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When I arrived at the psych hospital for a workshop the facilitator prescriptively said, “This is the beginning of your 3-5 year journey of trauma treatment”. I said, and I quote, “Listen lady. I’m here for 3-5 days”.  One long hospital stay and four years later, I proved her right. I am still in trauma treatment.

Trauma treatment is a mixed bag of listening to yourself process trauma and listening to what others hear in your experience.  It is to be nakedly honest about your life so you can point at something and be able to say with confidence “this is where it hurts”. While my trauma treatment includes medication mostly it is about ciphering my memories and what I feel about my experiences.  It is to give way to the self conscious and discover the secrets that live beneath it.

I do well cognitively. I can organize a business, be a journalist, pastor or consultant with some sense of confidence  However my confidence breaks when I am asked to reflect emotionally on my life.  I find myself on thin ice when it comes to finding words to describe the toxic memories that captivate my nightmares. To live on the edge of emotion and pain is terrifying .

However, to heal I must be willing to live in this space that holds a foot in the doorway of emotional pain so that light can come in to the darkest of places in my mind.  Trauma treatment is no joke but I continue with the hope that as I allow light in it will shatter the darkness.

I set out to portrait a hope filled journey where I conquering the reality and stigma of mental illness. Several years of writing later, and I have hope that my tomorrows will be better than my yesterdays but I also have conflicting and challenging thoughts about living life with mental illness.

I see a doctor and therapist regularly and take all my dozen or so prescribed meds.  Regular exercise, watching my diet, prayer and journaling are routine parts of my life.  However, it is frustrating that even with following a solid routine of trauma therapy, good health practices and treatment for my mental illness I still find many days where I do not feel well. Days where my emotions or illness seem to row the boat rather than an upbeat conquer-the-world demeanor. I find myself wishing I were less symptomatic of my mental illness and could function throughout the day like a “normal” person.

However isolating my journey through mental illness is, I have to remember that I am no different than anybody else dealing with chronic illness.  Everybody has some part of their life they need to manage with care and kid gloves. Whether it be physical health, emotional health, stress or challenging relationships there is always a piece of us that needs consistent balancing and tweaking to keep it on course.

So, yes, treatment is difficult. Talking about the same triggers and challenges ad nauseam with my therapist and doctor rubs my patience raw. I find myself consistently irritated at the glacial pace of healing, wishing for simple solutions and easy answers. But I am comforted by the fact that my experience of working, praying and living through challenges is just part of the human experience.

Here’s to living with hope, the stuff of potential and future realized dreams. Keep living with hope because I am normal and so are you

For many people the holidays can be a mirage of joy and peace. The bustle of the season does not shimmer with happiness, instead it just highlights their daily struggle with metal illness. From where they sit while “everyone” else enjoys themselves, they are stuck dealing with the day to day struggle of staying mentally and emotionally balanced. It’s as if their challenges stand as an obstacle to the joy “everyone” else is experiencing.

Having a realistic view of the holidays can combat the longing and jealousy I often feel about the “everybody” elses of the world.  The holidays give me the opportunity to be realistic about my expectations of both myself and others. Being realistic allows room for me to savor the good moments I am lucky enough to enjoy. Here are some tips for adding some realistic boundaries to your holiday season.

First of all, remember that just because the calendar and seasons change our lives actually go on as usual.  There are still bills to be paid, medications to take and illnesses to manage. Life and mental illness doesn’t take a break just because its Christmas.  Setting expectation that the season will lessen or eradicate  our pre-existing challenges is to set yourself up for disappointment.

Secondly, planning ahead can help.  For some, making a list of celebratory events and choosing intentionally which invitations to accept aids in keeping the calendar overcrowded and stress at a minimum.  I like to write gifts and recipients down in my journal so I can remember what I am doing, clearing my mind of worrying or having to remember all the details.  A little bit of planning goes a long way towards allowing the brain to rest and not obsess.

Third, embrace your humanity! You are one person who has a human body and defined amount of hours during the day.  Pushing yourself beyond reasonable healthy limits will only lessen your ability to maintain your mental and emotional health. Think of it as a pie. How much of that pie are you able to give to your family, errands, and celebrations? More importantly how much of that pie are you able to give to yourself to keep your energy reserves up so you can serve and bless your family and friends.

Fourth, enjoy! Be thankful for and relish the moments that are good. Life is a mixed bag of good and bad.  However, mental illness can cloud the reality that there are moments in every day that can be appreciated.  Being thankful for good physical health, the sunrise, a warm home, pets, friends or family can change a downward trajectory to one that is more positive.

Finally, celebrate the season in a way that honors the way you were created.  You are special, even with all your bumps and bruises.  So live the season in ways that honor God, your body and all your unique characteristics.  Celebrate you without comparing your experiences with others. You were created like nobody else in the world, so live like nobody else.

As if regulatory day to day concerns and tasks aren’t already mind boggling, the holidays can add to the overwhelm.  The season presents us with the challenge of limited time with an intimidating number of items getting added to our calendars and to do lists.  The holidays can feel like it is about making everybody else happy in exchange for ignoring our own need for calm, routine, and peace.

As a pastor, I had a love hate relationship with the holiday season. I loved putting together meaningful celebrations for our church to recognize their own gratitude and celebrate the birth of Christ. However, for so many years I felt disconnected from the reasons for the celebration because of my own sense of disrupted life rhythm and depression.  As I have acknowledged this harried relationship with celebrations I have learned how to manage so I can take in the holidays with enjoyment instead of dread.

4 Steps to Balancing the Holidays

1. Take breaks: Taking a break with a book, cup of coffee, mediation or a good movie is good for the soul to rejuvenate and be at its best capacity to continue to give to others. This isn’t wasting time – this is important mind rest that can re-charge your batteries for the next task.
2. Acknowledge and nurture your own needs: Even in the midst of the craziness we need to care for ourselves.  Don’t neglect sleep, good soul care, and nutrition. While these seem basic the holidays tempt us to push beyond our limits which diminishes our ability to sustain health through the season.
3. Prioritize life giving relationships: The holidays can bring a challenge to us of socializing with strangers or with family that doesn’t bring you joy.  While avoiding those interactions may be impossible balancing those with relationships that bring you life, joy, hope and peace will keep your tank fuller.
4. Be realistic: Our budgets, bodies and calendars can only carry so much.  Recognizing that there are limits and being ok with that is so important to our mental health. Saying no to some things helps make room for the really important moments

It is truly all about creating balance in your life so you can enjoy this wonderful time of year instead of dreading it!

Much has been in the news lately about forgiveness. I have my own battles with the concept.  I have been asked many time how I can forgive those who wounded me, stole my innocence and wielded the Bible as an excuse to abuse me.

There was a time when I had to say to myself, almost every minute “i forgive”. It was a blanket statement covering all who I felt offended or hurt me. But by saying it over and over on repeat it slowly became less of a mantra and more of a lifestyle. Forgiveness isn’t solely about a moment. It is truly an attitude that stands witness to the fact that even the most egregious of faults can be overcome by a grace that doesn’t come from ourselves but from our faith.

At some point I didn’t have to remind myself every minute that there needed to be forgiveness for me to walk forward. It became every five minutes, than every half hour until only in the moments when I hurt the worst and wanted someone to blame did I need to recall and breathe the words “i forgive”.

Church members stood up at a my custody hearing and swore my mother would never hurt me. They swore on the Bible that she was a good parent and couldn’t possibly do the things I said she did.  I forgave them because they didn’t know any better. I didn’t blame the church or God or my faith for the hurt that caused. I held people, fallible, human people responsible for their actions and I forgave them.

At the end of the day isn’t that what we all want? To be recognized that we are people who make mistakes. There is accountability, reconciliation, restitution and consequences for our actions. But to those who harm others we must also consider that grace was offered freely to us and others deserve that also.

Forgiveness has not wiped away the memory of what was lost, stolen or what hurt was caused. It does however free me repeating a pattern of hurt and hatred that was offered to me. On good days I offer grace. On bad days I repeat to myself “i forgive” – hoping others will offer the same to me.