[Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Protect your mental health in this New Year

By Oke Chinye

Read: Proverbs 4:20-27

Meditation verse:

“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

Your mental and emotional wellbeing are essential to the quality of your life experience. What you think of, what you do and who you associate with, will affect how you feel which will either positively or negatively impact your mental health. Proverbs 4:23 says: “keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life”. With increase in mental health challenges and suicide rates, prioritizing your mental wellbeing is important. Here are some ways to enhance your mental health to enable you thrive as you proceed this year.

• Be very intentional about what you focus on this year. Jack Ma is quoted as saying “if you want to feed a problem, keep thinking about it”. It is so easy to focus on what you have lost, times you have failed, whose fault it is and why it happened. The human brain prefers to focus on what could go wrong. You will need to constantly redirect your focus to more positive aspects of your life. Philippians 4:8, says: “finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things”

• Constantly audit your focus. Ask yourself ‘why am I feeling this way’? What am I focusing on? Then change your focus if you need to. Spend your time on things that build your confidence rather than on what diminishes it.

• Regulate the influence of your external forces on your mental health. Ask yourself, ‘what is that thing in the outside world that when I see, it reduces my self-confidence and sense of self-worth? It may be presence of certain people or the social media handles of some individuals, which portray them as being perfect. Distance yourself from whatever it is. Delete, block and bar if you need to.

• Be the observer and controller of your life. A thermometer fluctuates up and down, depending on the temperature of the environment, whilst a thermostat controls the temperature. Choose to be a thermostat and control the tempo and pace of your life.

• Figure out what you are good at and develop yourself to become amazing at it. Stop focusing on fixing your weaknesses. It is a losing strategy for your mental wellbeing. Pay others to do for you what you are not good at and stay with what you are good at.

• Be very selective of who you permit into your personal space. Avoid people who dispense negativism. They will drain your internal power: (that is your hope, self-belief, resilience, and optimism). Have you noticed that you become so exhausted after spending time with some people? They either keep saying negative things, putting others down, constantly arguing or trying to control you? You need to keep a distance from such people for the sake of your mental health.

• Do not let people’s actions determine your emotions and actions. Since our actions determine our outcomes, when you let others determine how you react, you are invariably letting them determine the outcomes you get out of life. You can’t control the actions of other people, People do not get you angry, they just do what they do, and you react as you will. You can control your response and reaction.

• Do not wait for apologies before forgiving an offence. You may be waiting for a long time. Suppose they never apologise? Would you stay angry forever? That carrying too much baggage around.

• Be responsible for your life and actions. Own your experiences. Cherish the good, change the bad, accept what you cannot change. Strive to become financially independent. Avoid depending on others for your existence. If you do, they will control your life.

• Assert yourself when you should. It is wise to know when to speak and when to be silent. The bible says in (Proverbs 26:4-5). do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him, in the next verse it says answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his conceit When people mistreat you, let them know. We teach others how to treat us.

• Never compare yourself with anybody. Be unapologetically who you are. The apostle Paul says comparing themselves with themselves, they are not wise. Do not be unwise. Don’t compare. The people you are comparing yourself with have their own flaws.
• Get out of the goal post of your life and play in the midfield. Action breeds confidence. Inaction breeds fear.

• Lastly, guard your heart with all diligence. The battle is always first lost in the mind. Feed your mind with the word of God and avoid unwholesome content. Remember, as a man thinketh in his heart so is he (Proverbs 23:7).

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

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