Talk

How can we support others without pushing someone towards help? Well sometimes we may believe that pushing someone to get help is all that we can do. But that may not be the case. Sometimes all it may take is for the person who needs help to know that we are human too and we have struggled with similar.

As a believer in Jesus Christ it is important to share my testimony of faith what Christ has done in my life to help empower other believers and plant seeds in those who do not believe. In terms of mental health it is important to share my story because it can help others to understand that they are not alone. That their struggles are not uncommon and that they are not crazy, but normal with struggles that even those who seem to "have it altogether" really do struggle. 

When I was first becoming a believer in Christ I shared my testimony about how I met God on a night where I felt that I did not matter. I wanted to pack up my apartment and move home. I wanted to leave because I did not feel that anyone would have cared if I did. I was battling some depression and anxiety but it was manageable. I shared that some of my anxiety stemmed from childhood emotional abuse that I endured throughout my education. I was called stupid by my first grade teacher and I was told that I would not make it past a two year degree and maybe not even that degree by the special education director in my district. This anxiety stuck with me throughout most of my graduate school career. I sought counseling for this anxiety, but it really wasn't until I let God work in my life that I was able to move past it. I was able to begin to say that I was proud of myself and my accomplishments. I was able to see who I was.

In October I lost my mom, who was my best friend and the next day I lost my grandpa, my mom's dad. I dealt with worrying about my dad who was dealing with massive health problems and I was working to get done with my last semester of grad school. I started to endure more other hardships.    I struggled with anxiety and depression. I had depression so bad and in such a way that those who where the closest to me knew and saw something was wrong but did not know what it was. I did not know what I battling until I tried to hospitalize myself. I struggled a lot with my depression. All I wanted was be ok, to be me. I wanted happiness. Nothing seemed to work, counseling helped, a joyful job with kids helped but I wasn't truly happy or me. It took for me to decide that I need to be happy that I was able to start seeing myself again.

We all go through things that try us. One of the things that has really been a big help for me is hearing others and what they have gone through. I don't listen to others and what they have gone through in order to compare but in order to know I am not alone. I know that others have had worse situations than I have, but in some ways what others have gone through has been similar and has helped me in understanding what I am facing.

The pain I have endured over the last few months is a pain that I would never like to see others go through, however life will never be pain free. It because of the fact that life will never be pain free that I want to encourage others into talking about their pain. Go to a support group, go to counseling talk with a trusted friend or family member. You will never know what others have gone through until you have talked.