World Mental Health Day - Part Two

 World Mental Health Day -Part Two

https://nationaltoday.com/world-mental-health-day/

Yesterday I started a series on World Mental Health Day.  

Mental Health is a tough call.  With a physical health issue, you can generally see the problem - maybe it is external (broken leg), or maybe it is internal (and a CT scan, MRI, or X-ray will find it).  But with Mental Health, you can scan the head, the brain, and not find out anything.

Let’s go back to the CDC definition: “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act.”

EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING.  

How do we handle emotional issues?  How do we balance the ups-and-downs of life?  Do we go ‘into the dumps’ when we are down?  Generally, I am a pretty well-balanced person!!!  I do rely on my faith to help me cope when things get crazy (like a world-wide pandemic!!)

How about this statistic?

“Emotional well-being is influenced by a variety of demographic, economic, and situational factors. For example, the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak lowered emotional well-being by 74%.”  (WOW - the frustration of isolation has hit people hard!!!)

So, emotions?  Am I pretty level in terms of emotions?  As my readers know, I tend to be a Pollyanna - an optimist, looking at the happy side of things!!!  

Emotions are affected by how we perceive the situation.  If I am pulled over by a patrol person, I can ‘freak out’ or I can decide to submit to the policeman’s authority.  If I am in an accident, I can yell/scream at the other person, or calmly take the situation as it is.  

Not that I am perfect.  I have built mountains much taller than Mount Everest from the smallest of molehills.  I try not to do so anymore.  (I think it can raise my blood pressure - which I finally have (mostly) under control!!!).  I have to sluff stress off and move on.  

If you have read this before, I’m pursuing the concept that “LOVE WINS” - and that whatever happens, I am to love.  1 Thessalonians 5:18 says “In Everything Give Thanks”.  So, I am to give thanks for the terrorist who just blew up a major building?  Yup!!!  Or, for the home invasion person who just shot my spouse and children and has a gun on me!!!  How does one give thanks for that?  “Lord, I thank you for this wonderful thug who just skills my spouse and children?”  (Okay, that might be a little too nice!!!)  Maybe something more like “Lord, I don’t know your plan, but ultimately, YOU are in charge.  YOU are infinite and even in this situation, I give you THANKS!!”  Okay, if you are really okay with this, maybe you are going to be okay, even if you die, or the thug blinds you or hurts you so much, you wish you were dead!!  The Apostle Paul said, “To live is Christ, to die is gain!!”  

Can I keep my emotions in check?  Can I turn the other cheek?  Can I walk the extra mile?  Can I get up after the Grinch has stolen all the Christmas presents and the Christmas dinner and still say “Thank you, God”?  

Back to emotional health, I need to learn to go with the situation.  Keep my balance.  And, that can be tough when the world around me is going crazy.  

When people are ‘in your face’, spitting on you, yelling at you, yelling to kill you - can you say “Forgive them”?  (I know somebody who did that!!)  

To be emotionally well, we need to learn “how to live on almost nothing or with everything”.  How to be happy no matter the situation?  How to be a Pollyanna?  (I can try to give you lessons on being a Pollyanna, but I think it really is something that we each have to learn on our own!!!

Yes, three years ago, and again last year, I let negative thoughts into my brain about “doing away with myself” (that is the nice way of saying “I was considering suicide”).

I’m still learning and growing - and finding that, for me, LOVE DOES WIN!!!

More on Mental Health tomorrow!!!

Hugs!!!

Karen