Tackling the Taboo

Do you or a loved one suffer from anxiety, depression, or other mental health concerns as a Christian? You are not alone.

Over 50 million Americans – including Christians – struggle with mental illness. Many struggle in silence, but it does not have to be that way. While some espouse the belief that Christians should not have anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues, that simply is not reality. Having mental health concerns is not the result of a lackluster relationship with God. Nor is it a gauge of one’s spirituality. Being sick mentally is more akin to having a physical ailment that we need to learn to understand and treat, if possible.

-Consider myths surrounding mental health concerns and their truthfulness;

-Study biblical characters who likely dealt with mental health issues;

-Learn from the author’s own experiences with mental illness;

-Use different resources to cope with depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns;

-Develop a suicide safety plan and make a commitment to live; and,

-Have open dialogue with your family and friends about depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.

This book delivers vivid connections between the author’s life experiences — providing details about her struggles — and the Scriptures that give us hope as we navigate mental health issues. After reading this book, you will be better equipped to handle mental health concerns for yourself and those you love and better understand how Christians can cope with mental illness.

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Being affected by mental health issues, Terica uses her own experiences to help others afflicted with mental health concerns. She is a firm believer that the topic of mental health does not need to be avoided, and she advocates to remove the stigma surrounding mental health.

It’s Not Failure

I remember when I went to see a psychiatrist when I was 9 years old. I had been taken away from my mother and placed with my grandparents for a few months because of my mom’s alcoholism.

I remember being so fascinated by the tranquility of the office, the music was soothing, the office was peaceful and the psychiatrist was really nice and a great listener. Even though I don’t remember much else about those sessions I knew that is what I wanted to do when I became an adult. Help people work through their problems. Help them understand their childhood and their behavior and put them on the path to recovery.

The 1st time I went to school to pursue my degree I obtained a 3.5 gpa. But, I had to quit because I had no one to watch my children while my husband worked. The 2nd time I tried to go was after I got sick and the stress of it all sent me into mania/psychosis. Then I realized I couldn’t process math beyond algebra so I couldn’t get the needed math credits for the degree.

Talk about devastated 💔 my heart shattered because that’s all I ever wanted to be. I find it ironic that the very thing I thought was my professional calling is the very thing I struggle with daily = the brain.

It took me years to stop beating myself up about it. It took me even longer to accept the reality that God had other plans for my life. Some days are still tough and its hard to understand God’s plan.

But, ITS NOT FAILURE!!!! Sometimes, we just need to accept that God had a different plan for our lives and move forward knowing that one day we will walk in our calling and purpose. That everyone has one and we are all unique. You may not be in the profession you dreamed of. Your life may not have turned out the way you mapped it out. But, that does not make you a failure. Accepting the things we cannot change is a HUGE part of our recovery!!!!

So don’t beat yourself up about your failures and disappointments. Know that you are still talented, loved, ambitious etc. Don’t fret. Your breakthrough is coming!! 👍

Bipolar Gratitude

Hello readers. I pray you all are well and blessed! I’ve been taking it one day at a time. But, I’ve been experiencing a lot of unnecessary anxiety over minor things. My online church gave me the idea to create a daily focus word to keep us more grounded and I’ve been hearing the word: gratitude.

So what is gratitude? Gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. I think sometimes we are so focused on how big our problem is and we often feel like we are alone in the fight. Especially, mentally.

Gratitude can take us a long way. If we didn’t have the bad times how would we know how to appreciate the good? We should be grateful to God that we get to experience life on his terms no matter how painful. Gratitude helps us grow. It helps us to stay grounded and be thankful for everything we have. If we make a gratitude list, I wonder how long it would be? I bet we would discover things about our life we never knew we took for granted. We would discover that God is always in the midst of our situation and in the little things.

There is always something to be thankful for. Anyway, just sharing some late night thoughts! Have a blessed weekend.

May = Mental Health Month

New month. New beginnings. May is our month dedicated to breaking the stigma and raising awareness about mental illness. People all over the world create new ways to reach others and have impact.

This coming Saturday, I will be going to my 1st NAMI meeting. I’ve been putting it off for some years now. But, I realize I need community outside of my immediate family. There is also DBSA, which stands for Depression Bipolar Support Alliance.

So, this month, make sure you reach out if/when you are struggling. These organizations provide online and in person support groups as well as tons of education on the subject. Remember you are not alone!