*This post could be upsetting to some, as it mentions depression, anxiety, and the concept of suicide. If you feel that reading this blog post could be triggering to you in any way, please tend to yourself and prioritize your own wellbeing. This post is from a Christian perspective and is not provided by a psychologist. I share my personal experiences with mental conditions and my own emotional struggle. If you are seeking professional insight regarding your own personal concerns, please reach out to a mental health specialist.*
Depression affects over 18 million adult U.S. residents at any given year, and affects over 300 million people worldwide, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, or economic status. Did you know that Depression is deemed to be one of the most debilitating conditions on earth, rated in the same disability category as terminal cancer? Did you know that suicide is the second leading cause of death for U.S. residents between the ages of 15-35, and is the third leading cause of death for those between the ages of 10-14? Every day, approximately 110 Americans take their own lives, and roughly 3,500 attempt to do so. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) affects 6.8 million adults in the U.S. and yet, less than half are getting treatment. Women are twice as likely to be affected by GAD than men. GAD often co-occurs with depression.
I could go on and on with the statistics because there is such a huge spread of mental conditions in our nation. And it seems to be directed mostly to people who are 35 and younger. When was the first time you’ve ever dealt with a negative mentality that you just couldn’t seem to shake? I remember I was 13 years old when I thought about committing suicide for the first time. Every year after that, I would hear more and more people of various ages and backgrounds talk about their own struggles.
A year ago, I had a supernatural experience that stopped me from making the most regretful decision. It was a Sunday night and I was too stressed to sleep. Worried about a college assignment that I wasn’t prepared to present to my class. And I thought to myself “I’m not ready for tomorrow. I’m not willing to feel the humiliation that comes with attending my class underprepared. The thought of tomorrow makes my stomach turn. So… what if I didn’t have to see tomorrow at all?” I didn’t care about anything else except finding a way to escape the feelings that I anticipated I would have to experience the next day. In this moment, I was completely numb and had romanticized my own death. Even now, it’s scary to say I had a plan, but I did. But then I felt God. He was gentle but confronting. He said, “Ebony am I enough for you? Is my love, my power, my splendor enough for you in this world? You have my favor. Is it not enough?” When this happened, I felt something in me shift. It was like my eyes were open. The devil was trying to sell me what looked like an escape from something I had magnified to feel like the end of the world. In hindsight, I see that it obviously wasn’t. I hadn’t been attentive to the comfort and assurance from God that was in front of me the whole time. I broke down in remorse and repented. Had a peaceful sleep and woke up the next day. I skipped my class, and I still felt pretty awful. But I did wake up. That’s the blessing. Since this day, I’ve had my 24th birthday, I’ve toured five countries of Europe, I’ve made a friend that is close to my heart, hosted an exchange student from Brazil for two months, learned that I’m gonna be an auntie soon, and I’ve gotten to watch/help my mom grow her business, as well as continue to grow my own. These are things that 23-year-old Ebony had no way of knowing were yet to come. I praise God for keeping me all this time!
Simple things I’ve learned since this experience:
I’ve learned so much as a survivor of emotional hardship, and would really like to share these things as encouragement to you, or someone you know. Here are three simple but groundbreaking realizations that God has given me overtime.
Happiness is a combination of a blessing and decision. It is a gift from God as well as something we need to actively accept into our lives.
There’s a scripture that says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) This scripture explains how the Lord will touch our minds, and how we will be renewed to know what is good, acceptable and perfect. God is so gracious and awesome that He has decided to literally give our minds a rewiring and new way of functioning.
Some may think “Well, my mind doesn’t seem or feel brand new.” And you are definitely not alone because I feel this way too sometimes. But hear me out. Although God has in fact renewed our minds, we also have a responsibility to maintain our minds by thinking the way that He has intended for us to think. Otherwise, we sabotage our own blessing of a renewed mind. Philippians 4:8 says “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” This scripture voices how we have the power to actively accept or reject the Lord’s way to happiness. He says in Romans that He has already blessed us by renewing our minds, and explains in Philippians that it is our job to keep our minds on things pure and lovely so that the renewing is not in vain.
From my personal experience, I’ve had psychologists, counselors and mentors advise me the same way that these scriptures do. My college therapist suggested that I write a bunch of positive messages on scraps of paper and put them in a “happy jar” for whenever I need a picker-upper. These professionals base their information from science alone; Demonstrating that science is in obedience and alignment with the Word of God…. I digress.
God wants us to remember how important self-care is when it comes to struggling with mental health.
I remember at the beginning of this post, I talked about the statistics of depression being super debilitating in a similar way as terminal cancer. And even in this serious trial, God has provided a solution. One day, I decided to read the story of Elijah. And I learned that within his story, he dealt with depression, anxiety, and had even become suicidal. He prayed that the Lord would take his life. When God responded to him, He advised Elijah through his angels to get rest and eat. After Elijah followed these steps, he was strengthened again to continue doing God‘s will. (1 Kings 19:3–9).
Something I noticed from this passage was that the way God wanted Elijah to treat himself wasn’t too different from how we treat ourselves when we’ve come down with strep throat or a nasty virus. The scripture shows that God cares about our mental health just as much as he cares about our physical health. When I’m sick with a cold or fever, I’m usually very gentle with myself. Eating warm foods and drinking teas that are comforting, getting plenty of rest, and staying hydrated. These are the types of things the Lord advises us to do in our times of feeling bad in our emotions or mental state too. God didn’t tell Elijah to “get over it and stop being dramatic.” Nor do we tell ourselves that sort of thing when we’re coughing, sneezing, and taking our temperature. So why should our emotionally unwell days be any different? In our times of distress is when it’s crucial to take care of ourselves.
But I also noticed the balance at the end of the passage, specifically the final two verses. After Elijah was strengthened by the food and the rest, he continued on his journey of life. He wasn’t stagnant in that depression or despair. After he got rest and nutrition, he moved forward. And I feel like sometimes that’s a step in self-care that we forget. Going back to our functioning lives is a super important part of getting mentally and emotionally well again. Staying on the couch in our pajamas for an excessive amount of time, however, would be hurting us rather than helping us. Elijah is the perfect example of what the order of self-care should be. During his bout with depression, he followed God‘s lead and was as good as new again. And today, we get to follow Elijah as a role model.
Using your voice is a powerful thing.
The reason that most of us deal with such intense mental and emotional pain is because hell hates how loved we are by God and how valuable we are to those that we’ll inspire in our lifetime. So the devil tries to speak to us and tell us everything that’s “wrong with us” and all the things that we “will never get right”. But there’s something that we can use to combat this. And that thing is our voice. Proverbs 18:21 states that “death and life are in the power of the tongue”. Meaning that our words have so much power to the point where it can activate a certain reality. For example- think of all of the kids you know who were raised by parents that used loving words. How are they growing up differently than the kids you know of that are being raised with discouraging words from their family? How much more confident is a person that says hopeful things about their success, than a person that speaks doubt onto their abilities? There’s a huge difference you can make with your words. And just because the things that the devil says to you are not audible, that doesn’t mean you have to stay quiet. In times that you’re alone, you can fight back and say things like “I reject these thoughts that the devil is trying to feed me, and I send them right back down to the pit of hell in Jesus name.” Something along the lines of “God created me in His image. I am beautifully and wonderfully made, and I am blessed with His favor.” Or if you are with someone that you’re comfortable with, you could talk to them about what’s happening and maybe they’ll join in on rebuking the lies of satan.
But that’s not the only way that you can use your voice. Acts 16: 25-26 is the perfect example of how worshiping the Lord can change a situation. There were these two men, Paul and Silas, that were arrested for spreading the gospel truth to the community. After they were thrown into prison, they decided to pray and worship the Lord. As they continued to do this, God caused an earthquake, which miraculously broke off their chains and freed them from this prison. And I know that this situation is literal, but we don’t have to take it that way. The message is actually quite metaphorical. The Bible is poetic in this way. God knew that although Paul and Silas were freed from a physical prison, that many people would spend much of their life feeling like they’re in emotional and spiritual chains. He knew that there would be a day were millions of people were looking to be emotionally free. That there would come a time where people would become inmates of the mind. But there’s one thing I know. Every time I put down my own worries, my own doubts, and worship the Lord simply because He’s God, I get refreshed with this wave of joy. My perspective changes and my heart feels lighter. I feel free again.
Final Thoughts:
I feel like something we often don’t realize is that God won’t be disturbed by our state of mind, no matter how dark it may be in the moment. He’s not afraid of anything or anyone. He’s strong. We can be real with Him. And He’ll come rescue us from mental or emotional distress as many times as needed. He has no limit, never gets tired, and can handle ANYTHING. The tips I mentioned in this post are not only for the people who feel like they know God well, or for only those that grew up going to church with their family. These tips are for anyone who wants to experience the love, comfort, peace and direction that comes from Jesus. No matter who you are, God wants to bless you with freedom from panic, freedom from feeling worthless, freedom from schizophrenia, freedom from rage, freedom from jealousy, freedom from unexplained sadness, freedom from bipolar disorder, freedom from low confidence, freedom from paranoia, freedom from anorexia, or whatever else you may be going through. So I guess the moral of this post is to inform or remind you not to make the same mistake I did last year. Remember that God is always eager to make things better. He’s always ready to tend to you in times of trouble, no matter what. Use these tips as often as you may need throughout life. I know I will.
Don’t forget to let me know any other topics that you feel would be cool to discuss on Wilson Writings! Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed the read, because I definitely enjoyed the write! As for any new visitors I’d love to learn your name and what stood out to you within this read. Let’s chat in the comments! Until next time blog buddies! 😉
*If you or anyone you know is seriously considering suicide or any form of self harm, please call or text this suicide and crisis lifeline 988. Your life and safety is valuable, and sometimes all it takes is to talk to someone that understands.*
Not sure where to start with worship? Here are a few of my favorite worship songs. Feel free to become undone in God’s love as you listen.