Mental Illness • Practical Tools
Stigma, isolation, loneliness, and shame often follow a diagnosis of mental illness, but not here. With God, mental illness has no stigma. Chronic Joy offers resources steeped in love and grounded in faith.
Bend Your ear to me and listen to my words … hear the deep cry of my heart. Listen to my call for help, my King, my True God; to You alone I pray. (Psalm 5:1-2)
PRACTICAL TOOLS
WORDS TO PRAY WHEN YOUR HEART IS HEAVY
Soul’s True Shelter
Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me!
For my soul seeks refuge in You;
in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
until the ruinous storm passes by.
(Psalm 57:1)
Break Into My Confusion
Break into my confusion, Lord.
Help me to know who I am
and what I am meant to be.
Guide, uphold, and strengthen me
as I leave behind the world
of limits and labels.
(Susan Gregg-Schroeder)
My Heart is Heavy
Father, my heart is heavy. I feel like I have to carry the burden alone. Words like “overwhelmed,” “distraught,” “exhausted” seem to describe where I am. I am not sure how to let you carry my heavy load, so please show me how. Take it from me. Let me rest and be refreshed so that my heart won’t be so heavy in the morning. In Jesus’ name. Amen. (prayerist.com)
Mercy Multiplied
Lord, hold me in this darkness.
Comfort me with Your ceaseless love.
Fill me with Your abounding hope,
Sustain me in Your Spirit
and remind me often on
this winding journey home,
that these are precious days
of mercy multiplied.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“When God has already defined you as His and purposed by Him, no mental illness can change that.” (Brittney Moses)
FREE PRINTABLES
You Are So Loved
Do you love yourself like God loves you? Do you live like you’re valuable? Do you live like you’re set free? You have only ONE identity, and it’s found in Jesus Christ. Only He is qualified to define you, to remind you of who you are, of who He created you to be, and of who you can become in Him as He sets you free.
17 Verses to Shatter Stigma
Do you struggle to believe that your mental illness is real? Do you feel shame or wonder if others believe it’s real? With God, mental illness has no stigma. Scripture is balm for our souls as it speaks directly to our hearts.
Emotions Wheel • 14 Ways to Make a Difficult Day Brighter
A tool designed to help us identify and communicate our emotions. It begins at the center with six core emotions (angry, bad, disgusted, fearful, happy, sad, and surprised).
Stewardship of Courage
The stewardship of courage begins with a deep faith in God, accessed by prayer, and lived out in patient waiting and hopeful trust.
Biblical Purpose • Understanding Our God-Given Purpose
Understanding our God-given purpose is the reason something exists or was created, the reason we act or choose not to act, it encompasses intentions and objectives.
Build an Ebenezer • Remembering God's Faithfulness
God’s people built Ebenezers to anchor them in truth in the midst of frightening, painful, difficult, or challenging circumstances.
Anxiety • Sensory and Gratitude Exercises
When the winds of anxiety begin to blow and the waves roll and the thunder comes, God invites us to lean a little deeper in Him. Each of these exercises is designed to help breathe a little easier and lean into arms of God.
Writing a Psalm of Lament
Step in slowly. Sit with God. Allow yourself time and space to feel and experience your pain. When you’re ready, take up your pen, and explore the precious and life-giving gift of lament.
Depression Self • Care Action Plan
Depression can make it difficult to practice and implement healthy self-care. Building an Action Plan gives you quick concrete steps each day.
Praying the Psalms & Writing a Psalm of Prayer
What is your favorite Psalm? Why? When did you choose it? What was happening in your life at the time? Have you ever considered writing your own Psalm?
17 Verses to Shatter Stigma
Do you struggle to believe that your mental illness is real? Do you feel shame or wonder if others believe it’s real? With God mental illness has no stigma. Scripture is balm for our souls as it speaks directly to our hearts.
- Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. (Joshua 21:45)
- Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. (1 Samuel 12:16)
- Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! (Psalm 4:1)
- In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8)
- Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. (Psalm 5:1-2, 11)
- May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion! May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans! May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions! (Psalm 20:1-5)
- I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul. (Psalm 31:7)
- Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. (Psalm 34:8, 18-19)
- Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. (Psalm 62:8)
- You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. (Psalm 71:20)
- When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. (Psalm 94:19)
- I believed, even when I spoke: “I am greatly afflicted.” (Psalm 116:10)
- My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word! (Psalm 119:28)
- O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble. (Isaiah 33:2)
- When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. (Isaiah 43:2)
- For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish. (Jeremiah 31:25)
- And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)
