Mental Health Meets Faith
One thing I have learned from my clinical therapy experience is that the phones tend to ring as the cold weather settles in and the rush of the holiday season commences. There is something about this season, though wonderful, that can usher in feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety and amplify already tense relational and familial circumstances.
Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel. (Isa. 7:14) It’s the most wonderful time of the year. And yet somewhere amid all the Holiday bustle, the gift wrapping and last-minute Christmas shopping, it can be easy to get so wrapped up in the chaos that we forget to truly celebrate the things worth cherishing in our lives. In the mental health […]
To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair (Isa. 61:3) Beauty, joy, praise…. would you say these words describe some of the core ingredients of your life, as it stands today? I can recall long seasons of my life where I felt these words were far from me. There have been times in my life that […]
I have just returned from a much-needed vacation with my husband. Some breaks feel like a luxury and are nice to have. Others are badly needed. This break belonged in the second category for me. This season finds me in the last year of my grad program, the first semester of an off-site internship, and various other responsibilities and opportunities. It’s a truly good season, albeit a busy and stressful one. In this season, I am learning about my limitations. I […]
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. (Isa 61:1) Jesus read these words in a synagogue on the Sabbath in his hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:18-19). According to the scripture, He read these words not long after he was […]
Where are all my readers at out there? I was always the kid who loved to read and would choose a good book any day over riding bikes or kicking a ball. And while I have less time for reading these days, with the demands of work, studying and just general life, I still try to find time to read whenever I get a chance. For all my book lovers out there, here are some […]
In this post, I wanted to share with you some resources I have found to be incredibly useful for trying times, tough seasons, personal growth, healing in the midst of anxiety and depression, and for simply making everyday life more beautiful, rewarding and fulfilling. Cleaning up the Mental Mess podcast by Dr. Caroline Leaf In my earliest stages of learning to cope with pervasive anxiety, this insightful podcast by Dr. Caroline Leaf provided me with […]
Hey party peoples! As I gear up to share more content with you from a Diary of a Hot Mess about mental health and faith, please take the time to check out this post from the Mental Health Grace Alliance called “4 Beacons of Growth after Trauma.” See you soon!
It’s the letting go I need to work on. Let go. Relax. Rest. Trust. Embrace. Be embraced. Let go of all that feels jumbled, messy, confusing, disorganized, consuming, And learn to really trust and believe that He holds it all. Trust Him that He writes and re-writes my story. Trust that I won’t be lost in the letting go. I will be found & free. Found & free in the letting go. Focus less on […]
Enjoying life, no matter what. I bought a pool pass last week. It was a big deal for me. After years of wishing I had a convenient place to go swimming during those lazy summer afternoons, I finally researched my options and did something about it. No more do I have to wish I had a place to go and swim. I can simply just go and swim. At this point in my life, I’m […]