Sydney:
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. People take part in this movement all across the world, coming together to bring more awareness to mental health. The goal is to fight the stigma that comes with mental health. This stigma can prevent people from accessing the help that they need. People need to be educated about the impacts of mental health an individual's life and the ways in which support can be reached.
Every single person has mental health. Mental health simply describes our social, emotional, and psychological well-being. It’s how we function as people, how we interact with those around us, and how we handle our emotions. Having mental health is not the same as having a mental illness. Not everyone has a mental illness, but everyone has mental health. Moreover, everyone experiences challenges within their mental health. These challenges can be caused by trauma, biological changes, family history, and any other changes in our lives. When our mental health is out of balance, we have to work to get it back. Often these unbalanced times are temporary, but when they become ongoing, they can take a toll on your well-being and quality of life.
Mental health is just as important as physical health. It is important that we remember to take care of our mental health, just like we do our physical health. When we take care of our physical health through things such as exercise and eating well, we are preventing a crisis. We can do the same for our mental health. You do not need to wait until you are dealing with mental health challenges to take care of your mental health.
How you take care of your mental health varies from person to person. We each have our own needs and relax differently. If you don’t know where to start, here are a few things that work for me:
Journaling: letting out your thoughts and feelings into a safe space always helps me process whatever is going on
Taking care of our physical health: mental and physical health are so connected. When we take care of our physical health, we are also improving our mental health
Staying in touch with friends: keeping in touch with your friends and family helps you to handle any stress in life
Take breaks: social media is great, but it can also take a toll on your mental health. Having regular breaks from your social media and maybe even your phone in general can be helpful for your mental health.
Therapy. This is a big one! Therapy is for everyone. You don’t need a mental illness to go to therapy, it’s available for anyone who is experiencing life challenges, mental health issues, or emotional difficulties. Find a therapist near you and call them or send them an email. The first step may be hard, but you’ve got this!
If you need help for your mental health, you can call these numbers for anonymous, safe, and professional help. If you are in immediate danger, please call 911.
Canada Suicide Prevention: 1-833-456-4566 (24/7)
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (24/7 for people aged 5-29)
Hope for Wellness Help Line: 1-855-242-3310 (available to all Indigenous people across Canada)
Wellness Together Canada: Call 1-866-585-0445 (Adults) or 1-888-668-6810 (Youth) OR text WELLNESS to 686868 for youth or 741741 for adults.
Ashlin:
DISCLAIMER: I want to start off my section of this blog post by saying that your mental health is real. If nobody else believes you, I do. I know it's not easy, but you are not alone. This post is not meant to be some kind of cure for your mental illness, but to share what the Bible says about it.
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." -Hebrews 4:15
Something that we so often forget is that Jesus knows what we're going through. Jesus was fully-human and fully-God. He was tempted and He suffered just as we do. He can sympathize with us through everything we go through. When we are going through something we think nobody else understands, we can look to Jesus and know that we are not alone. He is our high priest who is able to sympathize with us.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." -Matthew 11:28
Jesus invites us to go to Him. Sometimes we hear this verse, and we're not sure what it means exactly. How do we go to Him? Well, here are a few ways we, can go to Jesus: 1. Reading His word. Reading and studying our Bible is essential to knowing God more. The Bible is filled with so many truths about who God is. We read that He is good, He is faithful, His love is unfailing, and so much more. When we read His living word, we have a better understanding of who He is and we learn that we are not alone, although at times it may feel like it. 2. Prayer. When we feel anxious or like our mental health is failing, our first reaction should be to go to God. Often times, our first reaction is not to go to God. But when we are overwhelmed, we need to talk to Him and be completely honest about what we're going through and how we feel. God is our helper (Psalm 121:1-2) and our strength (Philippians 4:13). He has everything we need. 3. Community. Having a community of people who can help you through difficult times is extremely important. "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." -Matthew 18:20. We need community to get through this. I know it can be difficult to open up to others, but we need to-whether it's a trusted friend or a counsellor. If you know someone who is struggling with their mental health, doing little things like sending a hand written note of encouragement or bringing them a coffee can help them know that you are there for them. When we feel overwhelmed by our mental illness, our first reaction must be to go to God.
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." -1 Peter 5:6-7
He cares for you and loves you. In 1 Peter 5:6-7, it says to humble ourselves by casting our anxieties on Him. We, as humans, are not enough and we can't do this alone. Casting our anxieties on Him humbles us because it shows that we know and understand that we can't do this alone, but we need God's help. He is our helper (Psalm 121:1-2) and is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians12:9.) Humbling ourselves looks like surrendering to God because He is enough for us.
"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God," -2 Timothy 1:8
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”" - John 16:33
A while back, I believe it was in March I wrote a blog post called: Asking for a friend - why do we suffer? If you haven't read that, I encourage you to go check it out as it's a more in-depth post about why we suffer. When I first became a Christian-and before I became a Christian-I thought Christians didn't suffer. A lot of what I heard was that you don't deserve to suffer or you won't suffer. A lot of people ask "If God is good, then why are there bad things in this world?" But I think it's important to point out and understand that we will suffer. We were never promised a life without suffering, but we share in Christ's sufferings for the glory of God. Keeping all that in mind, we are not alone in our suffering and through it we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
It can become an instinct to put a smile on our face and act fine even when we're not. I've personally done this more than just a few times. We feel the need to act fine because we don't want to burden others with our problems. We feel the need to act fine becasue it's difficult to open up to others. We feel the need to act fine because we're scared no one will believe us. We need to stop putting a smile on our face and saying "I'm fine" when we're not. Our first reaction when we're overwhelmed by our mental illness should be to look to Jesus: whether that's through reading His word, praying, or reaching out for help. We can't do this alone. Remember that YOU. ARE. LOVED.
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