How's your Mental?

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By Oseyi Omokhoa 


Everyone struggles with their mental health at one point or another, and I’m not talking about diagnosable mental health exclusively. It may be something as seemingly little as intrusive thoughts, paranoia, acute anxiety or seasonal affective disorder (SAD). A lot of the time we want to come off as the ‘perfect’ Christian whose life is only full of testimonies and blessings. But it’s important that we are also discussing the negative things in our lives. Talking about mental health is hard, it makes you vulnerable, but that vulnerability can really help you, as well as someone else.

A few weeks ago I saw the viral video of Kanye West having a mental breakdown at a political rally. From what I was able to gather the breakdown came from him talking about how he was almost aborted by his mother and how his daughter was almost aborted too. Most of the comments I saw were people saying that he is a grown man why is he so upset about this and etc. Being almost aborted and repeating that cycle is not a little issue. It can result in serious existential issues, extreme guilt and etc. And the idea that a ‘grown man’ shouldn’t be bothered by something as heavy as this really irked me.

I think often we Christians find it easy to be empathetic towards physical sickness but we brush off mental illness or we just tell them to have joy in the Lord. This comes from a good place most of the time but it isn’t always the best approach. We need to understand that illness is illness and the same way you will comfort and care for someone with a physical illness is the same way we should treat people with mental illnesses.

Here are some things that we can do to help those who are struggling with mental health

  •  Listen to their problems, if you don’t understand what they are going through, its going to be hard to help them
  • Pray for them, a little prayer can go a long way and we are called to intercede for others  
 Ephesians 6:18 “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”
  •  Pray with them, it is hard to pray when you are going through something so offer to join them in prayer; it doesn’t have to be long or in person, maybe just a quick prayer call.
  •  Visit them, obviously we are in the middle of a global pandemic so stay inside please, but if restrictions are lifted where you are, give them a visit, speak to them, worship with them, and just try to lift their spirits.
  •  Check up on them! A quick good morning text can make someone’s day, even  just sending them a bible verse out of the blue
  •  Invite them to places, corona aside, a lot of places are opening back up and a lot of Christian events are being arranged in the coming weeks. Being in a gathering of likeminded people can really help if you feel like lockdown has burdened your mental state.
  •  Offer them some advice, if they ask for it; don’t give your 2p when the piggybank is already full!
  •  LOVE THEM. This really encompasses all my previous points so let me give you a verse;
  John 15:17 "This is my command: Love each other.”


Now you may be wondering what I can do to help my mental health. I also have a list for you

  • Realise that you cannot do it alone, 2 Corinthians 12:9 says
  • “Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”
  • Pray about it!
  •  Focus on the Scripture: *Disclaimer; don’t use Bible verses as a plaster over your pain. The scripture is a very powerful tool. However, quoting a bible verse when you are struggling with mental health  isn’t going to do much for you in the long run. Yes you will get over that episode but you may have more. What you need to do is find the root of your mental illness and work on it from there.
  • Talk to mature Christians
  • Seek Christian counselling
  • Write out a list of affirmations from the Bible that are specific to you. (After dealing with the root of the problem!)



Just some final tips;

Don’t let joyful facts invalidate your emotions e.g.

-          You have a house, a good job, a good education etc. why are you depressed

-          You are beautiful, why do you have body dysmorphia

-          You are a Child if God why are you anxious

-         You are too young to be stressed, what do you have to be stressed about

Your feelings are 100% valid and while you should take joy in all the things God has blessed you with, it doesn’t mean that you are wrong for feeling anxious, stressed, depressed and etc.


I hope this post helped someone, and after reading this I want all of us to check up on the people that we love, this pandemic has not been easy on any of us. So reach out, make plans; schedule a zoom call. God bless you abundantly <3


**This post is a reflection of everything I have learnt about mental health from personal experiences and educating myself. Please do what is best for YOUR mental health and take all my advise with a pinch of salt!

A link to a list of Biblical affirmations! 

https://lightinthedarkn.blogspot.com/2020/08/biblical-affirmations-for-mental-health.html

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