Mental health. We hear about it. We sometimes witness distressing manifestations of ill mental health. We sometimes joke about the state of another person’s mental health if they do something strange. But what is it? A google definition of mental health is ‘a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being.’
Sometimes in the body of Christ we treat mental health issues as taboo. One must be of sound mind else they have done something wrong, they are being punished, they are backsliding or possessed. One must be joyful always else they are going to make God angry, they will be told to ‘get over it’ or the generic ‘pray about it’ (prayer works and I will get back to this point later on). We must speak the word of God in every situation because it is life giving and true but we must do so in a constructive way, the way of love. People who have broken a leg or have some sort of physical problem are given ample support and helpful advice on where to go and so on but where is this support for those who are battling ill-health mentally?
We all know that ‘the joy of the Lord is our strength’ but what of the person that is struggling with depression? How do we sympathise and listen/talk to this person and let them know they aren’t the exception to the rule? We all know that ‘we have not been given a spirit of timidity but of power and self-control’ but what of the person who has a social anxiety disorder or struggles with addiction. Do we judge them/our own self harshly because we/they fall short of this?
Many have felt (ourselves included perhaps) ashamed, unworthy and so much more because of a struggle with mental health. Personally I have not seen or heard much being put in place within the church and by the church for people who may have a mental illness (this is not to tak away from the churches that are doing amazing work in regards to this). The church counsellor may only be able to do so much, a person may require professional help or they may not but one thing any of us ever need if we ever have any mental issues is support. People often feel they must put on a brave face in church and around the people of God, ‘nobody needs to know, I’m okay’ we can’t do everything on our own. It is also the job of the church to be their brother’s keeper. Communication, keeping an eye, ear and heart out, PRAYER, all these things are important, we don’t know what someone is going through but by being alert God can use us to perhaps speak a word in season, point a person in the direction of help and so on.
I personally (in retrospect) have had some struggles with mental health. When I was younger until my early/late teens I struggled with agoraphobia and anxiety. I felt like I had done something wrong. ‘Why am I not confident like everyone else, why am I afraid to go out, why is it just me, why am I always so scared’ these were some of the questions I would ask myself. I became an introvert by battle not by choice. I give God the glory, I’m still not excellent in social settings with lots of people, I still over-worry from time to time but I have come a long way, it is no longer what controls my every move by His grace. I still have a way to go but thank God.
The bible tells us that in this life we will have many troubles. These troubles are not limited to the generic; money, heartbreak, temptation etc it includes our minds too. This same passage tells us to take heart because Christ has conquered the world. We ourselves are more than conquerors. What I am trying to say is, sorrow may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning. If you or someone you know is struggling to maintain mental health, keep your eyes on the cross! Christ has conquered, keep the faith for yourself or on behalf of someone. Pray for and with those that are struggling (the prayer of the righteous availeth much), do research and point them in the right direction if necessary, be there for them even when it gets hard (from experience it does get hard and it does get tiring). If you are struggling, don’t beat yourself up, don’t be afraid to ask for help from God (my help cometh from the Lord) and from those around you in the body of Christ, professionals or your own family.
I am not a psychologist and I have no qualifications bar a psychology degree and life experience to talk about this in more depth but I am so passionate about mental health. It is important that mental health is maintained. We can do this through exercise, eating right, having a good support network, keeping busy but not overworking, trying new positive experiences, listening to uplifting music, being honest with ourselves about how we feel and so much more. I am not saying that all of these things are sure fire ways of keeping our mental health on point but they can help Keep the faith, the testing of our faith produces endurance. Faith without works is dead ho.wever so be there for people and let people be there for you.
Some hopefully helpful sites:
http://www.rethink.org/
http://www.mind.org.uk/