October 10, 2021 is World Mental Health Day. According to the World Health Organization, “The overall objective of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health….But World Mental Health Day is about more than advocacy. It also provides an opportunity to empower people to look after their own mental health and provide support to others.”
Medical students, residents, and physicians often are so focused on the patient, the next board exam, or surgery that their own mental health is put on the backburner. As a mother, we often just give, give, give. We are busy meeting the needs of our kids and family, that we forget to fill our own cup. We forget to place our mental health as a priority on the list of things to do.
Last year I wrote 4 Ways to Invest in Your Mental Health, and talked about how relying on a higher power has helped me. It got me thinking about Christ. Christ was always giving and teaching. Always performing miracles. Always focusing on “His patients”. Did He, the greatest of all, ever take time for His own mental health?
Yes.
He took care of himself and others. Christ modeled many ways we can too can take care of our mental health physically, emotionally, and spiritually. So, the past few days I spent searching the scriptures for ways Christ did just that. Here are five scripture stories when Christ took care of His mental health.
SEEKING SOLIDTUDE
When John the Baptist was beheaded, Jesus must have obviously been devastated. This was John after all. His cousin. His family. Christ’s heart was surely heavy and saddened. So, what did Christ do when He was told the news? He sought solitude.
The two accountings in Matthew and Mark are similar, but with a few differences.
12 And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.
13 ¶ When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.
Matthew 14:12-13
In Matthew, Christ went alone by ship to a desert place. Or in other words a place unoccupied by people who so often sought Him out. He took time for Himself. He likely wanted to mourn alone, to meditate and connect with God, and to process the death of His friend.
In the Mark version, Christ did something a bit different.
29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.
31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a adesert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no bleisure so much as to eat.
32 And they departed into a adesert place by ship privately.
-Mark 6:29-32
Christ sought solitude with His apostles. He gathered together His friends during this tragedy. He recognized His need for alone time. But in the end of verse 31, He also recognized His apostles needs. They needed to take care of their mental health too. The apostles had been teaching and preaching the gospel and had just laid their fellow disciple to rest after he was brutally murdered. This was likely quite traumatic for them as well. Jesus recognized that “they had no leisure to much as to eat.” So, He invited them as well to take time for their mental health by seeking solitude together.
We can learn from Christ and His apostles the importance of seeking solitude, especially during trials. We can unplug from the world and “come ye yourselves apart into a desert place…privately”. In a loud and busy world with dings and pings demanding our attention, ear buds in our ears, and a constant hum in the background, we must seek desert places. Taking time to be quiet for self-reflection and meditation is one of the most important things we can do for our mental health.
MEDITATING, PRAYING, AND SPENDING TIME OUTDOORS
16 ¶ And he awithdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
Luke 5:16
This one follows nicely after “seeking solitude” because this is what we can do in solitude. Christ withdrew himself (or sought solitude) specifically to pray and I would also add meditate.
Part of the challenges we face with our mental health is that we rarely give ourselves time for quiet. There is this need we seem to have to fill each moment of every day with something. Something productive, something attention grabbing, something entertaining, something to replace boredom. We don’t give our minds a break from the constant bombardment of stimulation.
It is almost like a habit. And often screens are at the root of that habit.
“The OnePoll survey of 2,000 adults, commissioned by Vision Direct, looked at the average amount of time spent on various devices throughout each day. The results reveal the typical American spends four hours and 30 minutes watching TV, four hours and 33 minutes looking at a smartphone, over three hours using a gaming device, and nearly five hours on a laptop.
All together, Americans are spending a whopping 17 hours and nine minutes looking at digital devices each day, according to the study.”
StudyFinds.org
When was the last time you stood in a line at Walmart and just observed what was going on around you, instead of scrolling on your phone. We have become uncomfortable with the quiet times.
Prayer and meditation are ways for you to calm your mind and also connect with divinity.
In an article by the Mayo Clinic titled, Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress, it discusses the benefits of meditation or prayer.
“Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. Meditation originally was meant to help deepen understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. These days, meditation is commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction.
Meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine. Meditation can produce a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind.
During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress. This process may result in enhanced physical and emotional well-being.”
One last thought. I LOVE how in this scripture it says that Christ specifically went into the wilderness to pray. The benefits on our mental health with spending time outdoors is exponential. Don’t believe me?
Lisa Nisbet, PhD, a psychologist at Trent University in Ontario, Canada, studies connectedness to nature. She said this, “There is mounting evidence, from dozens and dozens of researchers, that nature has benefits for both physical and psychological human wellbeing….You can boost your mood just by walking in nature, even in urban nature. And the sense of connection you have with the natural world seems to contribute to happiness even when you’re not physically immersed in nature.”
Getting outside is usually the first thing I turn to when I’m not handling life so well. It really does make all the difference. It’s easier to calm my mind and body, plus, I feel more connected to God. So, take a walk the next time you are feeling anxious. Or better yet, take a toddler to a park when they are driving you crazy in your house. You’ll be grateful you did!
THE NEED FOR SLEEP
Jesus had just finished teaching, likely for a few days, by the sea side. He had taught the multitudes publicly and His disciples privately — covering the parables of the sower, the candle under a bushel, and the mustard seed.
I don’t know about you, but after a long day of teaching, I’d guess that He was probably exhausted. So, Christ and His apostles sent away the multitudes and got on a ship. Then the following occurred…
37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, aPeace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great bcalm.
Mark 4:37-39
Now, normally we focus on the miracle Christ just preformed. But, I’d like to focus on what Christ was doing just before that.
Sleeping.
He was at the back of the boat where the rudder is sleeping. Sleep is closely connected to the state of our mental health.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School, “Sleep deprivation affects your psychological state and mental health. And those with mental health problems are more likely to have insomnia or other sleep disorders….Sleep problems are particularly common in patients with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).”
I know this to be true from personal experience. As a new and second time mom, sleep deprivation greatly affected my mental health. In fact, it was directly correlated. I suffered from pretty severe post-partum depression and anxiety after my first and again with my second. I wrote a bit about this in my blog post, Today Won’t Last Forever.
During those weeks and months of sleep regressions, getting up every two hours with my kids wrecked me. When I finally was getting four hour stints, I felt completely different. The lack of sleep turned me into a person I didn’t recognize and didn’t like. When my sleep improved, so did my mental health.
Steps to improve our sleep, whether it’s setting a consistent bedtime or talking with our doctor to find a solution to sleep problems, will surely benefit our mental health.
PRACTICING GRATITUDE
The scriptures are littered with examples of Christ giving thanks. It was part of His daily behavior. Here is just one example.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given athanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
John 6:11
According to Nationwide Children’s, “Showing gratitude has the following mental health benefits:
- Expressing gratitude can improve your mood. People who regularly express gratitude for the positive things in their life are shown to be happier overall, leading to lower rates of stress and depression.
- Showing gratitude can make you more optimistic. Studies show that those who express gratitude regularly appear to have a more positive outlook on life.
- Sharing gratitude can improve social bonds. People have reported feeling more loved and more connected to others in their lives when they routinely practice gratitude or those around them practice gratitude.
- Practicing gratitude can improve your physical health. People who actively express gratitude tend to be more engaged in activities to take care of their physical health, like eating well and exercising. This leads to higher energy levels, better sleep and a stronger immune system, or the ability to fight off illness or infection.”
This one is pretty simple. Like Christ, we too can show and express gratitude daily to improve our mental health.
SOLICIT SUPPORT
During the most important moment of time and the greatest selfless act preformed, Christ sought help. When approaching the Garden of Gethsemane to voluntarily preform the Atonement, He gathered His closest friends around Him.
36 ¶ Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called aGethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and bpray yonder.
37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and abegan to be sorrowful and very heavy.
38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is aexceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and bwatch with me.
Matthew 26:36-38
Something I noticed in Matthew’s account, was the number of times Jesus sought support. He first brought them with Him to the Garden. The second and third time He verbally asked for help was when He came out from praying…
40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them aasleep, and saith unto Peter, What, bcould ye not watch with me one hour?
And again…
41 aWatch and bpray, that ye enter not into ctemptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
And a fourth time…
43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
Matthew 26:40-44
Let’s unpack this.
Christ continually sought support. He kept seeking and kept asking during this excruciating time in His mortal life. Because of His Atonement, all of us will be resurrected and can be forgiven of our sins. Eventually, He found the support He needed to preform the most important act in history. Christ turned to His Heavenly Father. In Luke’s account, He prayed seeking help and an angel was sent to strengthen Him.
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, aremove this cup from me: nevertheless not my bwill, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an aangel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
Luke 22:42-43
Now, I’d like to give the apostles more credit, but they kind of lacked in the supporting department during this critical moment. But I think it also shows that we may need to ask multiple times and seek out different resources and sources for support.
The angel sent to help Christ could give the strength He needed when His disciples could not. Likewise, we can gain a different type of support from a therapist or physician than we can from a family member or friend.
Given, Christ needed to walk this path alone.
“I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me. … I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold [me].” Isaiah 63:3, 5
How grateful I am that “Because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so.”1
However, I think it’s important to realize that no one is perfect and everyone has faults, even the apostles. Yet, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t rely on others. Elder Jeffery R. Holland stated:
“So be kind regarding human frailty—your own as well as that of those who serve with you in a Church led by volunteer, mortal men and women. Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it. So should we. And when you see imperfection, remember that the limitation is not in the divinity of the work.”
“Lord, I Believe”, by Elder Jeffery R. Holland
We, like Christ, can and should seek support during times of trials. We may have to ask over and over again or seek out different people (friends, doctors, neighbors, family, strangers) to receive the type of support we need. Having a support system is critical when it comes to the state of our mental health. How grateful I am for my friends, family, Savior, and Heavenly Father who I can rely on when I am struggling.
SHARE
What other scripture stories can you think of where Christ models taking care of His mental health? Share below! Did you enjoy this blog post? Check out more on mental health or Christ…
You could certainly see your enthusiasm within the paintings you write. The sector hopes for even more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid to mention how they believe. At all times follow your heart.