Take Care of Your Mentals
The Olympics are happening right now. Countries are competing for Gold medals and bragging rights. Athletes have been preparing for years for this moment. When you think about the number of people who compete for just three medals, the majority of these athletes will experience disappointment.
You can also imagine the amount of pressure these Olympians face. For most of them, it’s not enough to just get there. They’re representing their country, their families, and they’re seeing the culmination of their dreams. That’s a lot of pressure to handle while trying to pull off the highest levels of athletic feat.
Simone Biles is easily the United States’ most recognizable Olympian right now. Most people are hard pressed to name five other Olympians outside of her. She faces intense pressure to do what 99.9999% of us could never do and anything less than Gold is viewed by many as a disappointment. All of this at the tender age of 24. In many ways, she’s still just a kid. If you’re older, think about who you were at 24 and how much growing you still had to do. It was a surprise when she pulled out to prioritize her mental health but if you can look with objective eyes, it’s not that big of a surprise, it’s understandable.
Take Care of Your Mentals
When I speak with people from older generations they often remark on how much us younger folks are always talking about our mental health. In their day, it wasn’t something that was talked about regularly. I like to remind them, mental health wasn’t invented in the 80s with Millennials. We are just the first generation to make this discussion normal and put everyday language to the experience.
Radio host Charlamagne experienced a significant increase in his platform when he began publicly advocating for mental health, especially with his book about anxiety. Former NFL player MarShawn Lynch had an interview a few years ago that went viral where he exhorted people to take care of their mentals. One of the first episodes of my podcast, Kickin’ It With The Homie, tackled this very subject. And NBA player, Kyrie Irving caught a lot of heat for taking time off mid-season to get his mind right.
What all of these examples have in common is that it's now widely accepted that we must prioritize our mental health if we are going to function in this world. The days of just “suck it up and move on” are gone. It can be argued that previous generations didn’t give mental health the same weight and there are a multitude of reasons for that but the important thing to know is it’s not too late. Chances are we all have some wounds that we’re trying to heal from so no matter your age, take the time to heal.
We are living in an age of anxiety. More people than ever have reported feelings of anxiousness. Of course some of this is self-induced from the never ending doom scrolling on social media. Some of our anxiety comes from who we have to be for others. And then for some there’s a natural chemical imbalance that we have to deal with. The good news is that none of this is new.
I love that meme about how an exhausted Elijah just needed a nap. Jeremiah was known as the ‘weeping prophet’ and then of course there was Jesus sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. Scripture is no stranger to the myriad of internal issues that we feel. God is still the God of our anxieties and worries. None of it surprises or scares him. He has promised to take care of us even in those moments.
What Should You Do?
As always with stuff like this, we yearn for practical steps.
Learn to say no. This may seem simple but it’s really hard for a lot of us. Much of the stress we feel is because we’re overextended. We feel obligated to say yes to everything and in the end it hurts us. There is power in the word no and that’s ok.
Practice rest. Scripture calls us to sabbath because it is good. It’s a sign of dependence and trust in God. So rest. Whatever you’re working on or doing, it will be fine. Rest is a good gift from God, not some annoying thing we have to do.
Worry less. I know, easier said than done. Worrying is a natural part of life but there is a level of worry that is just unproductive. Excessive worry has never added a day to anyone’s life. Are you stressing over things that are beyond your control? Just like sabbath, there’s an element of worrying less that shows trust in God to take care of our needs.
Get the help you need. For a lot of us, we need to talk to a professional. Actually, I think we all do. No matter how healthy and whole you are, we all could benefit from ten sessions every few years. In the between years, you should have a tight community with whom you can share and seek guidance.
In the event of an in air emergency, flight attendants always tell us to put our masks on before helping others. Similarly, we can’t effectively serve and love others from an empty place. Therefore, go get your healing. Take care of what you need to do so that you can love others well.
Take care of yourself. Prioritize your mental health. For the glory of God and the good of others.