My battle with mental health goes back as far as I can remember, there's never been a time where I don't remember having anxiety or depression- although as a child, I didn't quite know what I felt wasn't "normal".  The past couple years have been focused on healing of traumas, and it seems as if each time one heals, another pops up. But I guess that's just how healing is, once you start digging up the roots, you find deeper ones that are entangled with others. Once I felt God leading me to start W(her)thy as both a ministry and a small business it seemed like traumas and ptsd started coming to mind and causing trouble within my life mentally and physically. And while I don't believe the enemy causes mental illness I do believe very much he can use these events and memories as fiery darts to remind us of our past, side track, and distract us. If we're not careful it works. But this also gives us an amazing opportunity we may not have had before. We get the chance to inspect these roots and work on removing them. So that's what I've been doing, and while it has admittedly sidetracked me from my ministry and business goals, I believe it has benefitted me more greatly as I've had a chance to heal even more, allowing more room for grace, wisdom, knowledge that will only benefit the kingdom of God.

It sounds easy doesn't it? Just be happy. As someone with anxiety, depression, and an autoimmune disorder, this can be such a difficult task. If you've ever found yourself feeling hopeless, or just sad for no real logical reason, you're not alone. This can be a confusing and difficult time as a Christian, as your faith and hope rest in God, in your heart you have hope but your mind if filled with lies. These are the times when God's word and remembrance of His past faithfulness come into use. You may not believe it in the moment, but I encourage you to open your bible and focus on His word. Let it settle into your heart and mind. I find it helpful to have a small list of scriptures that resonate the most with me and put them around the house, or as a note or background on my phone, just put them somewhere you will see them often. It's not a cure, it won't take away the negative thoughts right away, but it WILL help you form positive thoughts, as you rebuild your neural pathways you will find it easier to flip the script from a negative thought to a positive one.