mental health

Biblical Foundations for Emotional Health

Biblical Foundations for Emotional Health

God has masterfully crafted us as beings that are comprised of a physical body and a spiritual nature. Within those two components are various additional aspects such as our mind, spirit/soul, and emotional state.  In Hebrew thought, our very center of being in which everything (emotions, thoughts, behaviors, etc.) flows out from is our levav or lev (Heb. heart). It seems that when the Lord explains we are to love Him with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength, He connects our worship holistically (Deuteronomy 6:5). As part of our nature, God has given us the gift of feeling and expressing emotion to Him, others, and to ourselves. We see that God does not express Himself as a cold, marble statue that is unfeeling and robotic, but rather the Scriptures reveal His joy for us, His grief, His righteous anger, and His merciful compassion on us (Luke 15:10; Genesis 6:6; Romans 1:18; Matthew 9:36). As His image bearers, we too share in this ability, albeit not a perfect ability, to have and express emotion.

Emotional Health Matters

Emotional Health Matters

There I sat with my Bible in hand, but all I could do was cry to God that I needed help. I had a stack of Bible studies. I had the dedicated time to sit with God. I had all the journals to help track what I was learning. But I couldn’t get past the emotions it took for me to engage in that Bible study with God when, emotionally, I was a wreck.

Toxic Community

Toxic Community

Toxic community.

After writing my outline for this article, I happened to turn on Hamilton’s “You’ll Be Back” (performed by King George III) sitting in the car line so I could surprise my first grader with her favorite song from the musical. While sillily singing along, it hit me, this song has all the elements of a toxic community that I had just outlined: gaslighting, misuse of power, and possessiveness.

Thriving Over Surviving

Thriving Over Surviving

It took 18 long months for my oldest child to start sleeping through the night. There were weeks where I was sleeping in 20-60 minute spurts and barely staying awake despite the IV of coffee I lived on. I was in pure survival mode. The last thing on my mind was how I could serve God by making disciples and serving others. All I could focus on was when I could catch a nap and how to be needed the least amount possible by others. I knew this couldn’t be what God intended motherhood to look like, but I couldn’t see a way out either.

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Blog Roundup: Fighting Suicide with Good Mental Health

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Blog Roundup: Fighting Suicide with Good Mental Health

Good mental health is vitally important for us all and 2020 has certainly challenged our ability to fully experience it. With this in mind, along with September 10th being Suicide Prevention Day, we wanted to redirect you to a sampling of the great mental health content that we’ve produced over the years on our blog at www.councilroadwomen.org. I am inexplicably grateful for the insights and personal vulnerability the authors of these articles have shared.

Crisis Fatigue

Crisis Fatigue

As I write this, the Covid-19 pandemic is still altering our daily lives. The racial injustices of our country’s systems are being called to carpet for accountability and change. Every media and social media outlet is saturated with this content. Even the commercials of our favorite shows (Jeopardy!) have been altered in a way to remind us of these crises. These things are so big and overwhelming that we start to wonder if we should even bother engaging.

Red, Green and Post-Christmas Blues

Red, Green and Post-Christmas Blues

As I write this, it’s a mere few days after Christmas and I’m already seeing it: the post-Christmas blues. Instagram posts of Christmas decor abound with captions already lamenting the day it will have to be put away. Some are sad for the kids to have to go back to school (though I suspect some are not).

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