大象传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Ruth Yimika Afolabi

Good Morning,

We all know the importance of good mental health, but actually implementing practices that help maintain it can quickly take a back seat when juggling careers, relationships and life鈥檚 curveballs.

More often than not, it takes us burning out completely before paying attention to our mental hygiene. I have been guilty of this recently when I returned to work after having a child. I was trying to balance everything, and as tempting as it was to try to be superwoman, I quickly realised I needed to prioritise and get support. I saw that asking for help didn鈥檛 make me weak but made me stronger in the areas where I was needed.

While some of us may struggle more than others, for all of us, there is no final landing point with mental health. Situations will happen throughout life which will impact us, and, even if we are taking care of ourselves, sometimes a dip in mental state cannot be helped, and further steps are needed to look after ourselves.

One of my favourite conversations with my organisation鈥檚 community has been about faith and therapy. Many people of faith might dismiss therapy and other tangible help in favour of solely talking with God. While I don鈥檛 disregard the importance of bringing our problems to God in prayer, I have experienced first-hand the space in which therapy allows us to unpack certain things and the practical tools it offers to thrive when moving forward. I firmly believe that reading the Bible, prayer and therapy go hand-in-hand.

So, God, I pray that you be with those facing challenges with their mental health. May you help them to heal and give them the guidance and courage to seek help where needed. May we be reminded to take stock of how we are and what we can do practically to help ourselves.