Mental Health – Page 2 – Hope for Complete Healing

Healing Depression: The Role of Gut Health and Diet

Are you interested in knowing the root cause of depression? Your mental and emotional health will improve once you fix the root causes. In my last post, I explained how the power of God helped me overcome my depression in college and still helps me today. Spiritual health has a direct link to mental health. In this post, I want to teach you how physical health is linked to mental health. Being depressed like my mother and depending on medications was not what I wanted. I needed to find the root cause of my depression. I used trial and error because I didn’t have the internet.

My Story: How Lifestyle Changes Helped

I became severely depressed when my first husband abused me constantly. At times, I contemplated suicide, so I understand why people think suicidal thoughts. I did not feel valued by my husband, and I felt stuck and thought death was the best option to escape my pain. When I contemplated stabbing myself, I thought about my children, which kept me from doing it. I only thought about my afflictions, which made it hard to have healthy relationships.

Even though I was a Christian and went to church and Bible studies, I felt helpless that my marriage would change. Bible studies help me focus on God as my source of hope and love. Some people turn to drugs or alcohol or both to escape their pain, which significantly increases suicidal thoughts.

My friends were telling me I needed to get on anti-depressants. Knowing how much my mother saw the psychiatrists and changed medications, I knew I could not afford it. I was seeing a Christian psychologist who understood the damage of abuse. She helped me know what healthy love was and how to love myself. Thankfully, she bartered with me, where I did sewing jobs for counseling services. She was good about helping me deal with the trauma of abuse from my husband. However, she did not address my childhood trauma. As a result, I was still angry and insecure. I didn’t know how to love because I did not grow up in a loving environment. But God’s love sustained me during this time.

Because of the trauma from the abuse and not eating well, I suffered from many health problems. My sister gave me a book, “God’s Way to Ultimate Health” by Dr. George Malkmus. I eagerly read it. He had testimonies on the sidelines, and I read about how the raw food diet healed a woman of her deep depression. I changed my diet that day. Within six months, my depression and most of my health problems were healed. My back and joint pain were not cured, but that was because of degenerative joint disease, which is now healed by eliminating sugar, corn, and wheat. I still make 50-80% of my diet raw, plus I eat fish and organic meat. At 63 years old, I don’t have any health issues. I sometimes have migraines, which are hereditary, but those have decreased since I started using Celtic sea salt in my diet.

In Genesis 1:29, it says, “And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.“

The mental health training taught me that gut flora is critical to mental health. Ninety percent of the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine is manufactured in the gut and travels to the brain via the Vegas nerve. What happens in the gut occurs in the brain. I improved my gut health by eating a Mediterranean and FODMAP diet with raw sauerkraut. To learn more, read It Doesn’t Take Long to Reset Your Gut Health With Small Lifestyle Changes.

Lifestyle changes also improve hormone imbalances, which also play a role in depression. To understand more, read Can a Hormone Imbalance Cause Depression? Understanding the Link Between Hormones and Mental Health. Eating a healthy diet and exercising improves hormone balance. To learn more, read 10 Natural Ways to B a lance Your Hormones.

Also, read what WebMD says about Lifestyle Changes for Major Depressive Disorder, and Healthline has a great article called Lifestyle Changes for Depression.

Find all the Mental Health posts here.

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All verses are from the English Standard Bible. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

Check out my latest book, Breaking Mental Strongholds, which you can order on Amazon. To learn more about it, read my post called Breaking Mental Strongholds Book. Also, check out Fighting Unseen Battles on Amazon. To learn more about this book, read How to Fight Unseen Battles.

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of Eight Life-changing Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.

How to Overcome Anxiety from Trauma Memories

Anxiety is the number one mental health issue in the world. I will share how I overcame debilitating anxiety from trauma memories. I remain somewhat nervous and distressed when triggered. The internet has many articles on anxiety if you want to learn specifics. This post addresses anxieties beyond typical, everyday occurrences. Getting on a plane or speaking in front of people may cause anxiety for one person but not another. You may get nervous or worried when taking a test, entering a competition, or a job interview. Anxiety from traumatic experiences is a cause of depression, addiction, and PTSD.

I will not tell you that anxiety is weakness and beat you over the head with Bible verses. However, a spiritually healthy person will have less general anxiety because they trust in God and know they can give their worries or concerns to Him because He cares and will act (Psalm 37:1-5 and 1 Peter 5:7). Trusting God is the antidote for general anxiety.

Today, I want to delve into why we have debilitating anxiety and how to overcome it by healing trauma memories. Trauma is an overwhelming event or experience that exceeds one’s capacity to cope and has a lasting and controlling effect on the mind and body.

Anxiety and Stress.

I developed anxiety during my dysfunctional and abusive childhood, which caused a lot of stress. As a child and teen, I dealt with the stress by escaping through daydreaming, reading, watching TV, church events, and going to friend’s houses. Childhood stress often leads teens to escape through drugs and alcohol. Last week, I wrote a post explaining how to overcome stress because stress and anxiety go together. If you remain stressed for too long, you will become anxious. Please read last week’s post if you haven’t already done so. Your anxiety may be triggered as I share my testimony, so practice the stress reduction exercises I described in last week’s post.

I developed a full-blown anxiety disorder when I was married for seven years to my first husband, who was very abusive. That is also when fibromyalgia manifested. During one of our fights, he said, “You will never see the kids if you leave me.” This statement triggered panic attacks, and I still remember the exact moment he said it and where we were. I knew he meant it, and I felt trapped.

I can testify that admonishing someone not to be anxious or fearful who is experiencing trauma or trauma memories is counterproductive; instead, reassure them with something hopeful and guide them to see different options. I could only see my trauma and my need to escape. I had no other perception, even though I prayed for God’s help.

God spoke to me during a prayer walk and said I was free to leave my husband because he broke the covenant of love. I did not think through a safe plan and did not seek counsel, but God was with me, and He protected me and the children. I recommend that you talk with a counselor about a safe plan to leave an abusive partner, especially if you have children. Establishing a support system is helpful. The police department can help you find good counsel. Though I trusted God and knew he cared for me, it did not stop me from having full-on panic attacks every time my husband came to get the children. You can learn more about how God performed many miracles in my life during that time in the post called Trust God to Keep His Promises.

Anxiety and fear

Just as stress and anxiety go together, so do fear and anxiety. After I left my first husband, I became overcome with fear that he would kill me or the children, that he would keep his promise, and that I would never see my children again. As I write this, I am becoming anxious because words have power, and rethinking those words and reliving the emotion generate anxious feelings. So, telling someone not to be anxious but with thanksgiving by prayer and petitions, let your request be known to God, and you will have peace (Phil. 4:6-7) is not beneficial. This is a mental health issue, not a spiritual issue, though they are interrelated.

Overcoming Trauma Memories.

First, I recognize and take the trauma thought captive. Next, I put it out of my mind by saying something like; I take these destructive thoughts “that I will never see my children again” captive, and they are to leave my mind in Jesus’ name. Breathe slowly and deeply while relaxing tense muscles.

Second, I remind myself that God is with me, and I do not have to be afraid because he is my protector. I claim His promise that He is my shield and deliverer (Ps. 18:2 and Ps. 144:2). Putting out of my mind the stressful thoughts and putting in God’s promises helps the most to deconstruct trauma memories. God’s promises give you hope and a different perspective. Prayer works to help you transform your thoughts and wrong beliefs with God’s promises. Read my posts on God’s promises to know what they are.

The hardest thing God asked me to do was to visit the places I did not feel safe. So, I went to my childhood home and asked God to show me the memories of when I did not feel safe there. As soon as a memory came to my mind, I forgave the person in the memory. Next, I put the trauma memory out of my mind in Jesus’ name, along with the spirit of fear or some other oppressive spirit God shows me. Next, I put a spirit of peace or deliverance into my mind. I then thanked God for protecting me, being my shield, and keeping me from greater harm. I went to other locations and did the same thing. After completing this exercise, I was free from controlling thoughts that create anxiety in my life. Before I did that, I would have a panic attack for no reason. I believed they came from my fearful memories of not feeling safe. Once I asked God to heal those memories and put them out of my mind and put in God’s promises, I no longer had panic attacks.

What Trauma Memories to Look for.

As you look through the following list, try not to despair but follow my example of forgiving, putting off the negative memories and the spirit of oppression, fear, or bitterness. Then, replace it with a good thought that God was with you, understands your suffering, and is there to help you overcome it. Apply any of God’s promises. Find something to be thankful for about that situation, and so on. Healing trauma memories is necessary to stop them from controlling your thoughts, emotions, and behavior. I still have memories that need to be healed because I recognize automatic emotional reactions to specific triggers. You also may need to grieve a loss of some kind in the trauma memory. I advise you not to dwell on the loss or trauma.

Violence toward you or someone else: physical altercations, screaming fights, threats of violence, unfair punishments. Did you live in fear?
Emotional, sexual, physical, or mental abuse toward you or someone else. Did you have someone to go to for comfort? Were you abandoned because one or both parents were on drugs or incarcerated? Were one or both parents mentally or physically handicapped or mentally ill and could not care for you? Did you feel supported academically and encouraged to do different things? Was there constant pressure to do better or do more? Did you feel loved and accepted? Were you demeaned and put down?
Neglect of emotional or physical needs. Was there enough food to eat? Was the home a pig stye, and were your clothes not washed, which caused you embarrassment at school? Did you feel nurtured or encouraged to be your best at something you enjoyed? Were you abandoned by one or both parents through death or divorce? Was there empathy?
Were you bullied at home, school, or on social media? Did a teacher or other school personnel ridicule or embarrass you in front of the class?

Trauma memories are very different for everyone, even within the same family. To be free from debilitating anxiety, you must seek God to heal those memories and heal your mind. There is hope for complete healing. To learn more, read my online book.

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All verses are from the English Standard Version. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of relevant promises to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

Additionally, consider my book Fighting Unseen Battles, which describes the many unhealthy beliefs that control our lives and what the truths are. To learn more about this book, read the post How to Fight Unseen Battles.

How to Overcome Stress

Have you or are you experiencing stress? Stress occurs when you feel overwhelmed by a situation that is often out of your control. I would venture to say that all of us have experienced stress. Your spiritual health is evaluated by how you handle stress. Would you agree? For example, when you feel stressed, do you pray or swear? Do you worry or trust God? Do you become anxious or thankful?

Stress affects:

Your mental health when your job or family dynamics are challenging,
Your emotional health is affected when living or working with a problematic person or people,
Your spiritual health is affected when you have guilt from sin or legalism,
Your physical health is affected when you do hard physical labor or are overworked.

Did you notice how your muscles tense up when you feel stressed? Muscle tension is your body’s stress response, triggered by the parasympathetic nervous system. Head, neck, and shoulder muscle tension are common factors in tension and migraine headaches. Stress causes musculoskeletal pain in the lower back and upper extremities. When I am physically or mentally stressed, my fibromyalgia will flare up, which is very painful.

You may not have control of the situation causing the stress, but you can often control how the stress affects you. For example, my whole body tensed up when I learned that my daughter-in-law had to be induced early because of high blood pressure. I remained tense from worry until the baby was born.

The solution is to find a restful place or do a restful activity and intentionally unplug mentally and physically. It’s no surprise that rest is the solution to stress, so how do you rest when your life is full of stress?

Five healthy ways to overcome stress.

1. Learn to relax. Get comfy, tighten your muscles and face, then completely relax your muscles. Feel the tension drain out of your body. Remain relaxed. It helps to do the 4×4 breathing, where you breathe in four seconds, hold for four seconds, breathe out for four seconds, and hold again for four seconds. As you focus on your breathing, release more tension. This is also a great way to fall asleep fast. Relaxation shuts off the parasympathetic nervous system and reduces the cortisol level in your body. If you think about a stressful situation and become tense, practice this relaxation technique again.

2. Meditate. Meditation involves prayer and focusing on encouraging scriptures that reassure and comfort you. Ephesians 2:4-6 states, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Colossians 3:1-2 states, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” If our spirits are seated in heaven, and we are spiritually healthy, then our minds will be focused on the things of God in the Bible. When our minds focus on God’s truths, we will have peace and rest (Is. 26:3).

For example, I was harassed by a new supervisor who wanted me to quit. When I reported her to HR, she became vicious. I was very stressed and anxious. I meditated on Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” I put this verse on my computer screen to remind myself to focus on God and rest in this promise. I also forgave her, put off the negative, stressful thoughts, and put into my mind God’s promises. There are many promises you can meditate on to help you destress and change your mental focus. See my page called POSTS about God’s Promises for examples.

3. Take a full day off. Even God rested on the seventh day. Genesis 2:2-3 states, “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. ³So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” God is our example. We need to take a day to rest for our mental and physical health.

4. Distraction. Listen to praise music, read your Bible, do a puzzle, watch an inspiring movie, walk through a garden, or work in a garden. You get the idea.

5. Exercise. Walking and meditating on God’s character and the Scriptures reduce stress. Jumping on a mini-trampoline is also helpful in getting rid of tension.

Please leave a comment explaining how you relieve stress. Turning to food, sugar, alcohol, or drugs is not healthy and not recommended. May God bless you richly.

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My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of relevant promises to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

Why Be Physically Healthy?

The best reason to be physically healthy is because your physical health is directly related to your mental health and quality of life. Anxiety and depression are the number one and two mental health issues, and both can be improved or eliminated by being physically healthy. Being physically healthy requires self-control, a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-24). Disciplining our fleshly desire to be lazy and consuming soda, desserts, and candy is hard. The Holy Spirit in you will help you take care of your body and mind, which is the temple of God (1Cor. 3:16 & 6:19). You can choose what is good to have a healthy body and mind.

The following characterize what a physically healthy person does.

Eat healthy (i.e., Mediterranean or FODMAP).
Eliminate all soda, junk food, sugar, and wheat products. These cause inflammation and weaken your immune system.
Drink a lot of clean water (32 – 64 oz).
Exercises (i.e., daily stretching, mobilization, walking, or strength training.)
Fasts (i.e., intermittent twice a week, 24 -36 hours once per week.)
Rest from working (Sabbath)
Sleep well, at least 8 hours.

Exercise and Mental Health

The link between physical health and mental and emotional health is widely researched. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular exercise has many mental health and emotional benefits. It can help you:

Gain confidence. Meeting exercise goals or challenges, even small ones, can boost your self-confidence. Getting in shape also can make you feel better about how you look.
Get more social interaction. Exercise and physical activity may give you the chance to meet or socialize with others. Just sharing a friendly smile or greeting as you walk around your neighborhood can help your mood.
Cope in a healthy way. Doing something positive to manage depression or anxiety is a healthy coping strategy. Trying to feel better by drinking alcohol, dwelling on how you feel, or hoping depression or anxiety will go away on its own can lead to worsening symptoms.
Exercise releases feel-good endorphins and improves your sense of well-being.

According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; “Physical activity has many well-established mental health benefits. These are published in the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and include improved brain health and cognitive function (the ability to think, if you will), a reduced risk of anxiety and depression, and improved sleep and overall quality of life. Although not a cure-all, increasing physical activity directly contributes to improved mental health and better overall health and well-being.”

Food and Mental Health

What you eat affects mental health, which you can learn more about in this article. An article by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) explains, “A growing body of research points to the mental health benefits of a healthy diet. Studies have identified particular benefits in addressing depression, and several studies point to the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet. A 2019 review published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that increased fruit and vegetable consumption positively impacts psychological health, and daily vegetable consumption has a therapeutic impact by reducing symptoms of depression in people with clinical depression. A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine webinar presentation highlighting Nutrition and Mental Health reported on how improvements in diet can improve depression. A healthy diet provides more vitamins and minerals, healthy fats, and fiber from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, which can reduce inflammation and alter neurotransmitters to reduce symptoms of depression.”

Fasting and Mental Health

Fasting improves your mental health. This article by Dr. Roseann explains, “Intermittent fasting, which alternates between periods of eating and fasting, has shown potential benefits for mental health, including the mitigation of anxiety symptoms.” “The act of fasting for 24 hours or more can lead to increased production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which plays a critical role in brain health; low levels of BDNF have been linked to anxiety.” “Fasting benefits by the hour also include the potential regulation of inflammation, which has been implicated in depression. A 24-hour fast, performed regularly, may reduce chronic inflammation, thereby potentially reducing depressive symptoms. Additionally, fasting protocols, such as the 16/8 method, may foster a routine that provides structure for individuals struggling with depression, possibly resulting in a sense of normalcy and predictability.”

Sleep and Mental Health

According to the article by Psychology Today, “Sleep is essential to mental-emotional health and well-being. The relationship between the amount and quality of sleep a person gets and their mental-emotional health is reciprocal. Sleep both affects and is affected by an individual’s mental health status—mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression often make it harder to sleep well, and poor sleep can contribute to worsening mental health. Inadequate sleep is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and feeling fatigued throughout the next day.

Sleep is the body’s primary way to restore, repair, and rejuvenate. Sleep helps restore the cells in the body and wash away toxins accumulated from the day—literally. During sleep, the brain effectively goes into repair mode, activating neuronal connections.”

Conclusion

Can you see the direct link between spiritual health, mental health, and physical health? Prayer connects you to the power source, God, who then helps you be self-controlled. For example, when I go to a church potluck or family gathering, I pray for God to help me resist the temptation to indulge in unhealthy drinks and desserts that make my body weak. A mentally healthy person values themselves and wants to care for themselves. They are self-disciplined and self-motivated to persevere and do what is best for their health so they can enjoy life. They take responsibility for their condition and how to improve it.

May God bless you richly as you seek His help to be healthy.

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My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of relevant promises to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

What is An Emotionally Healthy Person?

How does a person’s mental health influence their emotional health? I never thought there was a relationship between mental health and emotional health until I began to heal my trauma memories. When my memories and resulting resentments were healed, my emotions changed. There is hope that your future can be different.

What you dwell on creates memories, either good or bad. The stronger the feelings, the stronger the memory connection. For example, think about your favorite vacation. Why was it your favorite vacation? What made that memory so strong? Strong feelings develop beliefs like “I had a great vacation because…”. Or, “I hated that vacation because…”.

For example, I hate going to the Outer Banks because of many traumatic memories from my negative perspective. How we feel is a matter of perspective. My husband loves going to the Outer Banks and didn’t understand why I was traumatized by it. I was anxious about so many things that my perspective was negative, which generated bad behavior. These negative beliefs caused me to stay home alone while my family vacationed at the Outer Banks. Being home alone was better than dealing with the trauma I felt going on that miserable vacation. Have you noticed that each family member has a different memory of the same event? Some family members are more traumatized by an event and have bad memories, which often affects their relationships in some way.

I also realized that my mental health improved when my spiritual health improved because the Bible verses I memorized changed how I processed disappointment from unmet expectations. The scripture that had the biggest effect on my mental and emotional health was 1Theselonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” So, when my expectations were not met, and I got angry, I would think, “What can I rejoice about?” Then, I would pray and give God the situation that made me angry or depressed. Next, I would think about what I can be thankful for in the situation. That discipline took me two years to master. By changing my thinking, I changed my feelings, which changed the beliefs that controlled my behavior. So, my relationships changed, and so did my future.

An emotionally healthy person does not allow a problem or disappointment to define who they are but sees themselves as separate from the problem. They can go to God with the disturbing issue and trust God to help them with it. An emotionally healthy person can self-regulate their emotions and have inner control. The following list is not an exhaustive list of what an emotionally healthy person is. As you read each one, count how many you struggle with.

Can love others without judgment.
Has a healthy self-worth and gives all shame and guilt to God.
Being able to regulate your emotions like sadness and joy.
Can give grace to messy people who frustrate them and are unaffected by their opinions.
Giving to people, not being selfish, and not expecting others to conform to their expectations.
Maintains hope in God despite life’s setbacks.
Take responsibility for their emotions and actions, and do not blame others.
Is not fearful but trusts God.
Identifies wrong beliefs and adopts God’s truth for their beliefs.
Is empathetic toward others.
Is comfortable being alone and being with people.

In the coming weeks, I will address many of these and how to identify the source of the negative feelings and traumatic memories. There is hope for complete healing. God bless you this week. Thank you for joining me today.

Are you Spiritually Healthy?

How Mentally Healthy Are You?

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My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of relevant promises to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

How Mentally Healthy Are You?

What is mental health? Because I am a former mental health basket case, I think I am qualified to tackle this issue and to offer anyone who needs it hope. You know you are mentally healthy when you have peace despite the problems around you. In this world, we will have many troubles. Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Tribulations mean troubles, suffering, misery, hardships, and difficult trials. Only when we stay focused on Jesus do we have peace and can endure the hard events and people in our lives.

We live in a sinful world full of people who are evil and self-centered. The trauma and abuse both in and outside our homes cause mental illness issues. I was angry, depressed, anxious, and suicidal. I have come to accept that I have an anxiety disorder from all the trauma I suffered. Just today, I jumped and screamed when someone shot their gun close to my home. I do not live in a violent neighborhood, but it is hunting season, so I hear shooting all the time, but I still jump. I even joined a women’s pistol shooting club to overcome my anxiety about guns, but I still jump and scream.

When I look at various articles about mental health, including my coaching classes with Light University, I learn that there are many perspectives on what a mentally healthy person is. The following list summarizes people’s views of what a mentally healthy person looks like.

Aware of negative thinking but not obsessed with it.
Identifies and accepts disappointment but does not discount it.
Forgive those who offend them.
Is realistically thankful about something even when expectations are not met.
Humbly consider others’ needs and desires.
Understands boundaries and uses them.
See possibilities and positives in hardships and not obsess about unrealistic, worst-case scenarios.
Proactive and not defensive. So, they receive criticism and use it for positive change and do not get defensive or become depressed.
Do not get into futile arguments to prove their right.
Knows they can only control their thoughts and actions and not what others think or do.
They are content but also persevere towards positive goals.
Do not need validation from others to feel good about themselves.
Do not relinquish their power to external influences.

This list does not cover every aspect of mental health. If you have mental health issues or want to learn more, please read my free online book to begin your healing process. My online book at hopeforcompletehealing.com helps people identify events that contribute to mental health issues and how to resolve them.

Some people are more resilient at handling difficulties because they focus on the positives and seek solutions. People like me who are melancholy or have fairness issues tend to focus on what they don’t like and how hopeless their situation is. So, your mental orientation will determine how mentally healthy you are. Do you see the positive or the negative? Do you seek solutions or sink into helplessness and self-pity?

If you have an influence over children, teach them mental resiliency, which is how to handle disappointment and be self-controlled. To learn more, read The Link Between Disappointment, Resentment, and Self-control. In the coming weeks, I will write posts about specific mental health issues and how to resolve them. I will also explain how to be spiritually healthy to influence your mental health so you can be mentally resilient.

May God bless you richly, and may His face shine upon you.

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My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of relevant promises to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

What Does a Healthy Person Look Like?

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. –3John 1:2

According to this verse, the key to good health is when our soul is well. What is a healthy soul? The first step to a healthy soul is to have a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10 and John 1:12). Second is to be humble and repentant of your sins. Third, is drawing near to God in prayer, reading His word, and worshiping Him? If you haven’t participated in the 365 Days of Worship, you can start this year. If you worshiped with me this past year, please continue to worship each day. Find and bookmark all my worship posts here. Reflect on what God has done for you this past year. How have you grown closer to Him?

I have been pondering and praying about what I should learn and write about. I kept coming back to what an emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically healthy person looks like. Do you consider yourself a healthy person? Have you ever wondered what a totally healthy person looks like? When I was in the depths of dysfunction, I longed to know how a healthy person acts.

When you face stressful times, do you react well? Do you overreact? Do you go into escape mode? Stress has a way of exposing how spiritually, mentally, and emotionally healthy you are. I still need improvement, but my emotional health is better than last year.

I am a certified Mental Health Coach and am becoming certified as a Child and Youth Mental Health Coach. Through my courses, I have learned a lot about mental health, but I am also learning how mentally unhealthy I was and how it affected my children. I am experiencing the consequences of my unhealthy reactions. I wish I knew then what I know now. I can’t beat myself up, nor should you, for what you did not know. I suffered a lot of traumas from my childhood, which developed dysfunctional actions as an adult. We are only responsible for changing as we grow in knowledge and with the help of God. It is my prayer as I expose areas of trauma in your life that you grow in God’s grace and give God’s grace to others who suffered childhood trauma.

I have discovered that being spiritually healthy is key to mental health because our hope and help can only be found in a healthy relationship with God. Being mentally healthy is key to emotional health because what you think directly affects your feelings. Emotional health is key to physical health because our feelings create physiological reactions in our bodies that cause cell weaknesses or lead to addictions. Being completely healthy leads to healthy relationships and overall well-being.

I will share what I have learned about each of these areas so you can be the healthiest you have ever been in the coming year. Note that a relationship is only as healthy as the least emotionally healthy person. So the goal of my website and this series of posts is to help you be spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy to have great relationships with people and to enjoy life. Are you enjoying your present life and relationships?

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My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of relevant promises to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

Freedom from Negative Influence—Post 5

Do you realize how much negative influence is in your life? Negative influence has a different connotation for each of us. From a Christian perspective, a negative influence can be a spoken word or picture that entices you to do evil and sin in thought, word, or deed. You may work or live with someone or be friends with someone who is a negative influence. What are your options?

While watching TV or a Movie, are you aware of the negative influence of what you are watching? Words and images have power over your mind, and the greater the emotion, the deeper they imprint your memories, which continue to influence you negatively. For example, I watched a movie about girls being abducted and sold as sex slaves. Those negative images were imprinted as memories that were so clear that they caused me to be fearful. Likewise, immoral and traumatic scenes will affect you for years. How are you freed from these negative images and their influence on your mind and spirit?

The ultimate negative influence on your mind and spirit.

Satan does not want us to be free in our thoughts or spirit. He wants to keep us in bondage to our sinful flesh. Rate how aware from 1 (least) to 10 (most) you are of Satan’s negative influence in your life. Jesus says in John 10:10, “The thief [Satan] comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” As a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, we have the authority over the devil. Jesus said in Luke 10:18-19, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions [demons], and over all the power of the enemy [Satan], and nothing shall hurt you.” The only time the enemy hurts us is when we allow him to. From this time forward, stop all sources of negative influence in your life so you can live free in your thoughts and spirit. King David made this vow in Psalms 101:3a; “I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.”

Becoming free from the negative influence of trauma memories.

How to become free from the negative images in your memories controlling your thoughts and spirit. Our negative memories will make us a negative influence on the people around us. Jesus gave us the authority to take every negative, evil thought and evil spirit captive in Jesus’ name and command them to be gone. I did this with the crippling fear of being abducted from the images of that movie. I commanded the wrong thoughts and negative influences of that movie and all demonic spirit attachments to those images to be gone in Jesus’ name. Then, I transformed the unhealthy belief with the truth that God holds my hand, is with me as a shield, and will protect me from all evil. To learn more, please read my transformation story on my website, hopeforcompletehealing.com.

Beware of False Teachers Who Want to Steal Your Freedom

The devil wants to keep us in bondage to sin and resentment, so beware of people who do not follow the path of love and holiness. Galatians 2:4 states, “Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus so that they might bring us into slavery.” Not everyone who calls themselves a Christian is truly born again and renewed. Many Christians are a negative influence through gossip, being judgmental, legalism, and complaining. John 13:35 explains what an authentic Christian is, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.” An authentic Christian will show love (kindness, patience, humility, goodness, and so on) and will not enslave you in sinful behavior.

Fake “Christian” leaders continue to allow demonic spirits to control their lives. In 2 Peter 2:19, it says, “They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.” Corruption is having a moral perversion or decadence. Pornography is a moral decadence that leads to sexual bondage. For example, do you remember how Jimmy Swagart would preach against sexual sin and cry like a baby? I knew he struggled with sexual sin. Then he was caught with a prostitute twice, that I know of. This corruption in his life destroyed his ministry. Too many pastors and priests have sexually molested children. This is a corruption that leads people into a bondage of resentment and pain.

The Apostle Paul teaches Timothy what to do with people in your family or church who are a negative influence. In 2 Timothy 2:24-26 he states, “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” This is a hard passage to comprehend because no one wants to think they are being held captive by the devil to do his will. Another phrase I don’t like is “patiently enduring evil,” no one wants to endure evil. Evil is a sinful, harmful action that causes pain.

For example, I was held captive by the devil to do his will because of the resentment in my heart toward those who did evil to me. Resentment is the feeling of displeasure or indignation at some act, remark, person, etc., regarded as causing injury or insult. (Dictionary.com, 2023). As I forgave those who hurt me, which is ongoing because we are exposed to hurtful people, I became free from the devil’s control. In the meantime, I acted out in anger at anyone who triggered those unforgiven resentments, and I became hurtful. My husband and children had to endure the evil I was subjecting them to. Our teenagers subject us to evil words and actions that we need to patiently endure and lovingly discipline. As a servant of the Lord, we need to be kind and gently speak the truth to hurtful people or messy Christians. It is easy to quarrel when we feel hurt or offended. Romans 14:1 explains, “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.” 2Timothy 2:14 states, “Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.”

Conclusion

Negative influences can come from many sources, from what you watch on TV or the internet or social media to what you read, and the people around you. Negative influence can come from the church as well. Are you a negative influence in people’s lives because of your negative experiences? We can easily control the negative influence that we watch or read, but we can’t always control the negative influence from the people we live and work with. Many times, you have no control over the negative people in your life. To be free from the influence of negative people is to kindly and gently set boundaries and speak truth into their lives. If setting boundaries does not work then you may have to patiently endure it, hold your boundaries, and pray for them. Remember, you are the light of Jesus to the world around you. Philippians 2:14-15 tells us, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” Let the love of Jesus show to the difficult, negative people in your life.

If you have any other ideas, please leave a comment, I would love to know them.

FREEDOM POSTS

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All verses are from the English Standard Bible. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family; hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

Check out my latest book Breaking Mental Strongholds, which you can order on Amazon. To learn more about it, read my post called Breaking Mental Strongholds Book. Also, check out Fighting Unseen Battles on Amazon. To learn more about this book, read: How to Fight Unseen Battles.

Uncover the lies that are destroying your life.

What lies are you believing about yourself, other people, life, or God? A false or unhealthy belief is a lie about the true nature of reality. For example, if you believe you are not worthy of love, you believe a lie. These lies come from words spoken over us and from memories of offenses done against us. For example, I grew up in a very dysfunctional angry “Christian” home, and I developed many false beliefs about myself, other people, life, and God. I share my story and how I was transformed in more detail in the following post: My Story.

The following nine categories of false, destructive beliefs distort the way we view everything in life.

1. I am unlovable. I am insignificant. I am flawed.

2. I am hopeless. I am worthless. Life is hopeless.

3. Something bad will happen. The future will be like the past. I’m not OK.

4. Something must change right now for me to be OK.

5. People will take advantage of me. People are too sensitive.

6. I am bad. I am not good enough. I am unforgivable.

7. People are out to get me. I must be in control. It’s not fair.

8. People must think well of me for me to be OK.

9. I can’t do it. I am not capable. Others should do it for me. It’s not fair.

The Healing Codes Manual by Loyd and Johnson, p. 55

How suppressed lies cause self-destruction.

We internalize these lies at a subconscious level. And, they cause us to live in self-destructive ways. There are many self-destructive behaviors, such as cutting, alcohol and drug abuse, uncontrollable anger, self-debasing comments, anxiety, etc. The beliefs mentioned above may result in addictions to cover over the painful feelings these false beliefs generate. To learn more about addictions, read my post called Addiction Strongholds. Unhealthy beliefs also create stress in our bodies that lead to illness and disease, which is explained in detail in my book on this website.

How to uncover the lies you are believing.

Do the following to uncover your false beliefs. First, pay attention to your thoughts and reactions and write down strong emotional reactions. Second, ask God to show you the unhealthy belief(s) that is generating your wrong thinking in your reactions. Third, trace backward from negative fruit in your life, and prayerfully ask God to show you the answer to the following question, “what is the root of this fruit?”

Wrong thinking creates negative feelings, which directs unloving, destructive behavior so ask God to show you the link. Also, look for a link to a trauma memory, offense, and word curses because they also create unhealthy belief(s). Some examples of word curses are: “I will probably fail. I will most likely end up in divorce. Nobody likes me. All politicians are evil. A godly person can’t succeed in business.” Have you thought these? He will show you so you can then remove it through prayer and repentance, which I explain how on my website, 1–Healing Begins by Transforming Painful Memories

Reading self-help books will also reveal false, unhealthy beliefs and wrong thinking. The book called “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey was especially helpful in transforming my wrong thinking. I encourage you to read my adapted summary of the right beliefs and thoughts we should have according to Mr. Covey. Healthy Thinking and Behaving from Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

Read each of the Issues Worksheets to learn about other subconscious unhealthy beliefs we can have and the truth to replace these unhealthy beliefs. LOVE Issues, JOY Issues, PEACE Issues, PATIENCE Issues, KINDNESS Issues, GOODNESS Issues, TRUST AND FAITHFULNESS Issues, MEEKNESS, HUMILITY, AND GENTLENESS Issues, and SELF-CONTROL Issues.

Read, who God is and what you can be thankful for to replace the lies you believe about God and yourself. As you read through each day, write down any thoughts of disagreement or doubt because they indicate a lie you are believing. Read my book on my website to learn how to transform these false beliefs.

If you find my posts and website helpful, then please share the links with your friends and family, hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected and no part of the posts or my book may be reproduced without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom.

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of Eight Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. Please leave your name so I know you are a real person making the request.

P.S.: Experiencing a lasting change in your life depends on having a right relationship with God the Father through believing in His Son Jesus Christ and obeying His command to love (1 John 3).

Part 2: How to Overcome Evil with Good.

In my last post, we learned about what it means to be good. In this post, you will learn how to overcome the evil that prevents you from being and doing good. So what is evil? According to Webster, the term evil means bad; wicked; depraved (corrupt; perverted) and causing pain or trouble. Evil causes damage to every human being’s soul. People who are influenced by evil spirits are all around us, and they are bent on destruction, especially toward vulnerable children. We can overcome the evil done to us with good. Romans 12:21 states, “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”

Why are people evil?

What is the origin of evil? To understand the origin, first know we coexist within an unseen spirit world, which comprises of Almighty God, ministering angels, the lying devil (ruler of demons), and destructive demons (evil spirits). God is the all-powerful, omnipotent, omniscient Spirit (see John 4:24 and 2 Cor. 3:17) who is good, loving, just, gracious, merciful, and the creator of all that we see. He called all that He created good (see Genesis 1; Nehemiah 9:6; and Isaiah 40:28). Though we don’t see God because He is a spirit, the evidence of His existence is all around us in beauty and power. To learn more read my post called, Four Realities of the Spirit World.

The devil tries to pervert all that God said is good. In John 10:10 Jesus states, “The thief [Satan] comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Satan is the great enemy of man and goodness. He is called the deceiver (see Rev. 12:9-12), father of lies and a murderer (see John 8:44). He is the destroyer called Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek, which translates as “destroyer or to destroy” (see Rev. 9:11). Webster dictionary says the devil is a slanderer; the chief evil spirit, a supernatural being subordinate to, and the foe of God and the tempter of man.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesian church in Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood [humans], but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” These evil forces want to harm us and draw us away from the truth of God’s Word. They also want to destroy love because God is love. The spiritual forces of evil put wrong thoughts, doubts, and unhealthy beliefs into our minds (see Isaiah 55:6-7), which are lies about ourselves, others, and God. These wrong thoughts cause us to act in evil ways. And they tempt us to sin, which then separates us from God (see Isaiah 59:1-3).

So, what is sin? Sin is the breaking of a moral (right and pure) principles of the Bible, especially through a willful act of disobedience. For example, Deuteronomy 9:18, 1 Kings 16:19, and 1 Samuel 15:23 explain how sin is doing evil, and that evil is rebellion toward God. Also, 2 Chronicles 12:14 states, “And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the LORD.” Therefore, seeking the Lord God and being in right standing with Him through Jesus Christ is the only way to overcome evil, and the evil done to us. So, doing good is to obey the instructions of God (Deuteronomy 12:28) through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Painful memories of evil keep people from doing or being good?

Memories of shame for the wrong things done.
Memories of guilt for hurting others or doing wrong.
Memories of the unfair actions done against you that still make you feel angry.
Memories of people or yourself being self-centered keeps you focused on meeting your own needs instead of being helpful to others or sharing with those in need.

Painful memories keep you stuck in hurtful patterns of behavior. A man who went to jail for molesting his sons said he couldn’t help it because he was molested when he was a boy. Unfortunately, the man claimed to be a Christian, but because of his painful memories, his heart was filled with the evil done against him. Jesus said to the religious people in Matthew 12:34-35, “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35) The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.” Are your speech and actions hurtful or helpful? Are your thoughts focused on good things or things you do not like? If you are honest, your answer will reveal the condition of your heart. To learn more about your thoughts visit, POSTS on Thoughts.

The book on my website helps you find your painful memories and unhealthy beliefs so you can be healed and love well. If you do not heal these painful memories, then they will control your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and behavior. Only God can heal our memories, but we have to humbly submit them to Him and allow Him to transform them. God will help you remove anger, shame, and guilt from your heart so the goodness of God can overcome the unseen evil of your heart.

How can we overcome evil and do good?

Watch what you put in your mind. The mind determines what you think, perceive, feel, and believe, which then influences your decisions and behaviors. Evil fills our hearts when we take in evil actions from secular media (TV, movies, books, magazines, internet sites, etc.), that glorify evil such as harming people, causing trouble, death, and sexual immorality. These evil images and words cause impure thoughts. that encourages evil actions. So to overcome evil thoughts from secular media, ask God to remove them and then fill your mind with good thoughts of helping and serving others or improving the lives of those around you.
Renew your mind. Renewing your mind is the process of putting off your old way of thinking that wants to please your selfish desires and putting on the new way of thinking that seeks to help and serve other people. Romans 8:5-6 states, “For those who live according to the flesh (sin nature) set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6) For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” To learn more about this process read, Forgiven and Saved? Now Renew Your Mind (Part One) and Three Steps to Renew Your Mind (Part Two)
Daily yield your mind to God’s love and goodness so the devil will not tempt you to do evil. God’s will for you is merciful, good, and perfect. When we submit to God and obey Him, the devil will flee from us (see James 4:7-8). And, when we are submitted to God and draw near to Him, then we can do good, otherwise, the devil will have his way in our lives, and we will do evil. We will either do the good work God prepared for us or the evil work the devil wants us to do. To learn how I submitted to God read: Why, What, and How to Submit to God and be FREE

Conclusion

Only God is good, and we can only be good by the power of the Holy Spirit, which I explain in my last post Part 1: How to Achieve Genuine Goodness?. When God heals the painful memories of the evil done against you, He will fill your heart with love and goodness. Then you can do good works to help others with no alternative motive. Keep in mind that we coexist with evil spirits all around us, who also influences our minds to think evil thoughts through secular media. What you submit your mind to is the path you will walk.

If you would like to know my story and how I overcame my wounds from evil done against me, read: WHAT IS INNER LIFE TRANSFORMATION? My Story

Freedom from the Snares of Disrespect, Unworthiness, and Failure

Four Realities of the Spirit World

Hope for Lasting Peace, Love, and Victory

1–Healing Begins by Transforming Painful Memories