously, politically, militarily, technologically and philosophically; and things are changing at a fast pace, so journeying through anxiety and negative stressors is ever-present for many of us.

Part of my prayer life in the most recent years has included bringing anxiety about what is happening around me, and in the world, and negative stresses to the foot of Jesus’ cross. In doing this I am also asking for His Peace, His guidance to walk the human experience, and how to best process these anxieties and negative stresses to ultimately be a conduit of Jesus’ light and love in the world.

When I saw the Anxiety and Negative Stress course with Jim Otremba in my local church bulletin, saw that it was online in the evenings and the schedule worked for me, I signed up.

What was your biggest takeaway from the course?

I prefer face-to-face classes, especially to build needed faith community … (and) was a bit apprehensive about how I would like the online format. Jim Otremba’s online style is very present and engaging. He makes a point to engage individuals and is attuned to the chat comments and online reactions, which makes it feel more in-person. Others in the class also turned their cameras on, so I appreciated the courage from each person.

Jim covers several things that I work with my own clients on, so much of the information was not new to me, but (his) perspective is a refreshing spin from what one will encounter in college or certification classes, health magazines, and online forums. Jim imbues important health and well-being concepts with a refreshing Catholic essence.

Jim … breaks down the definition of “anxious” from Greek word roots that mean “to be divided or pulled apart.” He then guides the class through how to rewire a response “to engage in prayerful choice intentionally allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our individual response.” My response can be reactive and divided or proactive and prayerful guided by the Holy Spirit.

Jim takes a common concept of self-talk, paying attention to how I am speaking to myself, and adds a very Catholic spin to recognizing and reshaping negative self-talk with what he refers to as the Four 4 Rs to Ensure Gospel-Based Self Talk. Each time I catch myself in a negative thought, I can reshape the thought to a Gospel-based truth.

Two other buzz words in health and well-being are “mindfulness” and “meditation.” Mindfulness from a secular perspective says to be open and present to all around me, but this can be dangerous unless I am discerning and particular about what I am open and present to. Not everything around me is safe, what God intended for me or Gospel truth and light.

Jim emphasizes that he does not practice mindfulness, but what he calls Catholic Clinical Meditation. Jim highlights that there is a more Catholic- and Gospel-centered way to approach meditation. Psalm 1 even encourages us to meditate, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked…but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” I appreciated reflecting on the difference between secular mindfulness and Catholic Clinical Meditation

How has your life changed since you took the course?

I continue to use the Four Rs and Catholic Clinical Meditation, as well as other tools I learned in this course. These practices help me channel my anxiety and negative stress, which can unconsciously cause me to look away or turn away from Jesus, to instead remember my response needs to be unified and intentional, that it is an active choice to turn towards Jesus, His Peace, the Bible and prayer.

Sometimes anxiety and negative stress can cause panic or desperation that influence my reactions to situations to feel desperate, clingy and grasping at something. But I have found the practices that I have learned in Jim Otremba’s course to help me respond with more intention, grounding, peace and calm.

Why would you recommend this course to our readers?

I would recommend the Anxiety and Negative Stress course with Jim Otremba to anyone that is looking to slow the pace down in life. As well as anyone looking to bring a Gospel focus into daily practices with simple and easy to implement tools that are Gospel- and Catholic-based. I only covered a few of the many gems in this course. If you feel drawn to this course, I would encourage you to follow through and sign up.

Zoom Dates

Dates: Oct. 24 & 31, Nov. 7 & 14, 2026

Time: 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., MST