Anyone can face mental health challenges. For all the blessings of the academic life, there are also many struggles, including stresses to mental health. Several writers in the ESN community shared reflections on mental health with us in the last few weeks, so we are sharing their stories as a way to encourage others in this stressful time of the semester. The stigma against asking for help can be strong in both Christian circles and academic ones, and we want to encourage readers to seek help when they need it and to know they are not alone. Today, ESN author Kateri Collins shares a deeply personal prayer in the form of a poem, with the goal of encouraging suicide survivors and others who struggle with mental health challenges. Like the Psalms, You Are Too Good to Me, Lord shares a heartfelt cry of thanks to God and a prayer for His help. We hope that the poem is an encouragement to all our readers. At the end of the post, we share a link to science columnist Andy Walsh’s recent post on mental health and to a list of help lines he included in the piece. [Read more…] about A Poem/Prayer for Survivors of Mental Health Challenges
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Science Corner: My Mental Health Story
I’ve been kicking around the idea of writing something about mental health for almost a year now, but always found some excuse not to. “It’s not the right time.” “What I have to say is insignificant.” And so on. All of those reasons may still ring true. Nevertheless, I find myself at a point where this post feels necessary. Plus, November is when advocates for mental health and suicide prevention make a push for awareness. (I appreciate that designated awareness days/weeks/months can feel manufactured and thus insincere, but one person’s contrivance is another’s intentionality.)
[Read more…] about Science Corner: My Mental Health Story