How to Thrive in TeenagehoodSample

Mental Health

The number of people aged 11-18 who have depression and anxiety just keeps rising, to grow up in today's society and not have our mental health be somehow negatively impacted is an almost impossible task.

Growing up as a Christian can sometimes add more pressure as I think people expect us to have the best mental health all of the time because we know Jesus. Hopefully this will help you understand it's okay to not be okay as long as you look in the right places for help.

Everyone is in their own battle with mental health, even the people in the bible struggled with their mental health. You only have to look into the book of psalms to see there are songs of distress and sadness. In psalm 77 for example there are lots of heavy emotions of depression and anxiety but the psalmist chose to search for and seek God in the middle of his struggles.

Deep sadness and ongoing anxious thoughts can make us feel like we can't speak to anyone and we need to keep them in a secret corner of the brain but when we do that we can fall into bad habits and start trying to find happiness in the wrong places. Our thoughts are like seeds, just as plants grow from their seeds we grow from our thoughts so we can't keep them in a dark corner because that would be like putting a sunflower seed in the shade and expecting it to grow and flourish. 1 peter 5:7 "cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" - tells us we can share our deepest anxious thoughts with the Lord because we can lay out our cares before him and cast them on to him.

In the Hebrew language, to be anxious means to have a split mind. In psalm 139 we can tell the psalmist is stuck between God's truth and doubting his character so in verse 23-24 "search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." He asks that his anxious thoughts be known to God - how brave!

You can ask God the same thing, you can take your anxieties to him.

Although it can be hard to imagine at times It's always important to remember and know that better times are coming. Romans 8:18 says "I consider that our present suffering are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us".

Jesus' light will always be there with us. When looking for the light in a dark situation remember John 1:5 "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it"

Questions:

What anxieties and sadness can you take to the Lord today?