Your Mental Health is Spiritual and Physical
By Celine Stoco
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to promoting the importance of mental well-being. But unlike many people who think their anxiety and depression can only be solved with medicine and therapy, there may also be a spiritual reason at the heart of these issues that needs to be addressed.
“Today, we are living in anxiety, unable to spend even a single day in happiness, due to all the difficult and tragic problems striking the world.”
To answer some of the questions about the topic, I took the initiative to have a conversation with someone close to me to ask her how she copes with these problems. She has had bipolar disorder for 23 years while struggling with depression and anxiety.
She told me that while she has been a Unificationist since she was 10 years old, and learned early on how science and faith are complementary, when she experienced symptoms of mental health problems, she hesitated to go to a doctor. For some time, she relied only on prayer, asking for motivation to have the energy to get out of bed, to help control her emotions, to end her eternal anxiety. Some days were good, while other days she felt like she was in a hole, trapped with no way out.
After years of struggle, she decided to seek professional help, for her own sake but also for her loved ones. While in the beginning she felt conflicted about needing professional help, she realized that only being faithful would not cure her. She is better now and has taught me and my sibling that there is no shame in asking for help.
My parents told me a story when I was younger that explains how God works in these kinds of situations.
In the story, there is a man drowning in the sea. He prayed, asking God to save him. A few minutes passed and a woman appeared with a life vest and offered it to the man, but he refused. He said that God would save him and sent the woman away. The man kept on praying. After a few more minutes, a boat full of people came saying they could help him, but the man again refused saying that God would save him. In the end, the man drowned, having refused the very help he was praying for.
While having faith is important, sometimes we must take action. God gives us the path, but we also have our portion of responsibility to fulfill.
My friend’s testimony shows us that while seeking professional help from a doctor was important, her trust in God was what kept her going after all those years of suffering. Without Him, she would not be with us today. God sends us the help we need, but it is up to us to see it.
For many people, mental health issues like depression or anxiety are wrongly perceived as something that can be suppressed through willpower alone. Such behavior can be even more present if the person is religious, because of the misconception that to believe in God, you cannot believe in science, and vice versa. The root of the problem is the need to choose between faith and science, but what if they are complementary?
“The new truth should be able to unify knowledge by reconciling the internal truth pursued by religion and the external truth pursued by science.”
Father Moon emphasized the importance of embracing both faith and science. God created science, which has allowed humanity to evolve, answer questions, and solve many problems that faith alone could not. While science may seem to have more direct solutions, faith should not be ignored either.
The power of faith motivates many people to keep fighting when they are in their lowest moments in life. That internal motivation is what drives them to keep living.
Jesus taught us that we should refer to God as our beloved parent. As a father and mother, God will be on our side no matter how broken, sad, angry, or frustrated we are. Heavenly Parent desires you to find comfort in sharing your deep secrets and struggles, even when you are not ready to share with your loved ones. He wants you to feel loved no matter what you’re going through.
“You should be able to cry out ‘Father!’ even in your sleep and even when you are by yourself. When in your daily life you forget to eat or sleep and exclaim ‘Father!’ with a deep longing, you will be able to hold His hand. Magical things will happen. When you call out ‘Father!’ He will embrace you.”
When we acquire the understanding that faith and science are supposed to be seen as complementary and not opposites, the solutions to our problems become more clear. There is no need to fear going to the doctor as a religious person nor to demonstrate faith when working in the field of science.
“When the sailor, who has completed his voyage in search of external truth under the sail of science adds another sail, the sail of religion, and embarks on a new voyage in search of internal truth, he finally will be headed toward the destination for which his original mind yearns.”
God makes everything for a reason. Remember that if you are struggling with mental health issues, God is there to comfort and guide you towards the practical and spiritual help you need. Your Heavenly Parent created you as both spiritual and physical. Taking care of both your spiritual and physical well-being are equally important to a healthy state of mind.