Mental Wellbeing Resources

As winter comes closer we’re seeing less sunshine and light in our days. It’ll be the shortest day (June 21st) before our darker mornings and nights gradually start to get lighter. It can seem like a long wait.

Have you ever noticed that every year there are some seasons that negatively affect your mood, or the mood of someone you know?

Traumatic experiences often involve a threat to our life or safety but can be any event or situation that leaves us feeling overwhelmed by fear, horror, helplessness, or distress. The greater the trauma, the greater the impact it has on us. Trauma is subjective – what one person may find deeply traumatic another might not.

Warning: This article contains discussions around self-harm and suicide

In Aotearoa and across the globe self-harm is, and continues to be, a complex and increasing issue. Despite a growing awareness of mental distress, the act of self-harm continues to bring a lot of misunderstanding, confusion and concern for those struggling, their families, whānau, and friends. As Christians, we are called to follow Jesus and model his compassion for those in distress. Today we will look at how to do this in the context of self-harm.

Last year in our posts we covered a wide range of challenges that mental distress can bring, both for those experiencing it and for those supporting them. We have greatly appreciated the feedback and contributions. This year we will bring a monthly post and we will look at further topics with the aim of increasing awareness, knowledge, and practical skills as we ‘do life together’ in our church communities, through thick and thin.

At a time when the rest of the country and the globe is busy celebrating, there will be many people who just don’t want to join in. Christmas and New Year can be a difficult and distressing time of year for lots of people, for many different reasons. For those living with mental distress of any kind right now, the increased stress can make life even harder to manage. When you offer those in mental distress some respectful support, you’re offering a gift that’s wrapped up in love.

Your mental health matters 365 days of every year. Here are some ideas to help you enjoy this festive season – and be better able to enter 2021 positively.

Grief is the normal process that begins after any difficult loss. It’s the way God’s wired us to be able to gradually adjust our life to the reality of what’s happened, and to slowly move forward. The thing is, while those bereaved by suicide face similar painful emotions as others who grieve a death, suicide grief is especially complicated.

Psalm 94:18 also reminds us God is there for us in the toughest of times. David wrote “When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.” There are times when God does this for others through us – through our words, actions, love and care. Or perhaps for us, through others. Each of us can play a part in suicide prevention.

NOTE: If suicidal thoughts are troubling you or this article unsettles you, please reach out for some help. Talk with someone you trust, see a doctor or counsellor, or call 1737 to speak to a trained counsellor, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In our next few articles we’ll look honestly at issues relating to suicide. It’s a complex issue. People commonly underestimate how many different factors can contribute to it. Over the years, the myths and misinformation about suicide have increased the judgements, stigma, guilt, shame and whakamā experienced by those affected by it. They’ve also unhelpfully prevented people from reaching out for help they’ve needed.

My name is Jessica Danielle Johnson, I am 33 years old and I attend St. Hilda’s Anglican Church in Island Bay and Blueprint Church. It's been countless years. Where do I begin? It could have started undiagnosed at the age of five, no later than the age eight. I started having these random feelings and thoughts. I once felt the same thing when I had an argument with my mom. I had no idea what was going on, or that I needed to tell anybody about it. I had already been trialled on some medication for bad behaviour because somebody thought I had Attention Deficit Disorder.

Across our diocese, church communities are increasingly aware of the importance of being as mental-health-friendly as possible. But what if a mentally distressed person’s behaviour becomes unpredictable, disruptive, or unusual? What if it’s unsettling, annoying, or possibly even scary for people? What if it’s hard to understand or deal with? How can we best respond?

It’s estimated that 1 in 3 of us will experience one during our lifetime. So, what are they? A person experiencing a panic attack has intense feelings of fear and the kind of physical reactions anyone has if they’re in great danger. The person can feel like they’ve lost control of their body and emotions. Panic attacks are distressing, involuntary, and mostly occur without warning.

Did anyone get the ‘Covid-19 lockdown experience’ they hoped for? I do hope so! Like many others, I didn't. I must have signed up for spiritual boot camp when I wasn't looking, but I got through, and I'm stronger for it now.

As churches, we’re communities doing life together and loving one another through thick or thin. At any one time there will always be some of us facing a crisis of some kind. If we know someone facing a mental health crisis, how best can we support them? How can we show them empathy, compassion, and respect?

My daughter was in her late teens when she first started struggling with her mental health and suicidal thoughts. There followed five years of riding a frightening roller-coaster with her, as best I could. There was no instruction book to follow.

Family caregivers and good friends are the ones who play the most central role in the care of those experiencing mental distress. They’re the ones who support an unwell person to follow the steps they need to be well. But have you ever noticed that the work and commitment of carers often goes unseen and unacknowledged?

Moving through an experience of mental distress can be a challenge. In times of despair and anxiety, recovery can feel impossible and the road feels endlessly long. It is important to remember in these times that recovery is not a destination that we arrive at one day. Rather, recovery is a series of small steps that lead us towards improved well-being.

After any kind of illness, everyone’s pathway back to wellness is their own. ‘Recovery’ from mental distress or disorders will look different for different people. Gradual changes begin to help a person improve their health and wellbeing, step by step.

Hi, I’m Amanda, I’m 38 and I worship with the Anglican church plant in the suburb of Brooklyn, Wellington. I had a really ‘wholesome’ upbringing, with lots of time outside on bikes and playing on invented obstacle courses in the backyard. Nevertheless, by the time I was around 8 years old, I was a very anxious child and my internal world had started to become somewhat dark.

The experience of mental distress can be very difficult for the person experiencing it first-hand, and for all those supporting them. As Christians, we are called to follow the way of Jesus, who walked alongside those in distress. However, without having appropriate boundaries when supporting others, we can become stressed or even burnt out ourselves.

In article three of our Mental Health series, we discussed the three Biblical values of Respect, Compassion and Hope. These are foundational values that Jesus modelled when walking alongside people in distress and are an example for us to follow when supporting others. How does this look practically within our wider society, our churches, and within our communities and whānau?

There have been some big myths about mental illness around for a long time. Many living with a mental health condition tell stories of stigma and discrimination from others, even in churches. So let’s learn what’s true and what’s not. When we know better, we can do better.

I first remember struggling with my mental health at the age of 9. I started a new school and found the experience difficult and lonely. My family had joined a spiritual movement, which I found confusing and difficult to understand. My self-esteem was low, and I frequently felt anxiety.

“The start of a mental illness or disorder can happen at any time in a person’s life. One way to think of mental distress is that it’s always an uninvited guest. No one wants depression or panic attacks, for example, to come on into their lives, stake a claim in their headspace, unpack, and settle in for a long stay!”

There’s been a lot more talk about mental health. Have you noticed? Even in our churches. New Zealand’s been experiencing a rising tide of mental distress and addiction. One in 6 adults will be diagnosed with a common mental disorder at some point in their lives, such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar…