ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & RESOURCES
 

Here's some tips to reduce stress from one of our team members, Pastor Howard Renker:
 

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
Consider all the good things God has done for you. Take a few minutes to focus your attention on God. Then speak out loud, “God will get me through this.”, I can handle this.” or “This too shall pass.”

REACH OUT
Talk to somebody. Call a friend or family member. Share. Connecting with others gives insight and perspective. It will benefit both of you.

RELAX
Put on some soothing music. Take a bath. Put a warm towel around your neck. Put your feet up. Breath long and deep. If you happen to take a nap, that’s fine.

LAUGH
Watch a funny movie. Search for humorous videos on YouTube. Cat videos always get me. Believe it or not there are some good ones associated with the Coronavirus. Allow yourself to loosen up by laughing out loud. Proverbs 17:22 says, “Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It is slow death to be gloomy all the time.”

GET PHYSICAL
Stretch, exercise. Go for a walk. Do some yard work. Get that garden ready for the coming warm weather.

ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING
Clean a closet. Do a picture puzzle. Knit. Sew. Change a light bulb.  Completing things brings satisfaction and closure in a time of uncertainty.

BE GRATEFUL
Think about things to be thankful for. Speak them out loud. “I am thankful for ____________.”

PRAY
“Heavenly Father, bless my friends and family and help them get through this time. I cast all my anxiety upon you because I know that you care for us. You will be our strength in this time of trouble. In Jesus Name, Amen.”

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

• Excessive worrying or fear
• Feeling excessively sad or low
• Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning
• Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria
• Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger
• Avoiding friends and social activities
• Difficulties understanding or relating to other people
• Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy
• Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite
• Changes in sex drive 
• Difficulty perceiving reality (delusions or hallucinations, in which a person experiences and senses things that don't exist in objective reality)
• Inability to perceive changes in one’s own feelings, behavior or personality (”lack of insight” or anosognosia)
• Overuse of substances like alcohol or drugs
• Multiple physical ailments without obvious causes (such as headaches, stomach aches, vague and ongoing “aches and pains”)
• Thinking about suicide
• Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress
• An intense fear of weight gain or concern with appearance

A: Yes, absolutely, when indicated. It is important to know what is going on in your body before you decide if medication is right for your struggle. Since we are made as triune beings our mind, body and spirit all play a role in our wellbeing.
Seeking guidance from your medical doctor, pastor and therapist is important to determine if you need medication. The Bible mentions medicines in many passages (Jeremiah 8:22; Ezekiel 47:12/Revelation 22:2; Isaiah 38:21; 2 Kings 20:7; Luke 10:33-34, Mark 2:17). 
Christianity has been on the forefront of promoting medical science for centuries for the express propose of reducing human suffering. 

A: No, not in the least. Many giants of faith suffered greatly from this human condition.

Job’s deep depression came from a set of Satan-instigated tragedies but the effect was deep, deep depression and physical manifestations as well.
 
Elijah in 1 Kings 19:4 he cries out, “I have had enough, LORD…Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”
In Psalm 6:5-7 David’s words ring, “I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears. My vision is blurred by grief...”

David throughout David’s life he experienced the depths and the extreme highs (Bipolar?) He becomes overwhelmed with sadness and unable to sleep. And yet God calls him “a man after his own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).

Jeremiah hid in a cave, wouldn’t eat and wanted to sleep all the time… (sound familiar?) In Lamentations 2:10 he says, “I have cried until the tears no longer come; my heart is broken.” 

A: There are numerous types of therapies used today depending on the individual. Some of the most common are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR). 

This link has more information on these therapies and more. Psychotherapy | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness

Additional Helpful Articles:

Why Depression is Not the Sign of an Angry God

Discovering Hope When It Feels Like Depression Has Won

4 Beacons of Growth after Trauma

For more information on our Mental Health Support Ministries at Crossroads, please email  .