In the last couple of weeks we’ve explored how we need to notice our mental health and how important it is to talk about it with friends, family members, and professionals.
Now it’s time to do the work.
It would be nice if we could just take a nap or watch a little TV as our brains heal, but the reality is that we also need to do some hard things to get to better emotional health.
It’s going to look different for each individual, but here are some things we could work on:
- Fight to counter any negative thinking with more positive thoughts. (2 Corinthians 10:5 says to “take every thought captive.”) Be realistic about the difficult aspects of life, but try to find ways to think about them that are more hopeful and productive.
- Be sure to take prescribed medications on time, making sure not to skip any doses.
- Attend a support group where we can talk to others who know what it’s like to have a mental illness. (Fresh Hope is a peer-led group with online resources at freshhope.us.)
- Talk to a therapist and learn skills for dealing with stress and anxiety in healthy ways. Work on any homework the counselor gives us so we can apply the skills and maintain good mental health.
- Don’t isolate. We need to reach out if our symptoms are getting worse. The sooner we can stop that downward spiral, the better off we’ll be.
- Never give up hope! This will be harder some days than others, but we need to remember that our emotions ebb and flow. We can hold on until the dark times pass.
Living with a mental illness like anxiety or depression means we have to work harder at regulating our emotions than other people.
With practice and perseverance, it can get easier. It’s worth every ounce of effort we give it.
Keep working.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)
Do you find it hard to take actions as you deal with a mental illness? How can focusing on God help you keep working and get more healthy?