Session 5: Mental Health and Christianity Part 2

In this episode, we conclude our talk on Mental Health and wellness with Christianity. Below are potential next steps you can take, or how you can help others take in their journey with mental health. 

Personal Next Steps:

·      Pray and Believe for God to Heal You

·      Be honest and vulnerable with your challenges and struggles to the Lord. Job did it (Book of Job). David did it (Book of Psalm). So did Jesus (Mathew 26:36-46 & Luke 22:39-46)

·      Seek a Christian Counselor

·      Normalize your personal situation 

·      Check in on yourself daily in 5 areas:

o   Sleep: How much sleep have you had?

o   Eat: What have you been eating?

o   Water: How much water have you drank? (You may be dehydrated)

o   Technology: How much screen time have you had on your computer and tv?

o   Workout: Have you gone out for a 10-minute walk?

·      Be patient with yourself. Wholeness and Deliverance isn’t always an event, more times than not, it’s a walk. 

·      Celebrate your small next steps. If you did something in healthy direction you hadn’t done before, that’s a Win!

Next Steps to Help Others:

·      Be Present and Available to Others

·      Your Relational Capital with people matters. Use it to love and comfort them.

·      Be willing to listen to people by fighting the need to respond.

·      Be a safe place for others. Affirm their challenge and pain (even if you disagree with it).

·      Ask Clarifying Questions such as:

o   I’m sorry you’re feeling that way. What else is on your mind?

o   How can I help you in this challenging time?

o   What can I do to serve you?

o   What do you need from me that I can do for you?

·      Pay attention to their tone, pitch and body language. 93% of what people communicate come from tone, pitch and body language. Which means only 7% has to do with their words. 

·      Know your limits. If someone else’s trauma triggers yours, give yourself permission to remove yourself from the situation or a conversation and gently guide them towards someone else. 

·      Don’t discount yourself and experience. Just because you didn’t go through their situation, doesn’t mean God can’t use you to help them for a moment or even a season. 

·      Encourage people to get a counselor. Help them find one through your local church or through the internet. 

·      Be patient with others. You don’t get to say when their grief is over, only they can. Let God heal them and let God use you to be a safe place to process their challenge. 

·      Celebrate your small next steps. If you did something in healthy direction you hadn’t done before, that’s a Win!

We hope you guys found this talk and information helpful and useful. If you enjoyed this episode, please share with a friend who you know would benefit from this. Also, give us a positive review, follow and subscribe so you know when a new episode drops and that you don’t miss a thing.