Mental health

[homwardbound]

To my knowledge mental health is impacted by a factor of MANY many things.

Your body chemistry and hormonal balances, which can be affected by the time of month or what you've eaten, how much sleep youre getting, your stress levels and lifestyle

This isnt even considering our natural temperment, stress response, or how we've been raised/ the lies we've gotten conditioned to believe through the enemy's deceptive commentary on real life tragedies.

Also it's worth noting that some of the struggles we face can be caused by our own sin, though this isnt always the case.

These are my views

I believe in the natural and spiritual

I say, thank you, God has got you in his love and mercy leading you, as you are willing, you see, whenever fighting it over any and all troubles, Father sits still and waits patiently. This truth over then I have learned as true, never leaving anyone or forsaking anyone as I have in past. I see to stand in dependence on Father in risen Son as I see you might too, everyone Wirth free choice to learn to not live like refugees
We want to be free, no one has to live like a refugee, God does that for us to see in thanksgiving and praise and love each other regardless
Is the call for us all, seen, revealed in the risen Son, not the dead one

 

[homwardbound]

I have suffered with severe generalized anxiety (GAD) now for 40 years.
I refused to go down the medication route and sought help with counselors is my church and it just got worse.

I could never understand why one day I did not have GAD then I did, I have always asked why did this happen?
It led to gambling addiction, alcohol addiction.

I gave up in the end seeking help.
I found no matter how many times i read the Bible verses, it made it worse.
I cried to God for so long but never heard anything.

To cut a long story short, last year I had a triple heart bypass surgery.
A few months after surgery my heart got so irregular and my blood pressure went SKU high again, that my meds were changed and I was given a machine on my arm for 24 hours to check my BP.

In the follow up my consultant noticed that my BP quite often spiked and asked about anxiety, I told him and he recommended I got help, either psychotherapy or medication.

I sought help and have had Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
After many sessions I was diagnosed with two types of attachment disorders (now working through that)

This was a result of severe childhood trauma.
From sexual abuse, to being thrown at at 14 by mum, my mum being divorced a few times, so called father figuers (foster one who sexually abused me) and my real dad beating my mother and more.

My therapist asked me what happened on that day my GAD started.

I was engaged to my girlfriend to get married, I didn't want to marry her because she cheated on my twice but for some reason I couldn't break it up.

We were sat in church one day and this is what I told my therapist.

"We will get married, have kids, get divorced and I would get to see my children at the weekend"

All of a sudden it felt like my stomach was ripped open and a million butterflies were put in my stomach and stiched up.

I ended the relationship.
I carried the guilt and shame of my thoughts.

For all of look life, before becoming a Christian and after a Christian I have never felt loved. After all why would you given what I went through.

As a Christian I feel that God does not love me, that I'm not good enough, if fail I'm gonna get a beating.

Therefore I find it very difficult to come to him and trust him.

What I now realise after the diagnosis and help with CBT I can understand why I react, the reason why and how deal with it.

Here is why think I can move forward.

My therapist identifed that I anticipate what is going to happen and it's the worst case scenario.

He tells me stay in the moment.

Then it suddenly hits me.
What did Jesus say?

Matthew 6:34
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

So to finish, I believe that therapy can help.

Not wishing to be horrible but to say to people with mental health issues to just read Bible verses and will help actually does not.

We need to get behind the reasons why people struggle with it, just like I did.
My upbringing was imprinted in my brain and as a result I did everything to protect myself and not open up to what I went through.

I trusted no one.

But now I feel hope.
I have now started asking God again to help me trust him and know how that he loves me, will never beat me and throw me out.
I am asking the Holy Spirit to work in me.

So please don't be like I was.
I was ashamed as a Christian to have mental health issues.
I spent 40 years rejecting help outside of church.

I think God hurts when his children struggle with it, when they cannot trust him.

And it doesn't bother me now if OUR FATHER uses people who are not Christian to understand what is causing the anxiety.

What we need to understand there were many greats in the Bible who struggled with anxiety and depression.

Hanna
Elijah
Job
David
Jonha
Jesus

Right now I'm gonna finish with the following.

I promised myself and asked God to help me not act and be what I was used to as a child and its consequences (that is why I was so ashamed of my thoughts about getting married when I was engaged before)

I have been married to my beautiful wife for 31 years.
We have 4 kids, all are Christians.
All know they are truly loved, fully accepted and safe in our love.
I thank God he granted me that, even in my darkest days.

No one is alienated from troubles, no one. God does not ever cause troubles, never has, never will. Adam the first did that in not believing he would die if he ate, once, he saw Eve not die right away, so he ate too!
Now: note this truth: God did not kill either one of them, did God?
Now God took that first curse to be god as if God and took that away for us all to stand in Son as risen for us to love all, Christ, who revised the first curse from unbelief to Daddy, PaPa, Father, for us to be thankful in and learn new from Father daily in love and mercy to all also. since he did it first for us all 1 John 4

 

[homwardbound]

No one is alienated from troubles, no one. God does not ever cause troubles, never has, never will. Adam the first did that in not believing he would die if he ate, once, he saw Eve not die right away, so he ate too!
Now: note this truth: God did not kill either one of them, did God?
Now God took that first curse to be god as if God and took that away for us all to stand in Son as risen for us to love all, Christ, who revised the first curse from unbelief to Daddy, PaPa, Father, for us to be thankful in and learn new from Father daily in love and mercy to all also. since he did it first for us all 1 John 4

Thank you you became willing to learn truth from God over it all. Amen

 

[BillG]

To my knowledge mental health is impacted by a factor of MANY many things.

Your body chemistry and hormonal balances, which can be affected by the time of month or what you've eaten, how much sleep youre getting, your stress levels and lifestyle

This isnt even considering our natural temperment, stress response, or how we've been raised/ the lies we've gotten conditioned to believe through the enemy's deceptive commentary on real life tragedies.

Also it's worth noting that some of the struggles we face can be caused by our own sin, though this isnt always the case.

These are my views

I believe in the natural and spiritual

Well said.
Ps I'm not affected by the time of the month I think

 

[Carlyw]

Well said.
Ps I'm not affected by the time of the month I think

Haha! I'd hope not

 

[Dino246]

Could you possibly elaborate some more on spiritual? Does spiritual have to do with mental state? Does spiritual mean when we have the Holy Spirit in us? Do you perhaps know where in the Bible I can find more about the spirit? Thank you so very much for your help.

Spiritual means of the spirit realm. God, angels, demons, and other kinds of entities inhabit the spiritual realm. Anything that involves any of those is inherently "spiritual" but may (and usually does) involve the physical realm as well. Emotions are part of the physical realm, though there is some connection between emotions and the spiritual realm.

Mental state is a combination of physiology and emotions. Presently, I am physically healthy and at rest, and emotionally calm. When I realized yesterday that a mistake in a project would cost me an hour or more of extra time, I was irritated and frustrated. That lasted all of two or three minutes.

The Holy Spirit is always present in every believer in Jesus Christ; there is no "when" about it (after salvation, that is). In the Bible, the Holy Spirit is mentioned more in the New Testament than in the Old, but there is much there as well. I recommend that you use a concordance to look up the context of every instance of "Spirit" in Scripture. I use BibleGateway, which provides the entire searchable Bible in many English versions and several other languages. Here's a link: BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages.

 

[jacko]

Mental health issues can be due to many reasons. Pastor Rick Warren's son battled depression for many years and took his own life. It doesn't mean you are demon possessed. Can there be a spirit of infirmity? Sure, or your body and brain neuro chemistry is off.

At the end of the day its a disease, just like parkinson's, etc.

 

[homwardbound]

Thus, every person who hears the NT Gospel needs to repent and accept God’s grace or justification in Jesus as Christ/Messiah the Lord or Supreme Commander (Luke 2:11, John 14:6, Acts 16:31), which means trying to obey His commandment to love one another (Matt. 22:37-40, John 13:35, Rom. 13:9)—forever (Matt. 10:22, Psa. 113:2).

Quote
Thus, every person who hears the NT Gospel needs to repent and accept God’s grace or justification in Jesus as Christ/Messiah the Lord or Supreme Commander end Quote
I see, not needs so much as chooses to believe God over man, includes self or not. A willingness is in play, not a have to or better or else flesh nature attitude, as I see this amazing Love and mercy for us all to choose and not harm others as learn not to willingly from Father over self and others, thank you GWH
I appreciate your shares

 

[Djowlee]

I’ve found it’s often both. My mind can get overwhelmed, but prayer, honest talk with others, and getting real support help me sort out what’s spiritual and what’s mental.

 

[Nedsk]

Is the struggle with demons a mental one?

Demons don't need mental illnesses to impact your life. Depending on which mental illness you may have sometimes it's just irregular brain chemistry. From my experience most of what people call mental illness is a system of unhealthy thought patterns. The biggest obstacles in our lives is not what what happens to us but rather what he think about what has happened to us. Think about it, something bad happens and what's one of the first things we do? We ask "why me?" Then we struggle with thoughts of how unfair it is. Or we compare ourselves to others and think, how much better everybody else's has it than we do. Resent builds. Anger. We end up feeling powerless and helpless. Nothing is more distressing than feeling like there is nothing we can do to make things better for ourselves. Once we get there we give up.

God is the only thing that makes our suffering make any sense. He suffered more than any human being in history. A completely innocent man paying the price for our crimes(sins). Talk about unfair and while he could have stopped it all he allowed it to happen because something more important was at stake. You as a person and your life are not defined by what happens to us but in finding a purpose to it all. Id suggest reading, Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl. And ask God to help you see the purpose to it all and to your life. Matt 7:7-8

 

[Djowlee]

I switched to a whole plant option after finding that regular full‑spectrum oils weren’t giving me consistent relief, and the broader mix of compounds actually felt smoother on my system. They’re still a bit rare in the UK, but the product I tried made a noticeable difference. If you’re curious about something less processed, looking into whole plant can be a decent shout.

 

[homwardbound]

I’ve found it’s often both. My mind can get overwhelmed, but prayer, honest talk with others, and getting real support help me sort out what’s spiritual and what’s mental.

A fact for me also. My mind is like an Oven. Sometimes it is set too high a temperature, sometimes too low.
And I need to vent. I see best for me to vent to God in my personal prayer closet. To yell, scream, even cuss, being mad over things. At the end of my venting, I hear God in me say. I bet you feel a little lighter now?
And I amazingly do! Every time. Then I go out and about, as I go I hear answers in how to respond and have no more anger, hearing truth over error in how to still care for all in truth from Father given me. The same as Son did in his earth walk first.
I do nothing or say nothing unless Father tells me
Now we are given this Luke 21:14-15. To see Love, mercy and Truth wins, and then anyone sees to just respond to God in thanksgiving and praise to all things happening. Contentment a lesson from God to learn as Paul shows in an Epistle written about contentment. Best to read them all. Slowly to get the truth of it all. Thanks

 

[2ndTimeIsTheCharm]

I’ve found it’s often both. My mind can get overwhelmed, but prayer, honest talk with others, and getting real support help me sort out what’s spiritual and what’s mental.

I'll pray for you! Also, i hope you make this forum a place where you can have fellowship and support whenever you need it.

Check out all the subforums. You might like Family forum where you'll get emotional support too.


🕊

 

[GWH]

Here is a way to do DIY Christian counseling.

Counsel Yourself

1. What is happening? (I am getting… upset, angry, sad, bored, etc.)
2. Why am I feeling this way? (Because of what someone said or did, because of inactivity, because of being tired or hungry, etc.)
3. How can I cope with my feelings or resolve this situation in a good way? (By taking a nap, by exercising, by eating, by talking with a caring person, etc.)
4. How can I take responsibility for my happiness? (By thinking of fun things to do, by listening to pleasant music, by watching clean shows, by going to a church with a nice youth group, by reading an interesting book, by seeking new friendships, etc.).
5. How can I cope with negative thoughts, events and people? (By doing the following

a. Accentuate the positive while eliminating the negative (cf. Bing Crosby song).
b. Make a reasonable effort, so you have no reason to be ashamed of not trying, but do not try to be perfect or to work miracles.
c. Live one day at a time, letting painful memories fade while making good memories today and not worrying about what might happen tomorrow (cf. Joe Walsh song).
d. Pray the Serenity Prayer: “Lord grant me the courage to change the things I can, the patience and strength to endure the things I cannot change, and the wisdom to discern the difference.”
e. Work on what seems to be a big forest of problems by cutting down one tree at a time.
f. Count your blessings, compared with poor kids starving around the world, who would love to be in your shoes.
g. Realize that many people (and God) care about you and are willing to help, if you ask them.
h. Listen to music that makes you happy and supports positive thoughts and moral values.
i. Learn from mistakes, preferably those made by others (including parents), so you will not repeat them and thus will have a happier life.
j. When negative events occur, counsel yourself as above.
k. When people mistreat you, consider counseling them by saying, “I know I do not deserve this, so would you like to share what is really bothering you?
l. Adopt as a motto: “Love to learn, and learn to love.”

I continually hear the Democrats described as crazy, but IMO most are brain-washed by evil/atheist Marxist media,
so I pray they will somehow escape such enslavement and repent/seek the truth, beginning with the Gospel.

 

[homwardbound]

I continually hear the Democrats described as crazy, but IMO most are brain-washed by evil/atheist Marxist media,
so I pray they will somehow escape such enslavement and repent/seek the truth, beginning with the Gospel.

I see plainly. go to my closet privately and ask God, trust God, even if I do not get an answer yet. Trust, God does still speak. God has not stopped speaking after the Bible was written
God knows all truth over every worldly error still here trying to stop others from a personal belief between God and them 1 John2:27

Vent to God all your hurts, all your doubts, and learn new from God in love and mercy to all. gvien through Son Jesus. Includes those that do not yet believe God 100% in risen Son for them yet
Doubt retards growing up and causes wars and rumors of wars Isaiah 7:9

 

[GWH]

I see plainly. go to my closet privately and ask God, trust God, even if I do not get an answer yet. Trust, God does still speak. God has not stopped speaking after the Bible was written
God knows all truth over every worldly error still here trying to stop others from a personal belief between God and them 1 John2:27

Vent to God all your hurts, all your doubts, and learn new from God in love and mercy to all. gvien through Son Jesus. Includes those that do not yet believe God 100% in risen Son for them yet
Doubt retards growing up and causes wars and rumors of wars Isaiah 7:9

"God has not stopped speaking after the Bible was written".

I agree and believe God gives us insights, mostly by learning how to harmonize disparate verses of Scripture.

 

[timf]

Is the struggle with demons a mental one?

Demons are more of a problem for the unsaved because for us "greater is he who is in you than he that is in the world". However, we are still vulnerable to all of the lies and deceptions in the world that Satan uses to keep us from maturity.

 

[GWH]

Is the struggle with demons a mental one?

Demons are more of a problem for the unsaved because for us "greater is he who is in you than he that is in the world". However, we are still vulnerable to all of the lies and deceptions in the world that Satan uses to keep us from maturity.

An aspect of the OP I have not seen discussed is discerning the difference between demons and mental illness.

 

[homwardbound]

"God has not stopped speaking after the Bible was written".

I agree and believe God gives us insights, mostly by learning how to harmonize disparate verses of Scripture.

All in the same Love and mercy revealed and done by Son first. We love because God in Son first loved us
1 John 4

 

[PaulThomson]

Is the struggle with demons a mental one?

You are constantly prophesying mental illness onto yourself by continuing to identify yourself as @Crazyjmill. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. To begin making real progress in getting well, you need to identify yourself and speak about yourself as what scripture calls you.