I’ve been asked to do a video on good mental health habits; and I’d love to get your wisdom. Here’s some of mine; Talk it out – don’t bottle it up. Expressing feelings can be a big struggle for lots of us with MH issues. Sometimes it’s a trigger, (you feel bad, but don’t know why; you don’t have anyone to talk to; you learned that negative emotions are ‘bad’, so you look to other ways to ‘speak’ such as …Read More
Part 2 of Sharon’s wonderful guest post. (Read part 1 here) The Church and Severe Mental Illness When Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, he referred to it as the ‘body of Christ’, which had ‘many parts’ (1 Corinthians 12:27,12). He emphasised that every part – or person – in the church body was important: “On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honourable …Read More
I’m hugely grateful to Sharon Hastings for this brilliant 2-part guest post on severe mental illness. Sharon graduated as a medical doctor before becoming ill with schizoaffective disorder but has found therapy in writing and is working on a book about her experience of finding God’s peace in psychosis. She lives in Northern Ireland with her husband Rob and two golden retrievers. In today’s post Sharon looks at severe mental illness…and in part 2, she considers how as churches, we …Read More
Having faith’ doesn’t mean going it alone. Yes, you need prayer, community and the bible. But you can also use medication, counselling and therapy. If we can use doctors for our bodies, we can use doctors for our brains. When Saul was stressed, David played him soothing music. When Elijah was close to breakdown, God told him to sleep and eat. So let’s not be ashamed of using the resources we have been given. It’s not true that if …Read More
“I hate myself.” “I have no hope. I have no future.” “I’m so ashamed.” “I don’t belong in church.” “Why did He make me like this?” “I have/have had problems with my mental health.” “I feel my weakness.” “I don’t quite fit.” “I believe the gospel but I don’t feel it.” “I’m afraid.” If you feel these things, then know that Jesus is for you. You are not beyond the pale, or outside of the camp. In your weakness …Read More
A friend who lives overseas and has had mental health (MH) issues, is applying for a job. She’s filled in most of the application, but there’s one box still to complete: ‘Do you have, or have you had any MH conditions?’ She writes about her concerns: “I wonder, where does this leave me? Potentially not telling the full truth and being seen as dishonest if I’m ever found out, or telling the truth and never being considered ever, owing to …Read More
Joint post from me and G: Ever struggled with an issue and thought, I need some expert advice? Someone non-judgemental, a counsellor who’s available 24/7…? Good news – with a Woebot, you can. It’s a robot therapist that uses CBT to give (scripted) answers to users. And remarkably, it seems to work. In the first study of its kind, regular users report feeling much less anxious and depressed. Research also suggests that folks who know they’re ‘talking’ with a robot open …Read More
I have a loving Father who promises to keep me to the end; a Spirit who helps me in my pain; a Saviour who loves me to death; and leads me step by step. Therefore what I do now matters. I am here for a purpose. It’s not just that Jesus saves me at the beginning. Every single day of our Christian life, whether that’s five days or fifty years, He’s the same. Every day He carries me; every day He …Read More
I can’t change or control the world around me. But through Christ, I have a choice about how I respond when things are hard. I can choose to remind myself who I am in Him; or I can choose to try to manage life myself. I live in a broken world and I am broken. Doing the ‘right thing’ doesn’t make the bad things stop. Ordering things on the outside – my body, my house, my diary, my finances – …Read More
Heading off to uni or 6th form college and have struggles with mental health? Here are some things to consider: 1. Do it because you want to. You don’t have to go at all and if you don’t fancy it, there are hundreds of other options. 2. Go at your own pace. This may mean that you take a few years out beforehand to deal with medical or personal issues. Think about how close you want to be to home. …Read More
