Sometimes I wonder if my readers get sick of hearing about mental health from me.
I'm focusing on it again because October 7-13 is Mental Health Awareness Week.
I hope you'll stick with me for a few minutes and think about this important topic.
Even if you have never been diagnosed with a mental illness, your mental health is worth contemplating.
When our brains are functioning well, our mental health is good and life is manageable and satisfying. When we have problems in the ways our brains function, life can rapidly deteriorate into something overwhelming and hopeless.
So it's good for all of us to think about mental health this week.
If you have good mental health, thank the Lord for that.
If you are struggling, ask for help. You don't have to go for years and years feeling bad and missing out on the happiness that's possible.
If you love or know someone with a mental health challenge, try to be supportive and understanding. Learn all you can about their illness and don't expect them to just "snap out of it." But you can't let them wallow in their illness, either. It's tough to find that balance, but you need to do it.
If all of us work on having good mental health and get more comfortable talking about it, the world can be a better place.
People will be more aware of how their brains function and they'll take steps to get healthy as soon as they notice any movement toward a downward spiral.
People won't hide their feelings and stubbornly keep their "happy masks" on. They'll drop their guard and get support when they need it.
People won't ignore the symptoms they see in a friend or loved one's life. They'll ask questions and help get that person back to a healthier place.
Thanks for reading, everyone, and I pray that all of you do all that you can to enjoy good mental health.
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27 NIV)
Do you struggle with a mental health diagnosis? Do you know someone who does? How can focusing on God help you (or that person) get to a healthy place again?
I have loved ones and friends who struggle. Some of us have mental health problems that have not been diagnosed but affect the quality of our lives (and others). God's Word is truth, truth corrects faulty thinking, and we need to speak it into each other's lives. THANK YOU for talking/writing about this important topic in an open and honest way.
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