Jason’s Mental Health Tips
Splitting is the inability to see circumstances, relationships and situations as having both good and bad qualities. This polarized view of looking at the world can take a toll - when in reality, the good and the bad can, and often do, exist together.
Song: Portland Maine by Donovan Woods
If we look hard enough, there are things in each of our lives that we can be thankful for. By incorporating the practice of thanksgiving or gratitude, we can influence our lifestyle and benefit emotionally, mentally, physically and relationally from it.
Song: Next to You - John Vincent III
You are unique and have individual gifts. Those giftings, or strengths, form your identity and can enhance the world around you. However, those strengths can also become overbearing when left to go to the extreme. This month Jason is putting out a call for mindfulness, for awareness towards tendencies, and for health.
'You should do this...'.
The language we use communicates our perspective. While offering advice can provide the appearance of being helpful, it can also be subtly undermining an individual's ability to make decisions that they must ultimately live with.
Do you often tell people what they should do without them asking for it? What does your choice of language ultimately communicate to those around you?
With Covid-19 restrictions changing, the horrors of the traumas of residential schools through the discovery of buried children, and the forest fires plaguing British Columbia, it is perfectly acceptable to have mixed and many emotions.
Jason wants to encourage you to feel your emotions; you can start to process them in doing so.
This month, Jason extends a challenge to determine the state of your heart by evaluating the words that come out of your mouth.
Pastor Rick Warren is quoted in sharing that:
'A harsh tongue reveals an angry heart. A negative tongue reveals a fearful heart. A boasting tongue reveals an insecure heart. An overactive tongue reveals an unsettled heart. A judgmental tongue reveals a guilty heart. A critical tongue reveals a bitter heart.'
Jason has continued the quote by acknowledging that:
'A soft tongue reveals a content heart. A positive tongue reveals a peaceful heart. A humble tongue reveals a secure heart. A quiet tongue reveals a settled heart. A gracious tongue reveals a forgiven heart. An encouraging tongue reveals a grateful heart.'
This month with COVID fatigue rearing its head, I want to encourage you to tend to your health and wellness holistically. With the entire world having gone through a year of uncertainty, economic disruption, social connections being distanced and growing mental, physical, and spiritual health concerns, it is important to tend to each part of the self to experience continued wellness.
This means more than just eating kale and chia seeds (though those can have health benefits too!), and includes each part of yourself.
Look at the Wellness Wheel below, I would encourage you to take inventory of where your levels are at and strategies ways to increase your experience in the areas that might not be so full. A round wheel functions the best. What we want to see are whole and full sections representing health in all areas!
