It’s that time of the year again when the weather starts getting colder unless you live somewhere warm like my brother’s family and the low is like 70. But, no matter where you live the nights are getting longer and the days short. At this time of the year, Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can weigh heavy on some people, but it’s not only SAD, it can also be any mental health issue that increases during this time. The holidays are supposed to be a happy and joyful time just like all the hallmark movies show you. About 20 minutes before the movie is over, the villain receives justice, and just about the 12-minute mark the two that didn’t look at each other in a romantic way, fall in love and they live happily ever after. Unfortunately, life doesn’t happen that way. Mental health issues and disorders are all too real in the lives of those who live with it. Did you know that 1 out of 5 people deals with mental health in some way shape or form?

If you have read my blog for any amount of time you probably have caught that I personally deal with anxiety. I didn’t understand what the issue was when I was younger but more recently, thanks to the fact that mental health has been more of an open discussion than ever before, it has helped me see what was actually going on in my brain and how that was affecting my daily life. I have also read books that break down our brains and how they work. The Neural pathways in our brains are paved based on our habits and behaviors which involve our thoughts. Did you know that from the moment you think a thought to that thought having physiologically, scientifically, indisputably changed your brain, ten minutes have elapsed? Isn’t that crazy?  In my last blog, if you didn’t get a chance to read it I would suggest heading over and giving it a read after this, I had a lot of negative thoughts and the repetitive nature of those negative thoughts carved out large pathways that were hard to break. 

This was the reason I got a tattoo. No matter what your feelings on tattoos are let’s put that to the side for just a moment so you can understand the reason for me why I got this particular tattoo which is pictured above. When I look at my tattoo on my right wrist, I am reminded of God’s faithfulness. The mountain represents that no matter if I am on the mountain top experience with my head in the clouds or in the deepest, darkest valley or somewhere in between, falling down the side of the mountain or gripping to everything inside of me to put one foot in front of the other to hike back up the mountain, that God is always with me. I am never alone, which is contrary to my past negative thoughts of feeling alone or that no one would understand. I took this step of getting a tattoo as a daily reminder that those lies I used to tell myself ARE lies and to replace those thoughts with true thoughts.

Now the color around the mountain represents my family. My husband is my rock when the waves come crashing all around me and he is represented by the blue color. Pink and Purple represent my girls, one because that is their favorite colors but second because they are so vibrant and strong young ladies and I can’t wait to see them blossom into what God created them to be. 

The reminder daily of God’s faithfulness is a super important part of my story and my anxiety is a part of me. God isn’t a genie we just make a request and he snaps his fingers and it’s done. I have come to the realization that anxiety will be a part of me for the rest of my life but I don’t look at that in despair. I have gained tools to manage it with the help from meeting with a counselor, reading books about the mind and books about mental health by Christian authors, and finally taking steps every day to use the tools I have learned to become who God created me to be, anxiety and all! 

I pray that this blog today was an encouragement to you and can help in your daily life. Always know I am available to pray with you or just be someone to talk to when life gets hard. E-mail me at megan@churchanywhere.us if you need prayer! 

Talk to you soon!