Happy Monday y’all! Today is the second post of Mental Health and Christianity. If you haven’t, check out the first one here! Thanks. 🙃

So last post I talked about mental health in the Bible. But this post I’m talking about mental health and Jesus.

So how are Jesus and mental health connected? Mental health is a thing that only broken humans have and so the perfect Son of God wouldn’t have any problems with his mental health. Right?

Weeeeeell, while that sounds true, it isn’t. Jesus was just as human as us, and being human means that he not only took on human form, but took on human responsibilities and burdens.

Let me just make this clear first: Mental health, depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts are not something only non-Christians have. Christians and non-Christians alike have the same struggle with it, and you can read many Christians perspectives and thoughts on it. Here is a list of a few resources that address it.

So, let’s get started. Like I said, Jesus and mental health were very much connected. Jesus healed and helped people with mental health difficulties, he addressed anxiety and fear, and he himself even struggled with sadness and loneliness.

So how did Jesus deal with his personal mental health? Well, let’s read a few verses.

1. Jesus prayed. Often he spent time alone, in quiet places, to pray and talk to God. This improves the mental state after overwhelming, tiring, or emotional experiences. (Luke 5:16, Mark 1:35, Matthew 26:39)
2. Jesus rested. He took the time to rest when needed. Even though he is God, he still rests! (Genesis 2:2, Luke 8:22-24)
3. Jesus shared. He talked with his friends (aka, the disciples/the Twelve) and told them about his feelings. (Matthew 26:38, Matthew 20:17-19)

When he rested, prayed, and shared his feelings and thoughts, he exampled ways to care for his mental health in pretty easy ways.

And we can do this too. 🙃

Thanks for reading! Have a great week.

~Willow 🤍