Batteries Not Included #1 Hope Series

“Ho-ho-oh……..no! I don’t think I have the energy to do the holidays this year. Wait! Yes! The holidays. Twinkling lights. Goodwill toward mankind, Hallmark Christmas movies. Snap out of it, Grinch! This is exactly what we need, especially after the train wreck of 2020”.

“Ok, Ok, I can do this! I got this. I just won’t think about all that was lost this year. I won’t dwell on the fact Christmas may look different this year, in a year that old traditions would be comforting. The gatherings. Family……”

Cue the emotional breakdown.

”Screw it! I’m just going to sit on the couch in my jammies, guzzling eggnog and binging Christmas cookies. That’s all the holiday spirit I have!”

Welcome to the internal dialogue of my holiday prep talk; The Crash and Burn edition.

Entering into the holiday season is not all jingle bells and ho ho ho for everyone. To be honest, it can be a hard time of year for a lot of people.

Decorating, presents, cooking, and family dynamics. Now add the stress of the holidays in a COVID world, and we are dowsing gasoline on an already blazing fire.

According to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)

1 in 5 adults experience mental illness in the US

19.3% of U.S. adults with mental illness also experienced a substance use disorder

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.

46% of people who die by suicide had a diagnosed mental health condition

17.7 million people in the US in 2018 have stated/admitted to a depressive episode

48 million people in the US in 2018 have identified with having an anxiety disorder

And 9 million people have stated to have PTSD

I can only imagine what those stats will look like for 2020.

The holidays can bring on anxiety and depression and/or trigger old wounds causing our mental health to take a nosedive.

In a sermon by Paul W. Powel, he states, “Depression is the common cold of our emotions. Eventually, it touches everyone-even; God’s people”

Yes! No mask or social distancing can keep you immune. And all the Lysol in the world can’t eradicate it.

So if we can’t sanitize depression away, then how do we become aware of its effects on our lives and how do we live.

It’s Ok Not to be Ok

Take a minute to check in with yourself. Be honest. In the past days, weeks, or months have you had feelings of sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness that just won’t go away?

Do you recall any angry outbursts, irritability, or frustration over small matters that overrun your day?

Have you had a loss of interest/pleasure in most or all normal activities?

And then when you did something fun, did tiredness and lack of energy overwhelm you?

Are you noticing sleep disturbances, including insomnia and restlessness?

Or what about bouts of unexplained anxiety?

And are you having trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions, and remembering things?

Now, I am not telling you all of this to ruin your day. It’s OK, not to be OK sometimes. Just because you had a restless sleep last night, doesn’t mean your mental health is suffering. Maybe that is something to be aware of and keep track of OR maybe it’s your husband’s snoring that’s keeping you up! (I can speak to both situations!)

And I am not pointing these things out to make you feel weak-minded or suggesting that you should be able to control these unwanted thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

When these thoughts, feelings, and emotions go unchecked, it can cause stress to our mental health. Stress that can send our nervous system into overdrive. And send our bodies out of whack.

Let me offer you some encouragement. What you are going through is real. You're not overreacting or making a big deal out of nothing. Take heart, it may be biological and/or situational. Or a symptom of living in uncertain times.

It's the Perfect Storm

The definition of a distressing situation:

o It was unexpected

o The person was unprepared

o There was nothing the person could do to stop it from happening

We live in a fallen world. Every day there are numerous distressing situations that we are unprepared for and there is nothing anyone could do to stop it from happening.

Along with our everyday stress, add the stress of hunting down toilet paper, the emotional toll of living during a worldwide pandemic, and the pressure of being a “perfect” Christian through it all; it’s the perfect storm for a mental breakdown.

With depression and anxiety so prevalent, what does it look like within the church constructs and how do we deal with it when “praying it away” or “holding every thought captive” is not working.