“Stigma is a dignity issue, not a campaign issue ... and it’s easier than we think to “break mental health stigma.” We have to rethink our methods.” Here are simple ways to break stigma and build a stigma-free church.

Mental health recovery is a whole-health growth process, a transformation in resilience for improving overall well-being (physical, mental, spiritual, and relational). This whole-health approach utilizes a two-fold system from what psychology calls “primary control” (environmental management) and “secondary control” (internal management). Over time, the person becomes more resilient with personal growth, improved well-being, and life satisfaction.

Over the last year and a half, I have heard from more and more students in our youth group who are struggling with depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness. For some of these students, these feelings are so heavy that they are questioning whether or not life is really worth living. Some of these students take medication; some see therapists; some have strong relational support systems to lean on; some have nothing at all.

“This is gonna disqualify me.”

Have you ever had that thought? It’s what I pondered when I completed my training as a mental health therapist and was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Dysthymia (Persistent Depression). The latter meant that I had been suffering worse than I had realized (because the diagnosis requires two years of active symptoms). How could this be?

When we go through depression it naturally makes us question everything … mostly ourselves. Here’s a simple way to understand how to maintain your worth through the journey.

While scrolling through the internet the other day, I came upon this funny quote: “Old Farmer’s Advice: Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull strong!” Well, I thought that was great advice, if only I were dealing with horses, pigs and bulls.  But the reality of the situation is that I’m trying to learn how to set boundaries for myself, and for other difficult people (like me) whom I love but I’m not quite sure where to draw the line.