I think the majority of people deal with some type of mental health issue. I still hate that I do, but I have found I am simply not as good a person as I want to be. Most of my problems came or at least intensified with having children. I’ve struggled mostly with depression and anger.

It’s hard for me to get the right help when I am going through a hard time. Part of it is I don’t want to admit that I do have a problem, and also I’m not usually thinking straight. But over the years I’ve dealt with a less than perfect brain, I’ve tried a lot of different options. Here’s what I’ve thought of them.

Medication: Helped a little, but I felt it wasn’t resolving what was really bothering me. I didn’t use it very long.

Self-help: I simply did not have the tools to helps myself, hence why I was having problems in the first place.

Support: It was definitely easier when I was connecting with people around me on a regular basis. And if my husband weren’t wonderful, I would have been so much worse off.

Therapy: Therapy is great, it is wonderful to be able to talk to someone who is also trained to help. But I didn’t love it. I never felt very comfortable completely opening up, and I’m not big on talking to someone I don’t really know.

Staying busy: When I am engaged in meaningful activities that I like to do, I’m far less likely to fall into bad habits. Tends to be more preventative than curative.

Books/reading: I like reading and some of what I read helped, but many books I looked at failed to get at the heart of what I was experiencing or offer suggestions that worked.

Religion: Relying on Christ is the only way I made it through everything. I loved the addiction recovery program offered by my church, and I think many mental health issues function as addictions.

Hypnosis: This has been my latest find, and one that I enjoy a lot. Hypnosis always sounds a little hokey, but it doesn’t have to be. I use the downloads offered here, and it has been the first option that I felt was not only addressing my issues, but giving me the proper tools to get over them.

Ultimately overcoming poor mental health is learning how to retrain my brain. And I’ve discovered that it is very possible, and I am not stuck always being a depressed or angry person, but I can change and be better. Just sometimes it takes more than just my will power to get over things.

Have you ever watched an add or video that shows random acts of service, or people being nice to you? I have. Sometimes I feel like I don’t do anything all that great, I tend to be so focused on myself and the tasks that I need to do that I seldom see what I can do for others. One of my resolutions of this year was this:

I resolve to observe more
I will strive to listen and look at those around me and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I will not let my thoughts and judgement crowd out truth. I will look out for the interests of others, not my own selfish desires. I will place judgement on myself instead of others, and strive to eliminate those that are unnecessary including comparisons. I will spend less time trying to fill my mind and more time in stillness.

I have had three experiences in the past little while that I was able to get out of my own little world and help someone else in small ways.

We were at a picnic area at Yellowstone. There were multiple picnic tables, but all but two had recently been painted. We were lucky enough to get a picnic table that didn’t have wet paint, and were enjoying out meal when a large family group pulled up. They saw the painted tables and were standing around wondering what to do. I told them that we were almost done and they were welcome to our table in just a few minutes. We then quickly cleaned up and finished our lunch to allow them to use the table. We would have stayed there a lot longer if I hadn’t cared or noticed.

I was at a waterpark, just getting changed back into my clothes and ready to head out. I overheard a conversation where the Dad in the family had forgotten his swimsuit, and they were wondering what to do. I butted in and said I had an extra swimsuit. (My husband has two swimsuits, one of which usually sits in the swim bag unworn.) I gave the man the swimsuit (hoped it fit), and never saw him again.

While at the fruit stand buying some fruit, I was just about to pull away, when an older lady started to walk up to me. I noticed, and rolled down my window to see why. She asked for a ride up the rode a ways, which I gladly gave her.

Noticing people that need help is the first step. Sometimes I notice and don’t end up helping for I feel I have nothing to give or I am concerned about safety. I don’t regret those times. Other times I’ve not helped because of my own worries or feelings of entitlement and selfishness. One of my biggest regrets in life is not helping a couple more when I had the chance, and when I did help a bit I did so reluctantly. At the time, I justified it because I didn’t have a lot and was worried so much about my own well being, and I felt they could take care of themselves. But I could have easily given a little more and I missed an opportunity to help that I do not think I will ever forget.

I am grateful for the experiences God has give me to serve, and I’m finding as I pray for them and try to look beyond myself, there are abundant times that I can do just small things.