Emotional and Mental Health: Be a Kid Again

 

When was the last time you acted like a kid, did something just for the fun of it, or did more on your day off than catch up on chores? We all have our favorite things from childhood.

That favorite toy, or the one you always wanted, but never received is a clue to what made you happy as a child. Consider purchasing that toy now; just google it and see what you can find. Put it on a shelf as a knickknack, or if possible play with it.

Blowing bubbles, casting a yo-yo, jumping on a trampoline, swinging at the park, playing board games, catching the wind with a pin wheel (windmill), making crafts with grandchildren or the children in your church Body, racing cars on a track, finger painting, flying a remote plane or drone, etc. are all very therapeutic.

Gazing at that favorite Tonka truck sitting on the bookshelf in your den will feed your soul. Dolls come in all sizes and shapes; buy one that catches your interest and get a few sets of clothes to redress her now and then as she sits pretty on your bedroom shelf.

Some men go mudding in their truck; ever wonder why? It is therapeutic to their soul. Women love to dress up and wear extensive make-up, high heeled shoes and sparkling jewelry, because it brings out the princess in them.

Give yourself time to play with friends - laugh, love, relax and unwind. Take time to ride the attractions at theme parks or to see the shows. Attend a concert or view a production by your local thespians.

Go skiing, surfing, fishing, hiking, biking, boating, fly a kite, etc. Play in the rain or run through the sprinkler; model at your local clothing store; take a music, cooking, baking or woodworking class, etc.

Volunteer at the local animal shelter or rescue; and give those frightened, lonely animals some attention. Serve food at a local soup kitchen or visit a homeless shelter or nursing home and show care to the people there.

Purchase an adult coloring book and felt markers to take time to color. Play a video game. Construct a cardboard puzzle, or buy a book of word puzzles and use it to wind down before bed. Giving the kid in us a chance to play improves our physical, mental and emotional health.

Prayer:

Father God, we are Your children, co-heirs with Christ of Your Kingdom, and You delight over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). You spoil us by providing all of our needs in abundance and keeping us safely tucked under the shadow of Your wings. As Christians, we tend to be stuffy, overly serious and we spurn good, clean fun.

Help us to connect with the child in us that You created, and who even now still dwells in us (Matthew 18:3). As we age, we often lower our defenses and allow the child-like part of our personality more freedom of expression; but please teach us to embrace the humility, creativity and innocence of that part of our self regardless of our age.

Thought for the Day:

Allowing our Inner Child out of whatever box, hole or closet we hid them in, so they would not embarrass us, is a very healthy step to take; we put away childish things and don the responsibility of an adult (1 Corinthians 13:11), but we should not attempt to murder or imprison that creative, fun-loving aspect of our personality (Psalm 131:2).

WHO LOVES YOU - Part 3 - God's Healing Love

 

Some people seem to laugh easily; others laugh sparingly, almost grudgingly. Some cry at commercials; others hardly shed a tear if hit by the worst of personal disasters. 

Emotions are often frightening. They are so intense that they cause us to feel insecure and unsure of our self. We feel out of control and unstable. This causes many people to shut off their emotions.

They function from their mind and refuse to feel. They do not want to experience the pain which accompanies many emotions. They do not like feeling vulnerable and defenseless.

Men are taught that emotions are a sign of weakness. They will not allow themselves to cry or to admit being hurt. Their macho identity is in peril. They often despise emotions and disdain anyone who expresses them.

They think people will reject them if they knew how they really feel. This hinders them and their significant others from the free exchange of expression from their souls.

They separate from this vital part of their existence. They only connect to others through their mind, body and choices. They stop considering how their behavior affects another person's life.

Some people are very independent. They are self-sufficient, having their own agenda and they prefer not to interact too intimately in relationships unless they are in the mood for companionship.

Others are quite the opposite. They are dependent on others in order to survive. They feel no value in their abilities and are incapable of living alone. They lack confidence and self-esteem.

Some are codependent. They live for others and are only happy when they can rescue or enable someone else. They deny their own needs as a martyr.

Then they feel resentful and grow angry and bitter about all the sacrifices they make and responsibilities that they carry, which are not reciprocated.

Ideally, we all grow from these tainted and lopsided philosophies into interdependent people. We learn to accomplish things with our God-given talents and to form equally mutual relationships. We enjoy alone time, but also intimacy as well.

These healthy people recognize that positive emotions improve our life. They understand that negative emotions flag some issue, which need our attention. They easily commit to others as the Lord leads, and they readily forgive others.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to have the mind of Christ and allow us to feel Your healing love. Help us to love what You care about and to hate what You despise. Lead us on the pathway to wholeness. We are Your children and You spend every second of Your time showering us with Your abundant love.

Sometimes, we get so busy that we are not even aware of You communicating the unfathomable depth of Your love to each of us personally. You know us intimately and You want us to love You intimately as well. 

As we allow Your Spirit to bring us gradually closer to Your perfection as well as harmony with one another, we come together as Your Body, knit together with You as our Head and as the lover of our soul (Ephesians 4:16; Isaiah 38:17; Psalm 143:8).

Thought for the Day:

God only asks that we repent and ask for forgiveness when we fail; then He wants us to open up to the Holy Spirit’s direction so we can walk in obedience to His will for our individual lives. - Acts 3:19

Eternal Outlook

Well-meaning friends and relatives often attempt to talk us out of our negative emotions in an effort to help us to feel better. However, this only causes us to suffer more acutely.

We feel misunderstood, unaccepted and invalidated. They want to help; but they complicate our issues, and we feel more alone than we did before they tried to support us.

Their perception of our issue is different than ours. They were not in the circumstance, so they cannot fully comprehend our viewpoint.

We can help one another more fully by listening and affirming each other's feelings, rather than trying to help someone change their feelings.

We can also share a similar experience and how God taught us to deal with it, which may give them an idea on how to resolve their own issue.

Sometimes, Satan will tempt us to believe his lies, or to trust the feelings in our heart. This may cause us to reject God's truth, which compounds our problems.

The Bible is clear in its assessment of such behavior. The heart is deceptive and often wicked. It will rarely steer us in the right direction (Jeremiah 17:9).

Our thoughts influence our feelings, and our feelings will direct our behavior. Therefore, it is imperative for us to think about the positive and find the root of our negative emotions (Philippians 4:8).

This is particularly difficult for people with a melancholy personality. We always see the glass half-empty. Yet, God's Holy Spirit will replace our destructive tendencies with His fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Negative thoughts signal a need in our soul: a slight to mourn, forgiveness to grant, a need to meet, an idol to cast down, faulty thinking to correct, etc.

As we focus on the eternal, put temporal issues in Godly perspective, and take an inventory of our soul in order to meet our own needs, we find more peace and joy in life. 

Prayer:

Father God, we often feel life's issues with a depth of emotion, which is difficult to explain in words. People want to encourage us and help us to restore our joy, but they often come across as indifferent and uncompassionate.

Help us to comfort one another with Your love within us and to show patience and genuine concern. Remind us to view the issues of life from Your eternal perspective, rather than our limited earthly standpoint. Enable us to learn to laugh more and not to take our self or life so seriously.

Thought for the Day:

As we fully grieve our losses, we can change our focus and find the joy of the Lord regardless of our circumstances.