Out of My Mind
Recently, I read a book that gave me a fresh perspective on mental health. It’s called 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do by Amy Morin. Many of the concepts I’d heard before; however, something hit me on a macro level. Mental health, like all health, is aided substantially through intentionality and exercise.
Just ask my wife; I live in my head. Please don’t notify the authorities, yet, but I have been known to have conversations with myself out loud without consciously being aware. While most people sing in the shower I hold full blown conversations with myself. Yikes!
Most of my job revolves around communication so I place a high value on getting words right. Whether I’m writing something out, talking from a stage, or working through a high conflict situation, words make a difference. I don’t always get it right. There are things I’ve said that continue to speak long after they’re spoken.
Some words have never been uttered out loud. They’re far too crass to verbalize,yet I allow them to reverberate in the interiors of my brain. Mental masochism I’d find intolerable in the physical realm.
I need help getting out of my mind. Thoughts of shoulda, woulda, coulda, that so easily ensnare. Reprieve from life’s great battlefield between the ears.
I’m broken and naturally drift toward atrophy like everything else in the universe. Mind included. But I’m also being transformed and restored into the fullness of God’s image. Change happens where God’s empowerment and my willingness meet!
Mental passivity has yet to get me where I want to go so I engage the battle to take every thought captive to Christ. If the greatest commandment is to love God and love others like I love myself, being kind to myself is a big deal.
There is hope for the battles that occur in the mind but it’s an exercise, a word synonymous with effort. The greater my intentionality the greater my mental strength. Satan can fire off lies all day long and he will if left unopposed. I get out of my mind by getting into God’s Word and soaking up what He says about me. You and I were handcrafted by God, infused with gifts and abilities uniquely suited to leave an imprint for God in the world around us! It’s vital that we affirm God’s effort in ourselves and God’s effort in others. It’s the only way to get out of our minds.
My new perspective incorporates mental health into my overall physical health. Like my heart, arms, and legs, I want my mind to be strong but I must be intentional about the thoughts I entertain. If it’s not true or doesn’t conform to what God has to say, I’ve got to get out of my mind.