Philippians 1:1-11
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God every time I remember you, 4 constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5 because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10 to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Mental Health Matters
In the upcoming weeks, we will be talking about different topics of mental health. Before we can really dive into this, it is important to understand what mental health is, why talking about it is important for our community, and why it is important for you.
What is Mental Health?
Mental health is a state of well-being that encompasses the emotional, psychological, and social aspects of our lives — it impacts the way you think, feel, and act. If you have a positive mental health, you are able to realize your own potential, work productively, manage the routine stresses of life, have healthy relationships, and make contributions to your community. When your mental health causes significant functional impairment in your day to day life, over a longer period of time, it becomes a mental illness or a mental health disorder.
Why is Mental Health important to talk about?
Mental health is a critical part of a person’s overall health, yet it is often a hushed topic of discussion — if it’s even discussed at all. The stigma surrounding mental illness is ever present in our society when mental illness is actually quite common and there is treatment to help with recovery. The stigma often prevents people from seeking treatment, which can isolate someone even more and worsen their conditions. Talking about mental health helps improve our community by making it more acceptable for those struggling with mental illness to seek help, learn to cope, and get on the road to recovery.
Why is this important for me?
Mental health isn’t just about mental illness. With the current state of our world right now — with the pandemic and other events across the country — it has been difficult for many to maintain their own mental health because so many things feel out of our control right now. It is common to feel less productive than you want to be. It is common to feel overwhelmed with information and not know to how to process it. It is common to feel more exhausted at the end of the day. It is common to feel stress, grief, depression, and anxiety. It is common — this is why it is so important to talk about it! Regardless of the severity, you can find healthy ways to cope with the things that are negatively impacting your mental health, including speaking with a mental health professional when you need it.
As we continue in the upcoming weeks, we are going to talk more in depth about stress, grief, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse and how each of these affects the different aspects of our lives, how to recognize when you are going from “normal” levels to more severe levels, ways to manage your symptoms, and resources you can use to seek further help.
Your mental health matters and you are not alone.
~ Lauren McMullin, LSCSW