“Lesson 24 Class Preparation Material: Addressing Mental Health with Hope and Compassion,” The Eternal Family Teacher Material (2022)
“Lesson 24 Class Preparation Material,” The Eternal Family Teacher Material
Lesson 24 Class Preparation Material
Addressing Mental Health with Hope and Compassion
Our mental and emotional health influences our thoughts, feelings, behavior, resilience, and more. Even as we strive to maintain good health, we may experience mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression. As you study this lesson, consider what you can do to improve your mental health. Also think about how you can be more like the Savior as you interact with family members and others who may experience these kinds of challenges or who may be having suicidal thoughts.
Section 1
What can I do to be more mindful of my mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being?
We all have days or periods when we feel sad, stressed, or anxious. It is important to be mindful of how we feel and why we feel the way we do and to do the best we can to manage these emotions in healthy ways.
As the Savior traveled throughout the land of Israel, He surely felt the weight of His ministry. He tutored His Apostles and was patient with their weaknesses. Multitudes pressed upon Him to witness His miracles or to be healed. His enemies continually looked for opportunities to publicly discredit Him. He was mocked, derided, rejected, and betrayed. Truly, He was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3).
Jesus often went to places where He could be alone and commune with God (see Matthew 14:22–23; Mark 1:35; 6:31, 46; Luke 5:16). Following His example can strengthen our mental, emotional, and spiritual health. (Note: In some situations of severe mental health challenges or thoughts of suicide, it is better to be with others rather than be alone.)
President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles asked young adults:
Do you have any personal quiet time? …
… As our world gets brighter, louder, and busier, we have a greater challenge feeling the Spirit in our lives. If your life is void of quiet time, would you begin tonight to seek for some? (“Be Still, and Know That I Am God” [Church Educational System devotional for young adults, May 4, 2014], broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
Ponder in Preparation for Class
Find a quiet place to reflect on your mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being by pondering the following questions:
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Do I take time every day to deepen my relationship with God? Do I actively look for ways to develop healthy relationships with family and friends? Do I regularly exercise, eat healthy meals, and get enough sleep? Do I have meaningful work and make time for wholesome recreational activities?
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How mindful am I of my emotional well-being? Can I identify when I am feeling a certain way and why? Do I have healthy ways to cope with negative emotions? When I feel stressed or anxious, do I have healthy ways to take mental breaks and relax?
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How can my life be blessed when I slow down and reflect on my mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being?
Consider listening to the song “Slow Down” (6:07), performed by Sissel and The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square.
Section 2
What can I do to better understand the experience of having mental health challenges?
During the Savior’s earthly ministry, He healed people from all kinds of afflictions (see Matthew 4:23). President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency concluded, “Surely these healings included those whose sicknesses were emotional, mental, or spiritual” (“He Heals the Heavy Laden,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 6).
As mentioned previously, we all have moments or days when we feel overwhelmed, sad, or anxious. If we struggle with these or similar feelings for a prolonged period of time, or if these feelings begin interfering with our daily life, it is important to seek help (see “How can I tell if I’m just having a hard time right now or if I’m struggling with a mental health challenge?,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
While sinful behavior can cause mental, emotional, and spiritual suffering, it is crucial that we do not attribute all such challenges to sin or a lack of faith. Some of the Lord’s most faithful children experience mental health challenges, such as severe anxiety or clinical depression. Though we don’t know everything about mental illness, we do know it is complex. Mental illness can be linked to chemical imbalances in the brain, genetic and environmental factors, traumatic events, brain injury, or substance abuse. In our day, “one in four people will be affected by mental or emotional illness at some point in their lives” (Bonnie L. Oscarson, “5 Resources to Help Youth Facing Emotional and Mental Illness,” Nov. 21, 2017, ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
If you experience mental illness, fasting and praying for relief, seeking priesthood blessings, and attending the temple can often bring strength and healing. At other times, the illness may persist. If this occurs, know that your efforts are not in vain (see 2 Corinthians 12:7–10). The Lord is watching over you and can sanctify this experience for your good (see Doctrine and Covenants 122:7).
Consider how the following principles can support you in your efforts to maintain or improve your mental health:
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Stay focused on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Especially when it is challenging to feel Their influence, choose to act with faith in Them. Reflect on times when you have felt Their influence. Remember that the Savior can always help because He “descended below all things” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:6). He perfectly understands the despair and frustration of those who experience mental illness. The prophet Alma testified that Jesus Christ knows “according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:12).
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Share what you experience with loved ones. Keeping mental illness secret can increase feelings of isolation and prevent you from receiving necessary, even lifesaving, help. Helping others understand what you experience will increase their ability to support you.
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Seek help from competent medical professionals. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles advised:
If things continue to be debilitating, seek the advice of reputable people with certified training, professional skills, and good values. Be honest with them about your history and your struggles. (“Like a Broken Vessel,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 41)
If you have family members or know others who experience mental illness, think about how understanding these principles can also help you support them.
When someone shares a mental health challenge with you, listen with love and refrain from judgment. As Sister Reyna I. Aburto of the Relief Society General Presidency taught:
Listening with love is one of the greatest gifts we can offer, and we may be able to help carry or lift the heavy clouds that suffocate our loved ones and friends [see Romans 2:19; 13:12] so that, through our love, they can once again feel the Holy Ghost and perceive the light that emanates from Jesus Christ. (“Thru Cloud and Sunshine, Lord, Abide with Me!,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 58)
Ponder in Preparation for Class
Think about how seeking to better understand mental health challenges can increase your patience with and compassion for those who experience them. Consider watching the video “Like a Broken Vessel” (11:36), which provides personal accounts of individuals who have lived with mental illness, as well as counsel from Elder Holland.
Section 3
What can I do to help prevent suicide or help those who have lost a loved one to suicide?
Severe mental health challenges are among the risk factors for suicide. “Most people who attempt suicide do not want to die; they simply want relief from the physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual pain they are going through” (“Preventing Suicide and Responding after a Loss,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, seek help immediately. This may include going to a hospital emergency room or calling a free crisis help line. (Find links to help lines around the world at “In Crisis? Talk Now,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org.)
Study in Preparation for Class
Read Mosiah 18:8–9, and think about how this passage can guide you in helping those who are struggling with mental health challenges or thoughts of suicide. (After reading this passage, you may find it helpful to read the article “How to Help Someone in Crisis” on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.)
When someone takes his or her life, we can feel inconsolable grief. Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles noted that it can take a long time to heal after losing someone to suicide. He then gave the following counsel:
Try to just get through the next day and then the next day and the next day. … The Lord will help us with that. … He’s there every day. (“Grieving after a Suicide” [video], ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
Jesus Christ has perfect understanding, empathy, and love. We can and should leave all judgment in His hands. President Ballard taught:
Obviously, we do not know the full circumstances surrounding every suicide. Only the Lord knows all the details, and he it is who will judge our actions here on earth.
When he does judge us, I feel he will take all things into consideration: our genetic and chemical makeup, our mental state, our intellectual capacity, the teachings we have received, the traditions of our fathers, our health, and so forth. (“Suicide: Some Things We Know, and Some We Do Not,” Ensign, Oct. 1987, 8)
Ponder in Preparation for Class
Consider what you can do to help prevent suicide. For ideas, consider the counsel provided by Sister Carol F. McConkie, former counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, in the video “Preventing Suicide” (1:43).
