You have heard by now that mental health levels on the whole are poor. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t felt down or discouraged lately.
If no one has asked you recently, I will….
How are you doing? Don’t offer up the standard “fine”. How are you doing, really?
We aren’t entitled to be doing great all the time and you know better than to expect things to be perfect. Still, there is a difference between regular life stuff and being unhealthy emotionally or spiritually.
It’s ok to not be ok, it is not ok to stay that way. If you need a boost check out our recent series and some of our “best of” messages about mental and spiritual health on our YouTube Channel.
So that’s you, but how are the three people in your life you need to check on?
Loneliness is at an all time high. People are looking for places to connect. Hoping they can find a sense of belonging. They want to know they belong somewhere to someone in a meaningful way.
You might be surprised how simply checking in with someone, asking how they are doing and remembering what they have told you in the past can improve their mental health and yours.
Your three people are actually three groups of people.
1) How is Your Family Doing?
You love these people more than any others. A few conversations here for a few minutes can make your family much more of what you want it to be.
We live together but sometimes it is so easy to make assumptions about the
people we see all the time. A few minutes asking your child how they feel and if they are worried about anything can start a powerful conversation.
Married? Remember that person you promised to spend the rest of your life with? How are they? You need to ask them how they are feeling about life. If things are great, celebrate with them. If things are off talk about possible changes. If things are normal…go out to eat or catch a movie and enjoy spending some time together.
We have a few recommendations if you sense things aren’t perfect for your marriage or family at the moment, Mental Health or Family Resources.
2) Your Friends “I’ll be there for you….”
Friends can be a big pool of people, it could be anything from someone as close as family to someone you hung out with a few times or go to the same church.
For this, think about the people you would choose to spend spare time with! These are the friends you need to check on.
Unless your friends are incredibly unique they have felt some loss, grief and loneliness in the last few months. There is also a good chance no one has stopped to see how they are doing. They just keep going, busy and hoping things will get better soon.
With friends, just push a little. Do what I did with you! Ask them how they are doing, when they say “fine” or “great” then ask them how they are REALLY doing. Just asking the question again with sincerity is usually enough to start a real conversation.
3) Your Outer Circle
We all have people on the outer circle of life. We work with them, live next to them and see them in all kinds of situations.
You don’t have the same relational permission here are you do with family and friends. The best way to check on them is to listen. Listen for the “nots”
I was not ready for …..
It is not going well…
This is not what I expected…
When you hear a not, that is your cue. Ask a simple follow up question. Listen and encourage them.
In my mind whenever I hear a “not” my first thought is they need to come to Mt Ridge.
Mt Ridge is for them. Lonely, we want to connect. Overwhelmed, we want to help. Got Questions, Jesus has answers.
When you check on your outer circle, the best thing you can do is listen for “nots” and then let them know there is a place for them!
You may not have known this, but checking on the three people in your life is good for you too. Connecting, listening, talking and trying to help others does wonders for your own mental and spiritual health.
Check on them because you love them, but don’t be too surprised when you find checking on other people gives you a boost.
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We love connecting with people. Visit us at mountainridge.org
Finally, check our our YouTube channel for great videos designed to help you move forward