Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos: Hannah's Despondency

Hannah [the mother of the prophet Samuel, 1 Kings 1:7] did not want a child in order to satisfy her selfishness, but to dedicate it to God. As St. John Chrysostom again comments, Hannah did not simply long for a child, "but to offer up fruit to God". She did not even want a child to satisfy [her husband] Elkanah and to attract his attention, "but so that she might display some fruit for God". It is obvious here that her purpose was holy. Her aim was the glory of God.
The conclusion for all this is that Hannah's sorrow and grief were not psychologically unhealthy but purely theological. For that reason they were blessed by God, because the intention behind what we do plays and important role and has great significance. If we weep and are distressed on account of our passions, particularly on account of pride and self-centeredness, that is not blessed by God. Not only, is it not blessed, but it has terrible consequences for our psychosomatic constitution. Dealing in an unhealthy way with various problems that arise in our life wears out out body and deadens our soul, because when there is bitterness in us, the All-Holy Spirit cannot act. It is a fact that, when we are embittered for psychological reasons, the Holy Spirit is unable to act and consequently spiritual life cannot develop within us.
+Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos, from The Seer: The Life of the Prophet Samuel and its Relevance Today, Chapter 1, God, Hannah and Elkanah. Hannah's despondency.