Tag: mental health

Jesus Strong and Kind – Children’s Mental Health Support

Posted on by Phill Sacre

If we have lots of bad emotions, that can lead to us having bad mental health. If we don’t do anything with those feelings bad things can happen. But there is good news – Jesus can help us!

Over the last few weeks I’ve been doing a Lockdown Mental Health session each week. I’ve also started to worry about children’s mental health, and so I decided to trial doing a children’s mental health session. I have been thinking about starting Understand the Bible for kids, so this was a good opportunity to try something out.

Let me know if you like it, and I will see if I can develop it into something more!

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Lockdown Mental Health Support – Psalm 121

Posted on by Phill Sacre

In a world full of dangers, where does our protection come from? Psalm 121 is a short and wonderful Psalm which says that our protection is complete.

This evening I didn’t do a mental health livestream, it was pre-recorded and premiered at 8pm (I’m having a couple of days off!)

I am aiming to do a session each Friday night during lockdown. I find that it’s helpful for my own mental health, let alone anyone else’s!

Last week’s one was on Psalm 112 – “Do not fear bad news”. All previous sessions are available on this playlist.

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Why the Bible is best for mental health

Posted on by Phill Sacre

Mental Health has got big over the last few years. A lot of people turn to techniques such as mindfulness. But I believe the Bible is better than any technique. Here’s why.

What the video covers

  • The problem with techniques such as mindfulness
  • Five reasons the Bible is best when it comes to mental health:
    1. The Bible is God’s word (Psalm 19:7-9)
    2. The words of the Bible are powerful (Hebrews 4:12)
    3. The Bible reveals the truth about us (James 1:23-24)
    4. The Bible brings us to God (John 6:63)
    5. The Bible brings us to others (John 13:34)

What to do next

If you’d like to see some examples of the Bible ‘in action’ when it comes to mental health, check out my regular Lockdown Mental Health sessions.

If you’d like to learn more about Christianity, you can subscribe on YouTube or check out one of the various courses on this website to learn about Christianity. You might be interested in the What is Christianity? course, which goes through a very brief overview of the Bible in six sessions.

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Lockdown Mental Health Support – Psalm 118

Posted on by Phill Sacre

Last night’s mental health livestream was on Psalm 118: “Will it be OK in the end?” It’s so easy at the moment to be full of worries about how it’s all going to turn out. Maybe we think of what’s happening to our children, or to our jobs, or families, and the like. We just don’t know what’s going to happen. Psalm 118 helps us to be confident that things will work out in the end.

These verses really struck me this time round:

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in princes.

I am aiming to do a session each Friday night during lockdown. I find that it’s helpful for my own mental health, let alone anyone else’s!

Last week’s one was on Psalm 27 – “Don’t give up hope”. They will all be available on the playlist.

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Lockdown Mental Health Support – Psalm 27

Posted on by Phill Sacre

Last night’s lockdown mental health livestream was on Psalm 27: “Don’t give up hope!” Hope is a hugely powerful thing when it comes to resilience. If we think that things will never change and we’re stuck with awful circumstances forever, we might give up hope. On the other hand, if we trust that things will get better, we will have hope. Psalm 27 is full of hope, even in the midst of difficult times.

I was really struck by the final two verses:

13 I remain confident of this:
     I will see the goodness of the Lord
     in the land of the living.
 14 Wait for the Lord;
     be strong and take heart
     and wait for the Lord.

I am aiming to do a session each Friday night during lockdown. I find that it’s helpful for my own mental health, let alone anyone else’s!

Last week’s one was on Psalm 37. They will all be available on the playlist.

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What the Bible says about Resilience

Posted on by Phill Sacre

People have been talking about mental health a lot recently. Resilience is an important part of mental health and a lot of scientists have looked into it recently. The Bible has a lot to say about what we would call resilience.

Here I bring together eight points (briefly!) from a book called Resilience: A Spiritual Project by Kirsten Birkett. They are:

  1. Adversity leads to strength
  2. A sense of meaning and purpose
  3. Transcendence
  4. Hope and optimism and positive emotions
  5. Altriusm
  6. Self- (God-) efficacy
  7. Forgiveness
  8. A social network

The Bible actually dovetails really well with the modern concept of resilience. If you are growing in the Christian faith, you are also growing in resilience.

Explore further

If you’d like to learn more about Christianity, you might like to begin with the What is Christianity? course.

If you want to see how this works out in practice, you might like to see the videos I’ve been doing on mental health during the lockdown. The most recent one was on Psalm 37, but they are all available on this playlist.

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Lockdown Mental Health Support – Psalm 37

Posted on by Phill Sacre

Last night, I did another Lockdown Mental Health Support livestream. This time the Bible passage was Psalm 37. I chose this Psalm because it speaks into feeling powerless and at the mercy of forces beyond our control. Some people get fearful, or some people get angry – I can sympathise with both of those responses. But the best thing to do is trust God and accept that he is in control of things we can’t control.

I found these verses particularly helpful:

Stop being angry!
   Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
   it only leads to harm.
For the wicked will be destroyed,
   but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.
(vv8-9)

I am aiming to do a session each Friday night during lockdown. I find that it’s helpful for my own mental health, let alone anyone else’s!

Last week’s one was on Psalm 29. They will all be available on the playlist.

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Lockdown Mental Health Support – Psalm 29

Posted on by Phill Sacre

I have just done another YouTube livestream on lockdown mental health. I’ve been a bit up and down this week to be honest, and my family have too. Many people I’ve spoken to have said they’re really struggling at the moment. It’s funny looking back at the videos I did at the start of the first lockdown – I don’t think I really knew what struggling was at that point!

Anyway, I’m planning to do a session each Friday evening during the lockdown. We’ll spend a few minutes reading the Bible and then pray. I find it hugely helpful to do this and I hope you do too.

Last week’s one on Psalm 23 is still available to catch up with.

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Lockdown Mental Health Support – Psalm 23

Posted on by Phill Sacre

Last night, I did a livestream on YouTube on Psalm 23. The subject was particularly about lockdown mental health support – I felt like I needed to turn to the Bible to help me! I’ve found this one of the hardest weeks of my life, I’m sure other people have felt that too.

If you’d like to watch it again or catch up, you can do so here:

I’m hoping to do another one next week. If you have any prayer requests or any particular issues you’d like me to look at, please comment below.

I did a video a couple of years ago about mental health from a Christian perspective – check it out here.

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