Social and spiritual stigma can often create a false sense of identity for those living with mental health difficulties and disorders … self-stigma. With the right tools we can create a better narrative about ourselves and how God truly sees us!

Mental health can make us feel a sense of loss, individually or for our loved ones. It’s a new space to navigate in God, healing, and new meaning of life. Loss doesn’t ruin us, but it does change us.”

Mental health is not a lack of faith, it is where God dwells to look beyond stigma to see God restoring dignity and purpose ... even in weakness.

“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.