Compassionate Love: Displaying Compassion for Those Who Struggle with Mental Illness or Abuse (c)2019 Nancy Virden, Always The Fight Ministries
Positive thinking and denial relate to our mental health in much the same way.
Before a big race, a positive thinker says, “I’ve already won the trophy because I believe I have.” A denier says, “I don’t have to run. I will win.”
Who of these two earns the trophy? Of course, neither receive anything because they do not put in the work. In this way, both positive thinking and denial share the same result. They thrive in delusion.
Denial has never served me well. It holds me in stuck mode, neither moving forward or back. Positive thinking keeps me stagnant as I wait for good things to fall in my lap.
Meanwhile, a realist runs the race and to his surprise, crosses the finish line first! He says, “Odds are I will not win again.” So the next year he does not run.
A defense for negativity is often, “I’m not a pessimist, I’m a realist.” However if joy exists, why can’t realists say, “Tomorrow could be better than today”?
Some of us struggle with mental conditions that help to make life challenging. Significant others may disappoint. Emotional scars from past injury weigh us down. A win seems afar off, impossible, or not worth chasing.
It is in these times that paying close attention to whatever beauty is around us trains our mind to refocus on the possibilities of hope.
You have heard people who are emotionally revived speak. I am one of them. Words I choose tell of newfound peace, gratitude, and strength for the fight.
How do people in chronic struggle with pain or illness go about living? I am one of them too. The key is doing what I love. The joy of participation in life overcomes defeat.
These stories are every bit as real as troubles we face.
Let’s not wish pain away. Let’s not deny pain exists. Instead, let’s be genuine realists who understand the power of change.
Today’s Helpful Word
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (AMP)
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. But all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ …”
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NOTE: I am not a doctor or mental health professional. I speak only from personal experiences with and observations of mental and behavioral health challenges. In no way is this website intended to substitute for professional mental or behavioral health care.
If you are feeling suicidal, or concerned about someone who is, in the U.S. call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or for a list of international suicide hotlines, go here.
If you are suicidal with a plan, immediately call 911 in the U.S. or go to your nearest emergency room. (for international emergency numbers, go here ). Hope and help are yours.
Always the Fight 