Hope is Real: Mental Illness and Mission
Hope is Real: Mental Illness and Mission
I’m not someone who is known for my fashion sense. The amount of time I spend contemplating what to wear each day is equivalent to the amount of time I take to put toothpaste on my toothbrush.
I view trips to the mall for new jeans similarly to trips to the dentist every 6 months. -I just hope it’s quick and as painless as possible.
But there is one article of clothing that I have chosen to wear with intention: T-shirts from a group called, “To Write Love on Her Arms”.
“To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exits to encourage, inform, inspire and also invest directly in treatment and recovery.”
My first experiences with depression, anxiety and mental illness were in middle school and high school when some close friends were struggling.
It was the first time I helped clean the wounds someone self-inflicted from cutting. The first time I talked someone into getting help instead of ending their life.
It inspired me to study psychology in college so I could grow in understanding the struggle that we all face in our minds. A struggle that can hold some in an internal prison for years and even a lifetime.
Nearly 1 in 5 people in the US suffer from mental illness each year.
Wearing those t-shirts often means nothing to many passers by. But the instances when it opens up a conversation with someone who is struggling, makes it all worth it.
“What does that logo, ‘Fears Vs. Dreams’ on your t-shirt mean?” people often ask me.
“We all have fears, and when you have a mental illness those fears can paralyze you to the core. It doesn’t have to be that way. Our dreams can win!” I typically respond.
The church has historically shoved mental illness to the wayside or worse, rejected it all together by hyper spiritualizing what has been proven to be chemical imbalance in the brain.
This is tragic because lives have been lost and people have felt ostracized.
This is also tragic because mental illness can be a huge barrier to living a life on mission.
It can feel as though it controls your every thought and movement.
It pulls at your very core demanding all your energy and focus.
If this is how you feel – this doesn’t have to be your reality.
The struggle is real, but so are these stories:
- A friend of mine, who still has to wrestle with an eating disorder on a daily basis, but stays connected in her support program so her life can have additional areas of focus. She shares her story with others that has helped them find freedom as well. She is committed to supporting local initiatives to support children in need.
- A member of my church who struggles with depression and anxiety and takes medication for both. Of course there is a stigma to taking medication for mental illness, but for this person it has been a game changer. They are able to step into areas of mission where anxiety would have previously paralyzed them.
- A friend who has dealt with the chemical and mental illness of alcoholism that gripped him with fear for years. Through supportive groups like AA he is able to live a life free from alcohol. Not only that, he is able to empower others who are controlled by addiction face the reality that God brings freedom when you realize you can’t face this alone and you surrender your life to God.
- A gal I know deals with social anxiety that can be crippling at times. She finally found a therapist who has given her techniques that don’t fix everything, but they give her what she needs to overcome the anxiety and step boldly into new relationships. She is one of the best people at loving her neighbors in the name of Jesus that I know.
As TWLOHA often says: Rescue is possible!
Jesus is the great rescuer.
If mental illness has been a barrier for mission in your life – there is hope!
Here is what is on my heart for you:
1. Don’t be afraid to get help and keep getting help.
If you need to try a few different programs, counselors or therapy, do it! Stay on it till you find something that helps.
2. Don’t believe the lie that mental illness disqualifies you from being a person of influence.
We have an enemy that loves to convince us that we aren’t good enough. Evil is already seeking to kill and destroy. When we persevere even while we are in pain – we are fighting back.
3. Don’t give up.
God didn’t cause the pain you are going through, but he promises to be with you in the midst of it. There is always hope. There is always the promise of light piercing the darkness.
The vision is the possibility that your best days are ahead.
The vision is the possibility that we’re more loved than we’ll ever know.
The vision is hope, and hope is real.
You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story.
—Jamie Tworkowski
TWLOHA Founder
Hope is Real: Mental Illness and Mission
I’m not someone who is known for my fashion sense. The amount of time I spend contemplating what to wear each day is equivalent to the amount of time I take to put toothpaste on my toothbrush.
I view trips to the mall for new jeans similarly to trips to the dentist every 6 months. -I just hope it’s quick and as painless as possible.
But there is one article of clothing that I have chosen to wear with intention: T-shirts from a group called, “To Write Love on Her Arms”.
“To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exits to encourage, inform, inspire and also invest directly in treatment and recovery.”
My first experiences with depression, anxiety and mental illness were in middle school and high school when some close friends were struggling.
It was the first time I helped clean the wounds someone self-inflicted from cutting. The first time I talked someone into getting help instead of ending their life.
It inspired me to study psychology in college so I could grow in understanding the struggle that we all face in our minds. A struggle that can hold some in an internal prison for years and even a lifetime.
Nearly 1 in 5 people in the US suffer from mental illness each year.
Wearing those t-shirts often means nothing to many passers by. But the instances when it opens up a conversation with someone who is struggling, makes it all worth it.
“What does that logo, ‘Fears Vs. Dreams’ on your t-shirt mean?” people often ask me.
“We all have fears, and when you have a mental illness those fears can paralyze you to the core. It doesn’t have to be that way. Our dreams can win!” I typically respond.
The church has historically shoved mental illness to the wayside or worse, rejected it all together by hyper spiritualizing what has been proven to be chemical imbalance in the brain.
This is tragic because lives have been lost and people have felt ostracized.
This is also tragic because mental illness can be a huge barrier to living a life on mission.
It can feel as though it controls your every thought and movement.
It pulls at your very core demanding all your energy and focus.
If this is how you feel – this doesn’t have to be your reality.
The struggle is real, but so are these stories:
- A friend of mine, who still has to wrestle with an eating disorder on a daily basis, but stays connected in her support program so her life can have additional areas of focus. She shares her story with others that has helped them find freedom as well. She is committed to supporting local initiatives to support children in need.
- A member of my church who struggles with depression and anxiety and takes medication for both. Of course there is a stigma to taking medication for mental illness, but for this person it has been a game changer. They are able to step into areas of mission where anxiety would have previously paralyzed them.
- A friend who has dealt with the chemical and mental illness of alcoholism that gripped him with fear for years. Through supportive groups like AA he is able to live a life free from alcohol. Not only that, he is able to empower others who are controlled by addiction face the reality that God brings freedom when you realize you can’t face this alone and you surrender your life to God.
- A gal I know deals with social anxiety that can be crippling at times. She finally found a therapist who has given her techniques that don’t fix everything, but they give her what she needs to overcome the anxiety and step boldly into new relationships. She is one of the best people at loving her neighbors in the name of Jesus that I know.
As TWLOHA often says: Rescue is possible!
Jesus is the great rescuer.
If mental illness has been a barrier for mission in your life – there is hope!
Here is what is on my heart for you:
1. Don’t be afraid to get help and keep getting help.
If you need to try a few different programs, counselors or therapy, do it! Stay on it till you find something that helps.
2. Don’t believe the lie that mental illness disqualifies you from being a person of influence.
We have an enemy that loves to convince us that we aren’t good enough. Evil is already seeking to kill and destroy. When we persevere even while we are in pain – we are fighting back.
3. Don’t give up.
God didn’t cause the pain you are going through, but he promises to be with you in the midst of it. There is always hope. There is always the promise of light piercing the darkness.
The vision is the possibility that your best days are ahead.
The vision is the possibility that we’re more loved than we’ll ever know.
The vision is hope, and hope is real.
You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story.
—Jamie Tworkowski
TWLOHA Founder
Steph- this has given me hope today. I among so many others battling depression and the will to live each day. Thank you for your mission to reach out to others through real life conversations and raw emotion.