Recently a friend asked me how I cope when I’m anxious. The first response I gave was to pray. Praying for healing, for comfort, and for relief from pain or stress is a good way to support mental health.
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
It doesn’t mean you should leave all the other supports behind. With the mental illness I live with, I need to make sure that I’m taking my medication daily, that I’m getting enough sleep and eating healthy. I exercise and regularly see my doctor. Treatment needs to be followed and not replaced with prayer.
“Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth, you will again bring me up. You will increase my honour and comfort me once again.” (Psalm 71:20-21)
I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I didn’t believe in a loving God who came to save me. He is the only one who knows my mind, heart and soul. He is the only one whom I can rely on without any doubt that he will deliver.
God’s promises of a future full of hope and that he will supply the grace for each day bring comfort to my mental and emotional suffering. I pray daily, but sometimes my strongest prayers are when I am desiring a weight to be lifted off my shoulders and heart.
The Lord is all I want and I need him more than anything else. Healthy or not, Jesus Christ is my friend and he can turn everything into victory. In every season, he restores what the anxiety and illness stole. His love makes me whole.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” Psalm 46:1-3
All he asks is that we trust in his power and love for us. My life becomes prayer — my heart seeking his mercy and strength. I turn to him for guidance and encouragement. I offer up my work, play and suffering to his Sacred Heart.
“… And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
I am confident that Jesus keeps his word and he fights my battles for me. I will always have bipolar disorder, but I will never be alone as I know that Jesus is with me.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
During hospital stays, I clung to prayer to help me get through the bad days. I know that the Lord is a healer. In my imaginative prayer, I picture myself walking with Jesus in a garden, talking to him about my desires and needs.
I thank him for helping me with my emotional and mental well-being. I pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet to ask for forgiveness. When I pray the Rosary to reflect on his life and to request prayers for the loved ones who need his care, I know that he is listening.
Balancing mental health treatment with prayer rounds out our recovery and God makes a way for us to be healthy. In order to be healthy, I think prayer is a great way to collect our thoughts and emotions. When life feels too much and we feel like giving up, we can always remember that Jesus is with us to carry our cross.
When you feel like there is no way out, God finds a way to have hope and provide peace. I hope and pray that you too will find solace in the quiet gift of prayer and the support it brings.
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