Having Hope at the Intersection of Spiritual and Mental Health

By: Rachel Wahba-Dunkley

Being a Christian on good days is easy - we’re able to see God’s goodness, love, and protection easily. We’re walking on the glory cloud, smiling at everyone, and praying steadily throughout the day without ceasing. What we don’t talk about as much, and we probably need to, is our hard days. These are the days where we know God is good but we don’t feel it, our prayers seem to go unanswered, and our hope is dwindling. It’s on these days that all the cliche Christian responses hurt the most:

“You just need to pray more”

“Have more faith, then God will listen”

“Maybe God is punishing you”

Newsflash - these phrases don’t actually help. They put pressure on you to be or do “more” than what you’re already doing. When you’re already down, the last thing you need to feel is more pressure and blame for why you’re down. And while well-meaning people say these cliche phrases with love, they’re not actually helping at all. 

So what would help? Great question! Here are three ways to have hope during a tough season:

• Self-care

• Community

• Prayer

Self-care

Self-care is the practice of meeting your needs and taking care of yourself holistically. We’re complex beings, so that means taking care of all our wellness areas - physical, spiritual, emotional, mental, financial, social, etc. It’s things like: being in community, praying, napping, staying hydrated, stretching and moving your body, journaling, crying, etc. Jesus himself practiced self-care, so we probably should too! (Mark 6:30-32, Luke 5:16, John 11:35). When we practice self-care, we’re able to deal with difficult seasons better. When we don’t practice self-care, we get overwhelmed and exhausted, which makes difficult seasons even more difficult. Think of your wellness like a mountain - the stronger your wellness mountain is, the more it can deal with the dents of hard, stressful seasons and have the energy to manage the curveballs.

During the hard season, you may not be able to do all the self-care things, and that’s okay. Do the ones that are manageable at that time and ask for help with the rest. Having a hard time washing the dishes? Ask for a friend to come over and help. Can’t make it to the gym? Do some cardio or stretching at home. Need professional support? Call a hotline or find a therapist. Do what’s in your capacity, and ask for support for everything else.

Community

In my opinion, community is one of the most powerful examples of God’s love and care for us. In community, we’re able to connect with other people and know that we’re not alone in whatever season or situation we’re experiencing. It’s powerful!

Healthy community allows us to be vulnerable with each other and get support. In a season where we can’t find hope, having a space where you can be honest, share what’s on your heart, and receive support from people who care about us is crucial. It can be tough at first to be honest and vulnerable, so remember that your community is there for you and they care. When we’re able to honestly share about what we're dealing with, they’ll be able to carry those burdens with you and pray with you about what you’re actually going through. The more they know, the more they can help and pray.

Prayer

Whether it’s your community praying for you or you’re praying for yourself, know that prayer is indeed powerful. When we're in difficult seasons, prayer tends to be one of the hardest things to do. You may be tired, hopeless, or even mad at Him (which He can handle!), and feeling like prayer won’t actually do anything. We may still know that God is good, but having a hard time believing that He cares, listens, or sees us (Mark 9:24). This would be a good time to remind yourself that God cares for you - He knows what you’re dealing with, how stressed you are, and that you may even be mad at Him, and He still wants to hear from you.

Spending time in prayer helps you get everything off your chest and puts your worries into the hands of our Heavenly Father. You’ll receive His comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) as you cry out to Him. The less worry in your hand, the more He’s got and will manage for you. And thankfully, He doesn’t get annoyed with how much help we need, so pray often during the tough time (1 Thessalonians 5:17), knowing that He loves to hear from you.

God knows we’ll have moments of difficulty in this life (John 16:33). While we wait for the miracle to happen or the storm to pass, He gives us His presence in the form of care, community, and prayer to help us get through. You deserve to get the care and support you need.

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