It’s been said there is no health without mental health. Your mental health is very important to your life. However, it is one of the areas many people take for granted and it is telling on many of us. As we journey through life, we as God’s people must take care of our mental health, God’s way.
Everyone has mental health, but not everyone has mental illness. Just as everyone has physical health everyone is sick. Just earlier today, I was listening to the news about many employees working in the justice department who are struggling with their mental health. I believe the struggle did not begin in a day but it is an accumulation of things ranging from poor working conditions to sometimes difficult managers/supervisors and co-workers. Everything we do can take a toll of our well being especially our mental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as “a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.”
We can see from this definition, that mental health is a state of well-being. It is not a destination but a state. A state means the particular condition that someone or something is in at a specific time. This means mental health can fluctuate from time to time because of different things we face. We sometimes pass through good times and hard times. We sometimes get discouraged and disappointed. We can sometimes be weighed down by loads of care. Life can take toll on our mental health. That means when we are faced with difficult challenges, we must learn to take it with grace and rely on God to carry us through.
The promise we have is that God will not allow us to be tempted more than we can bear to the extent that we will be overwhelmed by the challenges that we face (1Cor 10: 13). The goal is to continue to foster that state of well being regardless of everything we face. The reality is that we will encounter hicks-up on the way but God has made us overcomers and He said we are more than conquerors.
For the next few weeks, I will taking a look at the definition of mental health and provide us with some suggestions of things we can put in place right away to make sure that we are maintaining that state.
Build Capacity: Capacity is about what your ability and what you can bear per time. Some of us don’t think much of ourselves. We don’t know what makes us thick. We must learn to give credit to ourselves more than we have been doing. We don’t know what we are able to do or accomplish. We struggle to believe that God is at work in us and that His strength is available to us. He is the one who girds us with strengths. Building capacity means that we can do all things through the strength that Christ supplies. So, to maintain the state of well being, you need to continue to build your capacity through reading, praying, learning and serving others.
Build resilience: Resilience is the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties. It is the ability to bounce back when life hits us. As God’s people who are filled with the Holy Spirit, we have it in us to bounce back and rise again. No matter how many times we fall, there is that grace infused in us to rise again. The resurrection life of Jesus is inside us to come alive again. Remember, we live daily by His faith and since nothing is strong enough to keep Him down or overwhelm Him, nothing is strong enough to keep us down as well.
Embrace self-compassion and be kind to yourself: Frankly speaking, some of us are not nice to ourselves. We don’t treat ourselves well. We treat ourselves as nonentities and nobodies. We don’t believe in ourselves and we are not compassionate towards ourselves. Our God is compassionate and since we are made in His image and likeness, we too need to extend the same kindness to ourselves. Being self-compassionate says that you don’t belittle yourself, you don’t think evil of yourself, you don’t see yourself as a doormat, you don’t talk trash about yourself, and you don’t allow anyone to do that too you as well. Instead, you are gentle with yourself as with a friend that you love, cherish, and care for.
Forgive yourself: Mistakes are part of the learning curve. It means you are at least trying something you didn’t know before or navigating a new territory. You will make mistakes but you don’t allow them to define you. You need to learn to let go of whatever is making you to be hard on yourself unnecessarily. If you don’t learn to forgive yourself, you will get stuck and stay stuck.
Take time out to rest as needed: Rest is needed for your mental health to be optimal. You need to take the time to rest your mind as well. Rest your body. Sleep on time and well.
Being self-compassionate says that you don’t belittle yourself, you don’t think evil of yourself, you don’t see yourself as a doormat, you don’t talk trash about yourself, and you don’t allow anyone to do that too you as well. Instead, you are gentle with yourself as with a friend that you love, cherish, and care for.
Surround yourself with the right people: The people you move with can determine what you believe about yourself. You must learn to surround yourself with positive people. People who are fun to be with and who will make you smile and laugh and who will help you not to take yourself seriously when you are trying to be hard on yourself unjustifiably. Not people who will flatter you but those who will tell you the truth, encourage you, and not put you down. People who understand you, kind to you and are willing to challenge you at the same time. Don’t associate with downers and gloomy people. Don’t mingle with those who are inconsistent. Having the right people around you will help you to deal with isolation and loneliness in a healthy way.
You must learn to surround yourself with positive people. People who are fun to be with and who will make you smile and laugh and who will help you not to take yourself seriously when you are trying to be hard on yourself unjustifiably.
Walk in your purpose: Your life is created to have meaning. Meaning comes as you walk in your purpose. Simply defined, purpose is your reason for being. It is why you exist in the first place. So, to maintain your mental health you must engage in meaningful activities. It can involve volunteering in your church or community. Reading about what is important to you. It may also mean that you are supporting the charity of your choice with your resources.
Don’t neglect your hobbies: Some of us have forgotten our hobbies in the pursuit of money. Hobbies are things you do for leisure that you enjoy. They bring your creativity out. You just feel free in your mind. When you are engaged in them, it is as if time is suspended. They can help you create diversion and outlet to release your stress. They can also help you to relax.
Thinking negatively, will prevent you from attracting healthy people.
Guard against negative thoughts: Constantly thinking about negatives can kill your morale. When you focus on what is negative in your mind, you will not be able to think right. You will be demoralized. Negative thinking will prevent positive affects. It will make you to always think of worst-case scenarios. Thinking negatively, will prevent you from attracting healthy people. Remember the saying: misery loves company. You must learn to challenge those negative thoughts and bring them to the obedience of Christ.
Eat well: It’s been said, you are what you eat. Some foods are not good for your mental well being because your body cannot break them down or digest them easily. They require more energy from your brain and they cause you to be tired unnecessarily. Your metabolism is crucial to your health. Eat fruits, drink lots of water and avoid caffeine or sugar-laden/energy drinks.
