Episode 122: 4 Foundations to Stronger Mental Health

Listen on Audible | Listen on Spotify | Listen on iTunes

Are you a faithful woman who is feeling stressed, unmotivated, confused or emotional. Are you struggling with her mental health, or know someone who is? Or perhaps you know that you have the potential of struggling with your mental health in the future.  If you answered yes to any of those then this is for you! Today I am focusing on 4 ways you can build a strong foundation for your mental health. 

A foundation is actually a very important part of a building. The foundation not only holds up the building it also bears it's heavy loads. A foundation also acts as a buildings stabilizer against side to side movements which can happen with earthquakes or the ground shifting in general. Foundations also need to be strong enough to withstand harsh weather conditions such as storms, heavy rains, and harsh winds that could affect the building. Foundations are actually very important to the building's longevity, existence and quality.

Having a foundation for your mental health is no different. You must have a base to your mental health that is strong enough to bear the burdens of living in a fallen world. Your mental health needs a foundation that can withstand the heavy loads that are placed on you as a woman of faith. Your mental health needs a foundation that can withstand the shifting and changing world that will toss you around with their opinions and comparisons. Your mental health needs a foundation that can withstand the storms of life that are inevitable and unpredictable.

Without building that foundation, your mental health will not be well. Your quality of life will decrease and your ability to feel joy, connection and peace will diminish. Your mental health affects so many other parts of your life like relationships, physical health, spirituality and so many other areas. Working on strengthening your foundation for your mental health will inevitably pay off in other areas of your life too.

Unfortunately, I often see mental health as the last priority for women until they are in crisis mode. I often see women putting off working on their mental health as a preventive measure because it doesn’t seem like a priority when you are doing well. The truth is, everyone needs strategies to build a strong foundation and continue work on that foundation to make it remain strong. That is why I am going to spend this episode talking about 4 foundations that can strengthen your mental health so you can have peace, joy and connection in your relationships.

The first foundation to stronger mental health is learning how to have clarity in your thoughts. There are so many stresses of daily life that cause your brain to become cluttered, foggy, racing or unfocused. Think about it, how often do you find yourself unable to make decisions because of the confusion in your mind. How often are you not dealing with or avoiding stressors because your mind is already too overwhelmed? Do you find yourself getting tossed from one subject to the next because you can’t stay focused in one area? Then you may not have a foundation of being able to use skills to create clarity in your thoughts. 

Without this ability to create clarity in your thoughts, then you run the risk of not being able to hear the still small voice of the Spirit. When you can create clarity in your thoughts and hear that voice of the Lord you will find you have more peace. Which in turn helps you cope with life’s daily stressors better. The Spirit is a conduit of power for the Savior. When you can hear that still small voice, you can feel the Savior’s enabling power lifting you up, carrying you and providing strength to endure whatever comes your way.

Learning mental health skills to help you create clarity in your thoughts is a vital foundation to your mental health. No longer will you be confused with decision making, unfocused, overwhelmed or tossed around by the opinions of others. That’s a great place to be mentally.

The second foundation to stronger mental health is learning to receive divine help. This world is so hard right? There is opposition at every corner. It feels unbearable at times and yet God says in the scriptures He will not add more than we can bear. Did you know that when God says that in the scriptures it says He will not add more than we can bear WITH Christ. He is saying that life WILL be unbearable if we are not receiving divine help. When you receive divine help you have access to a powerful source, the Savior who can increase your energy levels.

When you are yoked with the Savior, you have a powerful team mate that is working by your side helping you get things done. Don’t you think that source of power would give you more energy because He is helping you shoulder the burdens of your day? Then you are receiving that divine help and receiving more energy you will work more productively. You will get the things done that He needs you to get done.

If you are not receiving divine help, then you will feel exhausted, always behind and wondering how you can stretch yourself any thinner. You will feel like you have a thousand plates spinning all at once and you need to have a thousand hands to spin them all. It will feel so daunting that you will often get shoved into all or nothing thinking. When you can’t envision yourself getting it all done, you will default to doing nothing. It is worth your time and effort to learn how to receive divine help.

 The third foundation you want for your mental health is the ability to communicate your needs and desires. Communication is vital to any relationship. It’s also a very hard skill to have when you are feeling triggered in some way by the other person. If you can learn to identify your needs and desires and communicate them in a way that the other person can receive them then you will be able to connect and improve your relationships. The Savior has atoned for everything you and the person you are trying to communicate with has ever felt and experienced. He can communicate to you what needs to be said and how to say it in the best way the other person can receive it. 

However, when you are frustrated, disappointed or hurt by the other person, the natural man will wake up and talk from a place that is not helpful to the relationship. Causing an even greater disconnect in the relationship. The natural man will always approach a situation with boxing gloves on ready for a fight and ready to defend. Connecting and improving relationships can’t happen from that state. Nor will you be able to communicate what your needs and desires are in a way they will receive them. You will often be left feeling misunderstood, hurt and discouraged with the relationship.

The fourth foundation for your mental health is knowing how to process emotions to create healing. Processing emotions can be tricky for a lot of women because you not only need to be able to identify the emotion, you also need to stay in your most optimal state for healing. The most optimal state for healing is in connection with the Savior. He is the connection you want to have when you are processing an emotion. He has the healing power you need and the wisdom to walk you through that emotion towards compassion and understanding.

When you can process your emotions and create healing you can have better self-care. You will be able to take care of your body and mind in the way that it deserves everyday. That is what your mental health needs is the ability to care for yourself without guilt or defeat. If you don’t get in the most optital state to process your emotions, healing can not occur. 

It’s like breaking your arm and not getting it reset or a cast put on it. That’s not a great environment for your arm. It isn’t going to heal correctly and it could cause more pain later when it heals incorrectly. I see so many women trying to process and heal the emotions they are feeling in their natural man state. The natural man is absolutely the wrong state to heal in. It will cause you more shame, guilt and agony trying to see the world through this lens. That is a definite sabotager of your mental health.

You have probably noticed that I keep talking about the natural man being a sabotager of your mental health and using the Savior as a foundation for your mental health. You might be wondering, how can I do that? What does that look like? Well it’s important to learn skills that help you do that. My favorite skill is using revelation meditations to help put the natural man to sleep and reconnect with the Savior’s revelation you need for your unique circumstances. President David O. McKay has said, 

“We pay too little attention to the value of meditation"

Strengthening your mental health by using Revelation Meditations will help you to:

• Have clarity in your thoughts for more peace so you can cope with life’s stresses
• Receive divine help to increase energy so you can work productively
• Communicate your needs and desires to connect and improve relationships 
• Process emotions to create healing so you can have better self-care

If you are a faithful woman who is feeling stressed, unmotivated, confused and emotional you can begin strengthening your mental health in 20 minutes a day by using revelation meditations “to pass through to the presence of the Lord.” Doing this will help you receive His ENABLING POWER of peace, energy, connection and healing. 

Next week starting on October first I am doing a 30 Days to Stronger Mental Health Challenge to help fortify, strengthen and heal your mental health for the upcoming winter. Each day of the challenge you will have a specific meditation (on a private app) you can complete to help you strengthen your mental health. You will receive the entire Clarity in the Chaos Course with 25 unique meditations for FREE to use during and after the challenge. You can even start the meditations immediately and not wait until October 1st. 

One of the many benefits of the challenge is that it will be held on a private community app. This will be a place to connect with other women facing similar life challenges to you, get your questions answered daily on the challenges, and become motivated to develop critical mental health tools. All contained in a private app away from social media distractions.

Within the 30 Days to Stronger Mental Health Challenge, there will be weekly prizes given for completing the daily challenges and an ability to connect with other women who are experiencing similar life challenges as you. The prizes are there to help motivate and keep your focus while you are developing new and crucial habits for your mental health. 

Challenges are also a great way to start a new habit. They provide the boost you may need to get started making a change.Also, once you start the challenge, the daily repetition boosts momentum to strengthen your mental health and as you keep going. Achieving small successes can help motivate you to keep the changes going.

If you are ready to join us to have stronger mental health through this challenge, then REGISTER NOW and get started with the meditations today. Once you register, send the link to a friend that you want to do the challenge with because challenges are more successful when you have an accountability partner.