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“My Mind is a Fixer Upper and Still Under Renovation” by Katie Dale

My Mind is a Fixer Upper & Still Under Renovation

By: Katie Dale

There’s this popular Facebook group military wives are into these days. It’s where they post pictures of their amazing farmhouse and contemporary decorated homes. It’s called White Walls. I go there for inspiration and to rest my eyes on some aesthetically pleasing décor. I get jealous of the magazine-like photos a lot of the group members post. I think to myself, “How do they make it look so good?” They are the home décor advocates of clean and simple spaces. I’m over here looking on, wishing I had it all together like that. They make renovations look so easy.

I’m guilty. As a mental health advocate, I make my recovery look easy. In that, I’m also guilty of contributing to stigma. I ignore how my friends and church family and even my husband are really doing. I haven’t gone up to one single person since I can remember and asked them out of genuine care and concern, “Hey, how are you really doing?” I guess I am scared to hear the truth of where they may be at. Could their “mental home” be cluttered? Do they keep emotional baggage and outdated memories like a hoarder?

When I think of how little mental health is talked about in my own life, I get scared. Why would I be a mental health advocate online if I can’t even care enough about my friends and family in person? There’s something amiss. I need to take a long look inside and find some compassion. Sometimes I tell myself I’m great and got it all together. However, in reality, my mental health is under renovation. Yes, I’ve put a lot of work into making it better, but it’s still not finished. 

I think of how seldom a conversation with another church member, heck even my own family members, goes beyond the stuff of our plans for the week or our opinions on other people’s choices or our usual complaints and surface conversations. I’d like to know what it’s like to be a true friend to someone else. I can’t keep this front up forever. It’s like applying some white-washed photo filter that lets the light look just perfect and yet there are deeper issues – like inefficient heating and cooling or clogged pipes.

So I confess, I’ve been out of touch with the reality of other people’s wellbeing, others who I should care about and really be genuinely concerned for, but am not. I’m guilty of wasting time and effort making small talk and not getting to the nitty gritty. When was the last time I was honest and vulnerable with someone? Aside from the first therapy visit I went to last week, it’s been too long. I discovered I have lots of inefficient heating and cooling going on. There are clogged pipes, among other broken things.

Where to from here? Do I throw my own pity party and sit quietly in the corner hoping someone see me? Do I throw my hands up and forget the purpose of maintaining my mental health and advocating for others who aren’t aware enough to? Or do I go out of my way to find that person struggling with just as many doubts, questions, misguided beliefs and cognitive fallacies and give them an ear, or a shoulder to cry on? Sometimes people without a vision for their lives need inspiration. Not to aim for a picturesque home, but for the peace and comfort that comes from working out our issues in a Christ-like way. Being the body of Jesus means getting real and getting messy. We need each other and that takes getting involved.

These days I’m afraid it’s become too easy to hide behind a screen and fake it, and in person too. How our lives look like they’re floating along, until we realize we have been addressing the cosmetic and surface issues, applying filters and putting on a mask to make it look like we’re okay. The gospel of Jesus isn’t neat and tidy and White-Walls-worthy. It’s messy and unclear and gray matter. There is order in the gospel, and a cleansing through Jesus’ work, and the war is won. But the battles are still fought for the completion of each of our stories our Creator keeps us on earth to finish. We are always under renovation. Let’s stop hiding behind photo-filtered images and be real. That’s when the healing begins.

Ready? Let’s get to work.
Katie Dale is the mind behind BipolarBrave.com and the e-book GAMEPLAN: A Mental Health Resource Guide. She works full time at a behavioral outpatient clinic, ministering to those with mental illness. She can be found on FacebookInstagram and Twitter

Fresh Hope es una organización sin fines de lucro basada en la fe que permite a las personas vivir bien a pesar de su desafío de salud mental.

TU regalo proporcionará a una persona Nueva Esperanza de Dios para la vida diaria. Haz clic aquí para donar, hoy.

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An Interview with Evan Owens

On this edition of Fresh Hope for Mental Health Pastor Brad Hoefs talks with Evan Owens about the groups he and his wife started for Veterans and First Responders called Reboot and Recharge (RebootRecovery.com) with over 250 courses around the world Reboot has been a place where faith collides with trauma and souls have been healed.

We encourage you to share this podcast with your friends via your social media connections.

After listening to this podcast, we encourage you to email us at info@FreshHope.us with a comment or question that we will share on our next podcast.  

If you are listening to this podcast on iTunes, we encourage you to leave a comment regarding the podcast. Or you can leave a voice message for us on the site:  www.FreshHope4MentalHealth.com

Pastor Brad Hoefs, the host of Fresh Hope for Mental Health, is the founder of Fresh Hope Ministries, a network of Christian mental health support groups for those who have a diagnosis and their loved ones. In other words, Fresh Hope is a Christian mental health support group. 

Brad was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1995. He is a weekly blogger for www.bphope.com (Bipolar Magazine). He is also a certified peer specialist and has been doing pastoral counseling since 1985. Brad is also the author of Fresh Hope: Living Well in Spite of a Mental Health Diagnosis, which is available on Amazon or at www.FreshHopeBook.com

If you are interested in more information about Fresh Hope, go to www.FreshHope.us or email info@FreshHope.us or call 402.932.3089.

To donate to Fresh Hope go to http://freshhope.us/donate/ 

For a complete list of where Fresh Hope groups are presently meeting, go to www.FreshHope.us and click on “find a group.”  Or you may attain an online group of meetings of Fresh Hope by going to www.FreshHopeMeeting.com

If you are interested in starting a Fresh Hope group within your faith community, contact info@FreshHope.us

Fresh Hope for Mental Health is a production of Fresh Hope Ministries. 

Fresh Hope Ministries is a non-profit ministry.  

The copyrights of this program belong to Fresh Hope Ministries and may not be duplicated without written permission. 

All of the podcasts of Fresh Hope Today, as well as numerous other videos, are all available on our YouTube channel: Fresh Hope Network

 Fresh Hope for Mental Health is on Facebook at  www.Facebook.com/FreshHopeforMentalHealth

Check out this episode!

8 Things to Remember in Tough Times

On this edition of Fresh Hope for Mental Health Pastor Brad Hoefs talks about what to do when going through tough times. Brad takes 8 things from the law of attraction and tweaks them a bit so that the same rules apply, but are instead Christ centered.

We encourage you to share this podcast with your friends via your social media connections.

After listening to this podcast, we encourage you to email us at info@FreshHope.us with a comment or question that we will share on our next podcast.  

If you are listening to this podcast on iTunes, we encourage you to leave a comment regarding the podcast. Or you can leave a voice message for us on the site:  www.FreshHope4MentalHealth.com

Pastor Brad Hoefs, the host of Fresh Hope for Mental Health, is the founder of Fresh Hope Ministries, a network of Christian mental health support groups for those who have a diagnosis and their loved ones. In other words, Fresh Hope is a Christian mental health support group. 

Brad was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1995. He is a weekly blogger for www.bphope.com (Bipolar Magazine). He is also a certified peer specialist and has been doing pastoral counseling since 1985. Brad is also the author of Fresh Hope: Living Well in Spite of a Mental Health Diagnosis, which is available on Amazon or at www.FreshHopeBook.com

If you are interested in more information about Fresh Hope, go to www.FreshHope.us or email info@FreshHope.us or call 402.932.3089.

To donate to Fresh Hope go to http://freshhope.us/donate/ 

For a complete list of where Fresh Hope groups are presently meeting, go to www.FreshHope.us and click on “find a group.”  Or you may attain an online group of meetings of Fresh Hope by going to www.FreshHopeMeeting.com

If you are interested in starting a Fresh Hope group within your faith community, contact info@freshhope.us

Fresh Hope for Mental Health is a production of Fresh Hope Ministries. 

Fresh Hope Ministries is a non-profit ministry.  

The copyrights of this program belong to Fresh Hope Ministries and may not be duplicated without written permission. 

All of the podcasts of Fresh Hope Today, as well as numerous other videos, are all available on our YouTube channel: Fresh Hope Network

 Fresh Hope for Mental Health is on Facebook at  www.Facebook.com/FreshHopeforMentalHealth

Check out this episode!

A Letter to the Sheep: Our Responsibility to the Sheperd

By Jennie Birkholz

In Pastor Brad Hoefs powerful blog post Pastoring and Suicidal: Insights from a Pastor Who Has Been There he brought to light many challenges pastors face in modern-day ministry.  Pastors have blessed me and my family with their words and actions throughout the years, but this article made me stop and think about how to purposefully return the blessing.  

Here are a few starting points to consider:

1. Creating a Safe, Supportive Workplace  

Mental wellness, just like physical wellness, is impacted by stressors in one’s environment which include a person’s workplace and personal life.  Some basics for a supportive workplace include giving your leaders the tools they need to do their job effectively, ample compensation to support their family and health insurance.  They should also have access to pastoral care and a mentor.

2. Give leadership opportunities for Renewal and Growth 

Regular sabbaticals and time for renew should be part of the culture.  Leaders should also be encouraged to attend conferences, trainings or be with mentors.

3. Stop complaining and start doing-

If you want something to change or a new program be the leader or coordinate it AND financial contribute to it.

4. Be a friend 

Being a leader is lonely and being in the pastoral role is no exception.  The pressure to present as perfect or grace filled can be stressful and lead to self-isolation.  Pursue a friendship with them that makes room for them to be their authentic selves.  Have fun and do stuff outside of church events!

5. Show true appreciation  

Grand gifts and gestures are not necessary.  Simply sharing how their words impacted your spiritual growth and life may rejuvenate their purpose.  

And for those sheep that complain about the church.  I am at fault too, but we need to catch ourselves.  Remember is it a conviction or a preference.  Would the nation of Israel really care about the carpet color in the sanctuary?

Let me know what your thoughts are!

Jennie Birkholz

Breakwater Light

www.breakwaterlight.com

jennie.birkhkolz@gmail.com

Jennie Birkholz, MHA is the Principal with Breakwater Light, a consulting firm that partners with multi-sector organizations, churches and communities focused on positive social impact. Using a trauma-informed, equity lens, projects are oriented around innovative leveraging of community assets, creating powerful networks for change and fostering resiliency.  She is an innovative collaborator for faith and health, a trauma informed care trainer and expert on community behavioral health and substance addiction. Jennie served in the community behavioral health and substance use disorder field for over 15 years before becoming a national consultant.  

What To Do When You Are Overwhelmed

On this edition of Fresh Hope for Mental Health Pastor Brad Hoefs talks about what to do when going through tough times. Brad takes 8 things from the law of attraction and tweaks them a bit so that the same rules apply, but are instead Christ centered.

We encourage you to share this podcast with your friends via your social media connections.

After listening to this podcast, we encourage you to email us at info@FreshHope.us with a comment or question that we will share on our next podcast.  

If you are listening to this podcast on iTunes, we encourage you to leave a comment regarding the podcast. Or you can leave a voice message for us on the site:  www.FreshHope4MentalHealth.com

Pastor Brad Hoefs, the host of Fresh Hope for Mental Health, is the founder of Fresh Hope Ministries, a network of Christian mental health support groups for those who have a diagnosis and their loved ones. In other words, Fresh Hope is a Christian mental health support group. 

Brad was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1995. He is a weekly blogger for www.bphope.com (Bipolar Magazine). He is also a certified peer specialist and has been doing pastoral counseling since 1985. Brad is also the author of Fresh Hope: Living Well in Spite of a Mental Health Diagnosis, which is available on Amazon or at www.FreshHopeBook.com

If you are interested in more information about Fresh Hope, go to www.FreshHope.us or email info@FreshHope.us or call 402.932.3089.

To donate to Fresh Hope go to http://freshhope.us/donate/ 

For a complete list of where Fresh Hope groups are presently meeting, go to www.FreshHope.us and click on “find a group.”  Or you may attain an online group of meetings of Fresh Hope by going to www.FreshHopeMeeting.com

If you are interested in starting a Fresh Hope group within your faith community, contact info@freshhope.us

Fresh Hope for Mental Health is a production of Fresh Hope Ministries. 

Fresh Hope Ministries is a non-profit ministry.  

The copyrights of this program belong to Fresh Hope Ministries and may not be duplicated without written permission. 

 

Check out this episode!

5 Quotes Worth Pondering

 

One of Pastor Brad Hoefs favorite things is collecting inspiring quotes from people that make him think. On this edition of Fresh Hope for Mental Health Pastor Brad Hoefs shares 5 of his favorite quotes worth pondering with you!

 

We encourage you to share this podcast with your friends via your social media connections.

After listening to this podcast, we encourage you to email us at info@FreshHope.us with a comment or question that we will share on our next podcast.  

If you are listening to this podcast on iTunes, we encourage you to leave a comment regarding the podcast. Or you can leave a voice message for us on the site:  www.FreshHope4MentalHealth.com

Pastor Brad Hoefs, the host of Fresh Hope for Mental Health, is the founder of Fresh Hope Ministries, a network of Christian mental health support groups for those who have a diagnosis and their loved ones. In other words, Fresh Hope is a Christian mental health support group. 

Brad was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1995. He is a weekly blogger for www.bphope.com (Bipolar Magazine). He is also a certified peer specialist and has been doing pastoral counseling since 1985. Brad is also the author of Fresh Hope: Living Well in Spite of a Mental Health Diagnosis, which is available on Amazon or at www.FreshHopeBook.com

If you are interested in more information about Fresh Hope, go to www.FreshHope.us or email info@FreshHope.us or call 402.932.3089.

To donate to Fresh Hope go to http://freshhope.us/donate/ 

For a complete list of where Fresh Hope groups are presently meeting, go to www.FreshHope.us and click on “find a group.”  Or you may attain an online group of meetings of Fresh Hope by going to www.FreshHopeMeeting.com

If you are interested in starting a Fresh Hope group within your faith community, contact info@freshhope.us

Fresh Hope for Mental Health is a production of Fresh Hope Ministries. 

Fresh Hope Ministries is a non-profit ministry.  

The copyrights of this program belong to Fresh Hope Ministries and may not be duplicated without written permission. 

 

Check out this episode!

Pastoring and Suicidal: Insights from a Pastor Who Has Been There

The loss of yet another pastor to suicide this week was not a surprise to me.  Why? Because handling the challenges of modern-day ministry and the challenges of having a mental health issue can become deadly. I know all too well. Since 1995, after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I have spent every single day delicately balancing the demands of pastoral ministry, family life, and managing my bipolar disorder.

I’ve been an ordained pastor since 1985. And ministry is more demanding today than ever. The culture, the expectations, and the speed of life have changed greatly since I started over 30 years ago. Life is more stressful today for everyone, not just the clergy. However, that growing amount of stress has created even more pressure within the demands of pastoral ministry. Ministry is difficult and challenging. So when you add a mental health challenge on top of it, one must take double- and triple-care to manage the mental health challenge.

Just a few of my observations:

  • In pastoral ministry, it seems to me that at least 85% (maybe more) of the situations I deal with are negative. And too often there is not ample time to become refreshed and replenished before the next one ‘hits’.  Research by Duke University shows that demands put pastors at far greater risk for depression than people in other occupations.  LifeWay research gives us insight as to some of the reasons pastors struggle with depression.  Pastoral Leadership is a tough job, not as difficult as being a stay at home Mom, but it is ranked by Forbes as being one of the 9 most difficult leadership jobs in America.
  • People are not as respectful to pastors as they used to be. The sheep seem to be more irritated with life, more aggressive, and willing to “bite” at their shepherd. And those things that people say about you hurt.
  • Consumerism runs rampant in the Christian church. Instead of coming alongside their pastor in ministry, many folks are there to ‘receive’ from the pastor. And when what they ‘get’ from the pastor doesn’t meet with their expectations, they begin to peck away at what he or she is doing wrong. So, there’s frequently extremely high expectations and low tolerance. Pastors suffer many heart-wounds that are inflicted by sheep that they have loved and cared for over the years. 
  • Pastors are first-line responders to the crisis situations of their people’s lives. Thus, they have a lot of second-hand trauma. It makes a significant impact on the mental health of every pastor, even if he or she does not have a mental health diagnosis. The effects of second-hand trauma are real.
  • Pastors tend to feel isolated and alone. And so we find it hard to talk openly about our deepest and darkest issues. Sometimes it seems even to those of us who are pastors that we shouldn’t be struggling as we are to be ‘examples’ of faith. Shame keeps us shackled and tongue-tied when it comes to sharing our deepest struggles. There is always that fear that we could lose our job if word got out. Churches are not always the safest places to find grace. As pastors, we encourage people to be authentic, transparent, and confess failures and struggles. Yet, we find that to be one of the hardest things to do personally.
  • Knowing how to process pain and suffering is foreign to us in today’s culture. So we end up not processing the pain or suffering that comes with life. The interesting thing about emotional pain is that if you don’t deal with it, it will deal with you. And pastors struggle just like everyone else. We live in a culture, even within the church culture, where people do not know what to do when others are struggling and in pain. Too often we sugarcoat it with toxic positivity or spiritualize it. It’s no wonder then that people simply don’t talk openly about a struggle, for fear of being seen as complaining or not having enough faith.
  • Oftentimes those of us in the helping professions are people-pleasers, which makes ministry fraught with all kinds of dangers. Also, many of us in these professions suffer from low self-esteem and take everything personally – which then compounds depression and anxiety even more.  This issue adds even additional stress to an already stressful profession.
  • And of course, there is the issue of spiritual warfare that is always at play also. The enemy is out to kill, steal and destroy.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there certainly are many joys in the ministry and while the church has always had flaws, I love the church and God’s people.  But, let’s be honest, some of God’s people require more grace than others!  And when you are dealing with a mental health challenge, it is even more complex and more of a challenge to deal with all of the conflict issues that arise in an imperfect church, which is all churches.

It’s important to understand that things such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder – as well as other mental health disorders – are episodic. This means that while I will have bipolar disorder the rest of my life if I’m not experiencing an actual depressive or manic episode, I’m living basically symptom-free like anyone else would be experiencing life. For example, I’ve not had any kind of major episode of depression or mania for the past 17 years. But I have to stay on top of managing the disorder daily, which means that someone with a mental health disorder can serve as a pastor or hold other jobs and manage their disease without it ever becoming an issue.

However, if the pastor is having a depressive episode, ongoing anxiety attacks, or a manic episode for whatever reason, then it becomes exceptionally difficult to navigate daily life, much less ministry. In other words, if their mental health challenge is affecting their ability to cope with the demands of their life, then they must take care of themselves just as they would if as if they needed to have open-heart surgery. It’s no different than if someone were dealing with any other serious physical illness. It is during times like this that one must focus on getting well before returning to work.

Here are a few things that I encourage my fellow pastors who might be struggling with any type of mental health issue – either secretly or publicly – and especially if you have suicidal ideations:

  • Talk to someone immediately, don’t listen to your brain’s thinking, tell someone before it is too late. Don’t wait. Don’t even finish reading this blog. Do it now. You don’t need to handle this on your own, nor can you handle on your own. You need someone to listen who knows how to help you. Don’t play that game where you tell yourself, “You can do this”.  See, while you are listening to that little voice in your head that says, “You’ve got this.” But things get worse, and you don’t have it. And before you know it, you find yourself being swallowed up by hopelessness. By that point, you can barely stand up against it. STOP participating with the lies of the depressive state of your brain!

If you wait too long to talk to someone, you come to a point where the darkness of depression tells you not to speak – and before you know it your brain succumbs to the illness of depression. You then end up at a point where you can’t fight it any longer. So, STOP playing the game. Tell someone that you AREN’T OK! Tell it before you can’t fight against the lies of the depression.

  • Know this: Your struggle is not because you are weak emotionally or spiritually. That’s nothing more than stigma telling you that. Everyone struggles. And we aren’t meant to struggle alone. You know that. You’ve taught it in your preaching and teaching. You know that we were created for relationship. You are weak when you think you are strong enough to handle this yourself. So, don’t handle it alone.
  • This struggle is real. It is physiological. If you don’t tell someone and keep thinking you can handle this, the brain will sooner or later cause you to be out of your mind. Your brain is just another organ in your body. Your mind is what your brain does. And when your brain is sick it’s hard to be in your right mind. And in this case, the brain is the only organ in your body that gets to determine whether or not you talk about this with someone else. Your brain can get sick enough that it will lie to you telling you that you need to take your life to get out of the pain. Your brain will become sick enough to make you think that your loved ones would be better without you. DON’T believe the lies of your sick brain. It’s an easy slippery slope to suicide, and the evidence of that slippery slope is when you think that you can handle this struggle on your own. DO something now before it is too late.
  • Please know that depression will make you feel very guilty and shameful. Depression will tell you that you shouldn’t burden the people around you anymore. Depression will tell you that things will never get better. And if you aren’t telling anyone, then in one quick very dark moment, depression can pull you down into the cesspool of hopelessness and an abyss of darkness that you have never known.
  • Depression will make you feel like you should be ashamed of yourself for having suicidal ideations or that you should be ashamed of yourself for not trusting the Lord. After all, you’re a pastor. Pastors should not struggle with these things, which is a bunch of B.S.! Those of the lies of depression.
  • If the fear of having to be hospitalized is what is keeping you from actually telling someone that you are suicidal, that is your own stigma that is within you. Override it for the sake of your spouse, children, friends, and your flock.  If you were having a heart attack you would go to the E.R., right? Well, this is NO different than that!

Twice in my life, I have been suicidal.  The first time I did not go to the hospital.  Someone was around me nearly 24/7.  I was not left by myself.  I ended up in a curled up fetal position on the floor of our bedroom closet, it felt like a safe place.  The emotional pain and anxiety were worse than any pain I’ve ever had to this point in my life.  The second time I was suicidal I could literally feel the dark pit of despair and hopelessness engulfing me.  I intuitively knew that there was very little of my ability to fit it left.  I was clinging to the very edge of the deep hole with a few of my fingernails.  Making the call to the doctor was more than I could think of and but, I knew I had to tell someone, or I probably was not going to be able to fight the hopelessness and despair.  The disease was eating my ability to hold onto life.   It felt much like I would imagine it might feel to die of any disease.  I ended up in the hospital.  Locked in the hospital.  No shoe strings, no electrical cords and no razor.  But it saved my life no differently than if I had suffered a major heart attack that day.

For those of you who don’t understand how one can get to that point of despair, thank the Lord you don’t understand.  Believe it or not, it is quite possible to live at the intersection of hope and hopelessness at the same time.  Hopelessness is a street of despair that is littered with lies and pain that runs horizontally.  It is of this world.  It’s physical, it really is all in the head, because of a diseased brain.  Real hope, no wishful thinking hope, that is a Romans 8:28 hope, is a street that is vertical.  It is the truth.  It isn’t always felt in the natural.  But, it is rock solid.   And you can be living in that intersection and have the real hope but the hopelessness takes over in the natural because of a diseased brain.

In the end, someone who dies by suicide does not choose it, so, they are not “committing” it.  I believe it would be more accurate to say that someone dies from a mental illness.  The mental illness takes them.  Just like when people die from cancer.  And pastor, you don’t need to die that death.  Get help.

I’m a pastor who has bipolar. I will die having bipolar short of the Lord’s miraculously healing me.  (And like Paul experienced, the Lord has not removed that thorn up to this point.) But I refuse to die from bipolar.  If you are struggling with suicidal ideation or are suicidal, choose to live before the disease takes over.

 

Pastor if you are struggling with a mental illness or mental health challenge, please consider attending our online Fresh Hope group meeting on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. central time zone. It is a safe place to not be OK.  If that time slot does not work for you, please email Nicole@FreshHope.usand we will start an online Fresh Hope support group for clergy only.

 

 

 

25 Inspirational and Insightful Quotes for Living Well in Spite of a Mental Health Diagnosis

One of my favorite things to do is to collect inspirational sayings that resonate with me. I find short inspirational quotes to be simple ways to remember important truths in learning and remembering how to live well in spite of having a mental health diagnosis.

So, I thought I would share with you some new quotes that I have found to be helpful:

  • “To get somewhere new, you must first decide that you are tired of being where you are.” Unknown
  • “You can’t change someone who doesn’t see an issue with his or her actions.” Unknown
  • “A moment of patience in a moment of anger saves you a hundred moments of regret.” Unknown
  • Talking about our problems is our greatest addiction. Break the habit. Talk about your joys. Rita Schiano
  • “Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” J.K. Rowling
  • “Busy is a drug that a lot of people are addicted to in their lives.” Unknown
  • “Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.” Unknown
  • “What defines is not our past. Rather, how well we rise after falling.” Unknown
  • “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change: I am changing the things I cannot accept.” Unknown
  • “Two things prevent us from happiness; living in the past and observing others.” Unknown
  • “Your past does not determine who you are. Your past prepares you for who you are to become.” Unknown
  • “I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” Unknown
  • “Never trust your tongue when your heart is bitter.” Unknown
  • “Failure isn’t final unless you quit.” Unknown
  • “Just because the past didn’t turn out like you wanted it to or expected it to, doesn’t mean your future can’t be better than you ever imagined.” Unknown
  • “Let’s stop believing that our differences make us superior or inferior to one another.” Unknown
  • “Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path to the best things that will ever happen to us.” Unknown
  • “I refuse to please others at the expense of my emotional well-being. Even if it means saying no to people who are used to hearing yes.”
  • “Faith is the art of holding on to things in spite of your changing moods and circumstances.” C.S. Lewis
  • “You don’t protect your heart by acting like you don’t have one.” Unknown
  • “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.” Winston Churchill
  • “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill
  • “Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill
  • “Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out.” Unknown
  • “No one can go back and make a brand new start. However, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” Unknown

Do any of these quotes speak to you? If so, why? Do you have any favorite inspirational quotes that have been helpful to you in learning how to live well in spite of a mental health diagnosis?

Fresh Hope es una organización sin fines de lucro basada en la fe que permite a las personas vivir bien a pesar de su desafío de salud mental.

TU regalo proporcionará a una persona Nueva Esperanza de Dios para la vida diaria. Haz clic aquí para donar, hoy.

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Solving America’s Mass Violence: Why Better Gun Control and More Psychiatric Treatment Aren’t the Answer

A knee-jerk reaction to the hot button issues of gun control and mental healthcare reform is to presume reformation of gun control laws and mental healthcare would be solutions to the crisis of mass violence. Could better gun control laws enacted, and more psych hospital funding be the solution to our epidemic of mass shootings? These are two different questions, and at the heart of them, the same answer, but for different reasons.

Gun Control is Not the Answer

Preventing access to guns is always going to be a challenge. Throughout history, plenty of criminals who weren’t qualified to handle a weapon found them. There are already laws in place to make it very hard or at most, illegal, for those with a history of violence to purchase a gun. Making it harder for people who have mental illness to carry a weapon isn’t necessarily helpful. Plenty of people have a mental health diagnosis and are well enough to handle a gun. If they’re medicated and stabilized, there is generally no need to be concerned. 

Since gun violence is so prevalent in America, compared to other nations, it may be that because guns are more widely owned that we have more violence in the US as a result. Will passing and enforcing more laws decrease the likelihood of guns being used for mass shootings? The guns are already out there, folks. The amount of guns owned in private residences is not going to decrease. The ability to access guns will stay the same.

One Answer: A National Call to Revival

The problem we have here is not a matter of “bad people” getting ahold of guns. Nor is it mental illness. Mental illness is not the only factor in most cases of abuse of firearms. The issue is the heart of the person who chooses to commit such an act of terrorism. The heart of the matter, is the heart. 

So what does this mean for America? Unless the American Christian church (people called by God), turn from their wicked ways and repent (2 Chronicles 7:14), and pray to God for healing, our nation will continue to suffer tragedy after tragedy. The outcome of a society is dependent upon its presence of Christians.

The key is the revival of our souls in the American church, to embrace the gospel fully, to preach and teach and live it out. Without talk of Christ’s message, who will hear? (Romans 10:17) Without hearing who will be changed? It is up to me to tell my neighbor. Open my mouth and share the good news, for which my Savior died to bring me. Thereafter, we aren’t made good by our obedience, we are made good by Christ’s death that gave us His righteousness and a new heart of flesh. It is His Holy Spirit and heart of purity that changes ours, and that creates a new desire in us – for goodness and peace. It turns our sinful, evil, immoral and corrupt nature into the complete opposite. That’s the power of the gospel. That’s the result of transformative salvation.


Better Psych Hospital Funding is Not the Answer

Psychiatric units and behavioral hospitals are not the answer to the national epidemic of moral corruption and decay. Mental illness is not a moral fault or shortcoming. Mental illness is a sickness of the organ of the brain, and like any other organ requires medical treatment. 

Mass shootings are not a thing of psychological dissonance or mental illness. In most cases, mass shootings are a decision and plan acted upon by a person who may struggle with mental illness, but their heart is the culprit. Their mind and sense of personhood may be warped and their conscience numbed, but that is not the same as brain chemistry of mood disorders. 

Evil Character is Not Mood Disorder

Mental illness medication cannot change a person’s heart, will, or intentions and motives. Medication is there to help slow down the brain’s processes to be able to use more sense and reclaim more stability of regulating moods and emotions that can influence them to behave irrationally or impulsively. You may wonder what the difference is between someone being rash in a mass shooting, and someone being impulsive in mental illness. The difference is the heart. 

If I am mentally ill, I will have a harder time controlling impulses and reactions to things that trigger my behavior, whether good or bad. When the illness is pervasive, it’s harder to distinguish between evil thoughts and motives and poorly managed moods. Having a mental illness is not an excuse for poor choices. It is an explanation at times, but not an excuse. The illness may be helping my sinful nature to quicken the behaviors I want to carry out from the evil intentions of my heart, but it is not the reason I carry out the evil desires. One carries out evil desires and make that an evil act due to the immorality in his heart, not the mental illness in his brain. 

Another Answer: Put the Fear of God in Them

Aside from individual inner-person soul transformation, the most practical approach to treating those with the evil desires to kill and destroy may partly have a mental illness component. However, as with morality and mankind, justice should be enforced to deter those who have it in their hearts to carry out mass violence. For starters, governing entities should enact the death penalty, and concerned citizens ought to complete due course of action for reporting suspicious activity and persons in their neighborhood. Community healthcare and psych hospital reform is not really the issue. That’s another discussion.
Katie Dale is the mind behind BipolarBrave.com and GAMEPLAN: Mental Health Resource Guide. She enjoys her long runs and long naps to keep her bipolar in remission and resides in central Missouri with her husband and cat. You can follow her activity on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

 

Fresh Hope es una organización sin fines de lucro basada en la fe que permite a las personas vivir bien a pesar de su desafío de salud mental.

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An Interview with Therapist and Counselor Robert Vore

On today’s episode of Fresh Hope for Mental Health Pastor Brad Hoefs talks with Therapist and Counselor – Robert Vore. Vore works with the youth and young adults helping them move past barriers and live whole, happy lives. When Robert was a young adult he struggled with depression, suicidal thoughts and wrestling with his faith. After working in ministry and posting about his past struggles realized that many people who deal with similar mental health struggles will often first seek the guidance of their faith leader. He know trains other faith leaders and has a podcast CXMH.

 

We encourage you to share this podcast with your friends via your social media connections.

After listening to this podcast, we encourage you to email us at info@FreshHope.us with a comment or question that we will share on our next podcast.  

If you are listening to this podcast on iTunes, we encourage you to leave a comment regarding the podcast. Or you can leave a voice message for us on the site:  www.FreshHope4MentalHealth.com

Pastor Brad Hoefs, the host of Fresh Hope for Mental Health, is the founder of Fresh Hope Ministries, a network of Christian mental health support groups for those who have a diagnosis and their loved ones. In other words, Fresh Hope is a Christian mental health support group. 

Brad was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1995. He is a weekly blogger for www.bphope.com (Bipolar Magazine). He is also a certified peer specialist and has been doing pastoral counseling since 1985. Brad is also the author of Fresh Hope: Living Well in Spite of a Mental Health Diagnosis, which is available on Amazon or at www.FreshHopeBook.com

If you are interested in more information about Fresh Hope, go to www.FreshHope.us or email info@FreshHope.us or call 402.932.3089.

To donate to Fresh Hope go to http://freshhope.us/donate/ 

For a complete list of where Fresh Hope groups are presently meeting, go to www.FreshHope.us and click on “find a group.”  Or you may attain an online group of meetings of Fresh Hope by going to www.FreshHopeMeeting.com

If you are interested in starting a Fresh Hope group within your faith community, info@freshhope.us

Fresh Hope for Mental Health is a production of Fresh Hope Ministries. 

Fresh Hope Ministries is a non-profit ministry.  

The copyrights of this program belong to Fresh Hope Ministries and may not be duplicated without written permission. 

 

 

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