This blog post was originally written in 2023 for a series of posts related to mental health.

We are going to conclude this month by considering different ways to take care of your mental health and the mental health of your family.

The first and most important thing to remember when dealing with mental health issues is that it is ok to not be ok.  Hear this again: IT IS OK TO NOT BE OK.  For you, your spouse, your child, and any other person,  it is ok to not be ok.  Society and our own sinful nature tries to convince us that we must be perfect to have value or worth.  And that is a terrible lie that is so easy to buy into.  

The second thing to remember is that God loves you.  Yesterday, today, and forever more, God loves you.  He will not stop loving you because of any health issue you may have.  God’s compassion for you is often described like the love a mother has for her crying child.  God loves you and wants to take care of you, through all sorts of doctors, medicines, therapists, and therapies.  

So how can we take care of ourselves and our families?

• If you or a loved one is in immediate danger, calling 911 and talking with police may be necessary. It is important to notify the operator that it is a psychiatric emergency and ask for police officers trained in crisis intervention or trained to assist people experiencing a psychiatric emergency.
• For additional info of who to reach out to in a crisis, visit https://nami-northernvirginia.org/crisis-info/
• Outside of crisis moments, have conversations.  Talk with your doctor about changes in attitude or behavior that you have noticed.  
• Have conversations as a family.  Remind yourself and your family that mental health is important and to talk to each other.  Make sure these conversations do not create guilt within the child.  
• Educate yourself.  Tackling this problem on your own can be difficult.  There are numerous resources out there to help you and your family.  Check out https://nami-northernvirginia.org/support-and-education/mental-health-education/ 

These blog posts are by no means an all encompassing view on mental health.  There is so much more out there.  But I hope that they have been beneficial for you and your family as a beginning step in addressing your mental health.  If you ever have any questions or want to talk, please reach out to me.

Pastor Garet