All in My Head?

 I spent many of my adult years being taught that problems relating to mental health were signs of a lack of faith.  If people believed strongly enough, they would feel better. I thought I should be able to shake it off and keep going because, well, it was all in my head.  

Some sad and anxious feelings certainly are from a faith issue.  Jesus says to cast our cares upon him (1 Peter 5:7).  We aren’t to be anxious for tomorrow (Matthew 6:34).  Are we sinning if we go against these scriptures? I will leave that up to theological debate. But I purpose that if we do fret and worry, It’s bad for our relationship with Jesus because we are damaging our faith. 

For example, even though there isn’t a scripture that tells us not to smoke cigarettes, we know that smoking is bad for our health.  If we smoke too much, it will lead to physical health issues. If we worry too much, it could lead to mental health issues – and physical, too.  But some people who have never smoked still get lung cancer.  Some people with strong faith have mental health issues.  I don’t know why.  Honestly, I don’t even attempt to figure it out.  I have accepted that there are things I will not know because I am not God.  I’m good with that.

Some mental health issues are chemical.  Just like cancer can appear in a body because of one thing or another, depression, anxiety, bi-polar issues, and more can appear in people.  

I have had both – cancer and anxiety.  Not one person told me not to take treatment for my cancer.  Not one.  But I have been told many times that I shouldn’t take my anxiety meds.  I don’t really hold that against those people. Unless you walk through something, it is difficult to understand.  And things affect people differently.  That is obvious. Some women go through the normal chemo protocol for breast cancer and can still take on the world!  I greatly admire those women!  I. Was. Sick.  Oh, my goodness.  I was nauseated and weak beyond anything else I have ever been through.  

Now, the anxiety.  I have had issues with anxiety for years – years prior to having cancer.  While I have no medical proof, I believe both issues have something to do with genetics.  My mother also had breast cancer.  She and I both took the genetics test, and neither of us carried the breast cancer gene.  Yet, we both had the same type of breast cancer. Environmental?  Maybe.  Something else in our bodies that caused that result? Possibly. There isn’t a genetic test yet for anxiety.  But there is a branch of my family tree that has issues with crowds and social situations.  That could have built a platform for it.  Or, perhaps talking about it laid the foundation.  

Whatever caused the cancer, it didn’t change the fact that I had it.  Whatever caused the anxiety, it didn’t change the fact that it was real, either.

Do you suffer from a mental health issue? Maybe yours is depression. You are not alone, and it isn’t something new.  Look at Elijah.  James 5:17 Says that he was a man of like passions, just like us. Get that. He was human and fallible, just like us. Strong, powerful Elijah, prayer warrior and prophet.  He called fire down from heaven that burned up not only a sacrifice, but the stone altar, the twelve barrels of water in the trench around it, and even the dust! (1 Kings 18) That is walking closely with God, my friend.  That is hearing the voice of God and being confident in it.  Wow! Sometimes I would like to call down fire, you know?  Well, let’s put that aside and get back to Elijah.  

In the next chapter, he was hiding in a cave and wanting to die.  Whoo!  That’s an emotional boomerang if I ever have seen one.  He was a man of like passions.  Like us.  Has this ever happened to you?  You are riding high after an important event, maybe even Christmas!  And then, when everyone leaves and the house is quiet, or when the unlit Christmas tree brings back melancholic memories, you look for a cave.  Ok, not an actual cave, but a cave made of blankets and your bed.  

It’s real.

I am not suggesting that occasional bouts of sadness or nerves is reason to run toward a prescription.  Nope.  Not at all. But if your valleys are deeper and longer, if your family notices, remember that you have options.  My first suggestion in all things is to pray.  Of course.  Pray. Ask God to guide your decisions.  And, even ask Him to show you where the issue is coming from.  Is it deeply rooted?  Is it connected to a time of year?  There are many ways to address our emotional distress. And, faith is certainly the most important.  But don’t dismiss counseling or exercise or medications because you don’t think your faith is not there.  You know about your faith.  Talk with God about your faith.  Ask him to show you how to get out of the cave.