A handful of steps to foster and maintain good mental health …

Today is May 31, which means it’s the last day of America’s national Mental Health Awareness Month.

I didn’t want the emphasis to pass without serving up one final offering on the vital subject of mental health. Like most things, mental health can be simple AND complex! But I’ll offer here a handful of (just five) steps you can take to intentionally foster, and then maintain, good mental health:

1. Nurture a sound biblical belief system (your spiritual life). It’s sound biblical beliefs that is the source for Christians to draw their sense of purpose, identity, personal value, and values for living. An under-developed discipleship can directly contribute to mental health issues; and, vice versa, a robust Christian faith can help anchor more robust mental health.

2. Practice appropriate self-care. The term “self-care” has become a trendy subject that has been grossly warped and twisted into an encouragement for self-indulgence. Self-indulgence is not appropriate or healthy self-care! Self-indulgence does not equal bubble baths and eating bon bons by the fireplace, or tuning out the world in a junk food-fueled weekend Netflix marathon. So what does “self-care” mean? It’s being a good steward of your whole person. That includes making essential (thus, giving true priority to) the practice of spiritual disciplines, getting ahold of your thought life and giving it proper direction so you increasingly think more rationally than irrationally, developing and maintaining a healthy sleep pattern (for most, about 7-9 hours per night), consistent healthy nutrition, a lifestyle of regular exercise, reducing/managing stress, and nurturing relationships. THAT is an example of true “self-care,” which is a BIG difference from the self-indulgent messages from secular society (and even from some church leaders).

3. Craft and nurture a healthy support system. We live in a time where so many people build and live in an “echo chamber,” meaning they mostly interact with people they pick who think what they think, and say what they want to hear. We all need a support system because God designed each one of us to need each other. But key is having an “inner circle” of friends and/or family and church family who speak God’s truth in our lives, love us unconditionally, and are willing to walk through life together, both in trials and tribulations and through our greatest joys … and even the everyday mundaneness. These are people of integrity and character you can rely on and trust. Having these people as your close friends and trusted counselors will help you be better able to maintain a more robust mental health.

4. Resolve the unresolved. Living life with open wounds, allowing defective systems to persist, continuing to harbor enmity against others, failure to forgive, or leaving conflicts unresolved will create internal turmoil and directly grate against your ability to foster or maintain good mental healthy. Do the work necessary to resolve fully the unresolved.

5. Laugh a little. Life is serious business, but it’s quite possible to take yourself too seriously. Sometimes we need to laugh! Research has proven that laughter can be very effective in helping to reduce stress and anxiety; and practical life experience demonstrates that being able to “lighten up” sometimes and enjoy a good laugh with friends can be among life’s more cherished moments.

Yes, MUCH more could be said about fostering and maintaining good mental health, but for now, give these a try and see how they can benefit you.

Scotty