God Cares about your Mental Health, do you?
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 John 2, NIV
Mental Health is and still remains a shrouded topic in today’s society. If you tell someone you are seeing a psychiatrist or going for counseling (or seeing a psychologist), the person might raise an internal eyebrow. Hmm…why are you seeing someone who cares for crazy people. We forget that mental health is a very broad spectrum. From low-end anxiety to downright schizophrenia, we need to start paying attention to our minds.
The Bible Perspective: Understanding the Impact of Stress and Anxiety
Jesus knew what stress and anxiety could do to the body, so he warned us to “take no thought” for anything (Mathew 6:25). Paul commended the church in Philippi to be “anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:6).
John the apostle, in his third letter, prayed not only for his reader’s physical health but his mental health as well. Without a doubt, the quality of our mental health is important to God. He is not just the God who heals our bodies, He also heals our minds. He heals our spirit as well. He is the God of the total man.
Understanding the Link Between Mind and Body
According to the American Institute of Stress, stress has been connected to numerous emotional and physical disorders. These include depression, anxiety, heart attacks, stroke, hypertension, and weakened immune system disturbances leading to increased susceptibility to infections. Stress is also a host of viral-linked disorders ranging from the common cold, herpes to AIDS and certain cancers, as well as autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. In addition, stress can have direct effects on the skin (rashes, hives, atopic dermatitis, the gastrointestinal system (GERD, peptic ulcer, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis) and can contribute to insomnia and degenerative neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease.
Stress and Anxiety are silent killers. We tend to overlook these low indicators of mental illness. Make a commitment today to nip your stress triggers. What is making you anxious? Remember, worrying or stressing does not add anything positive to your life. It won’t make you taller or increase your bank account.
Embracing a life of wholesome
I used to be the queen of stress. I stressed about my kids, I stressed about the house not being cleaned, I worried about what others thought of me, and I worried I would not measure up to certain unholy standards that others had of me (including the ones I had of myself). Then I had cancer.
With all the rigor that went with the treatment, I did not need anyone to tell me I had to ditch the stress triggers. Today I live by the mantra “Life is too short to be stressed”.
Cast your worries and cares on God today. Let Him handle the stress.