Mental Health Ministries e-Spotlight
Holiday 2015
Resources for the Holiday Season 2015
Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, and Yule are all holidays this time of year when families come together to celebrate and reminisce. We know that the holiday season can magnify the stresses of everyday life for most of us but especially for persons living with a mental illness. This Spotlight includes information and resources for faith leaders, family members and friends and who may find the holidays a difficult time.
Brochure - Mental Illness: Coping with the Holidays
The holiday season is supposed to be a time of joy, parties and gatherings with friends and family. But the holidays can be a stressful time even under the best of conditions. The commercialization of the holiday season bombards us with unrealistic expectations especially in a world that seems to be full of problems. The brochure,Mental Illness: Coping with the Holidays, provides helpful self care tips for persons living with a mental illness, tips for families, friends and tips for communities of faith. You can download this resource from the Mental Health Ministries website in English or Spanish.
Bulletin Insert - What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
Bulletin Insert - What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
As winter approaches and the days get shorter, many people suffer with a form of depression called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Although SAD isn’t totally understood, it is a real illness with real symptoms that vary in frequency and intensity. Symptoms can include:
Sleep Problems – Desire to oversleep, disturbed sleep or difficulty staying awake
Lethargy – A feeling of fatigue and inability to carry out normal routines
Overeating – Craving sugary or starchy foods
Social Problems – Irritability and desire to avoid social situations
Anxiety – Tension and inability to tolerate stress
Loss of Libido – Decreased interest in sex or physical contact
Mood Changes – Extremes in mood and/or short periods of hypomania
During the darkest nights of the winter, many faith traditions celebrate religious holidays that focus on light. With SAD, as with all chronic mental illnesses and normal holiday stress, our faith communities can be intentional about finding ways to encourage a healthy winter holiday season that focuses on our faith, our families and our friends. A bulletin insert/flyer, What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)? is available on the Mental Health Ministries Home page.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; on those who lived in a land of deep shadow a light has shone. -Isaiah 9:2
Blue Christmas and Blue Holiday Worship Services
Sleep Problems – Desire to oversleep, disturbed sleep or difficulty staying awake
Lethargy – A feeling of fatigue and inability to carry out normal routines
Overeating – Craving sugary or starchy foods
Social Problems – Irritability and desire to avoid social situations
Anxiety – Tension and inability to tolerate stress
Loss of Libido – Decreased interest in sex or physical contact
Mood Changes – Extremes in mood and/or short periods of hypomania
During the darkest nights of the winter, many faith traditions celebrate religious holidays that focus on light. With SAD, as with all chronic mental illnesses and normal holiday stress, our faith communities can be intentional about finding ways to encourage a healthy winter holiday season that focuses on our faith, our families and our friends. A bulletin insert/flyer, What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)? is available on the Mental Health Ministries Home page.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; on those who lived in a land of deep shadow a light has shone. -Isaiah 9:2
Blue Christmas and Blue Holiday Worship Services
Not everyone is feeling merry this time of year. Faith communities are increasingly attentive to the needs of people who are "blue" during this holiday season. They are creating sacred space and hospitable settings to include those who face various kinds of losses, grief or depression. Such services are reflective, accepting the reality of where we are emotionally. They offer a message of hope and the assurance of God’s presence with us in the midst of our darkness.
There are a number of sites on the internet that provide worship resources suitable for use at a "Blue Christmas" or "Longest Night" worship services. One example is the Blue Christmas Worship Resource Index. There aresamples of Blue Christmas and a Blue Interfaith Holiday Service in the Worship section under Resources on the Mental Health Ministries website.
Article - Faith & Spirituality Provide Strength, Comfort & Hope
There are a number of sites on the internet that provide worship resources suitable for use at a "Blue Christmas" or "Longest Night" worship services. One example is the Blue Christmas Worship Resource Index. There aresamples of Blue Christmas and a Blue Interfaith Holiday Service in the Worship section under Resources on the Mental Health Ministries website.
Article - Faith & Spirituality Provide Strength, Comfort & Hope
bp magazine’s Hope & Harmony Headlines shares an article on Worship and Wellness in the October 2015 newsletter. Belief in a higher power and worshipping in community can be strong elements in recovery, no matter what your faith tradition. In fact, a study of five large Jewish communities published earlier this year confirms what research on Christians has shown for many years. "People with a strong sense of religious identity and who participate in their faith seem to do better, on average, than people without an active spiritual life," noted study author Jeff Levin, PhD, MPH. Levin found that Jewish adults who attend synagogue regularly reported better health than either secular Jews or those who did not go to services. The question of personal spiritual practice is more complicated, but overall there’s a strong association between devotion (of any persuasion) and resilience.
Article available here.
New Book - The 16 Strivings for God: The New Psychology of Religious Experiences
"Hope and Harmony Headlines: Faith & Spirituality Provide Strength, Comfort & Hope
Worship & Wellness"
Belief in a higher power and worshipping in community can be strong elements in recovery, no matter what your faith tradition. In fact, a study of five large Jewish communities published earlier this year confirms what research on Christians has shown for many years.
“People with a strong sense of religious identity and who participate in their faith seem to do better, on average, than people without an active spiritual life,” noted study author Jeff Levin, PhD, MPH.
Levin found that Jewish adults who attend synagogue regularly reported better health than either secular Jews or those who did not go to services. The question of personal spiritual practice is more complicated, but overall there’s a strong association between devotion (of any persuasion) and resilience.
As we report in the feature “Have a Little Faith” , belief in a beneficent higher power has been linked to better coping skills, lower rates of anxiety and depression, and greater longevity. Click here to see what your peers say about how spirituality helps them.
Of course, faith is not a given for everyone—and our story notes that atheists who are confident in their beliefs also tend to fare well on measures of mental health. A defining factor in who embraces religion may be a desire for interdependence, while people who are not religious have a stronger need to be self-reliant and independent.
That’s the conclusion of Steven Reiss, PhD, a professor emeritus of psychology at Ohio State University. His research into human motivation has identified 16 basic desires: acceptance, curiosity, eating, family, honor, idealism, independence, order, physical activity, power, romance, saving, social contact, status, tranquility and vengeance.
Religious rituals fulfill the desire for order. Teachings about salvation and forgiveness tap into the need for acceptance, while promises of an afterlife may offer a sense of tranquility. Atheists, meanwhile, find alternatives in secular society to fulfill the basic desires.
The different weight each of us gives to those desires influences our decision-making and behavior. In his newly released book, The 16 Strivings for God, Reiss looks at the interplay of personal priorities and religion. For more on his new research, click here.
Research: Bipolar and biomarkers
Russian team finds possible biomarker
Oct 2, 2015—Scientists from the Institute of Chemical Biology and Basic Medicine in Novosibirsk have identified a possible biomarker for bipolar disorder, the website Russia Beyond the Headlines reports. In a small preliminary study, the researchers found blood levels of transthyretin—a protein that transfers a thyroid gland hormone to the brain—were different in individuals with or without bipolar. They said if a larger study confirms their findings, the next step would be developing a simple and inexpensive way to test for the protein. Click here to read.
New Book - The 16 Strivings for God: The New Psychology of Religious Experiences
"People are attracted to religion because it provides believers the opportunity to satisfy all their basic desires over and over again. You can’t boil religion down to one essence." That’s the conclusion of Steven Reiss, PhD, a professor emeritus of psychology at Ohio State University. His research into human motivation has identified 16 basic desires: acceptance, curiosity, eating, family, honor, idealism, independence, order, physical activity, and power, romance, saving, social contact, status, tranquility and vengeance.
Religious rituals fulfill the desire for order. Teachings about salvation and forgiveness tap into the need for acceptance, while promises of an afterlife may offer a sense of tranquility. Atheists, meanwhile, find alternatives in secular society to fulfill the basic desires. The different weight each of us gives to those desires influences our decision-making and behavior. In his newly released book, The 16 Strivings for God, Reiss looks at the interplay of personal priorities and religion.
Religious rituals fulfill the desire for order. Teachings about salvation and forgiveness tap into the need for acceptance, while promises of an afterlife may offer a sense of tranquility. Atheists, meanwhile, find alternatives in secular society to fulfill the basic desires. The different weight each of us gives to those desires influences our decision-making and behavior. In his newly released book, The 16 Strivings for God, Reiss looks at the interplay of personal priorities and religion.
Available on Amazon.
Snippets from Susan
Choosing Hope
Snippets from Susan
Choosing Hope
Hope is one of the many themes of the holiday season for all faith traditions. The message is that it is possible to bring light and hope in a world of darkness, oppression and despair. But often we don’t "feel" hopeful especially when we hear the message of holiday "joy" all around us.
A number of people have written that hope can be a choice...albeit a difficult one. When we feel overwhelmed by circumstances and expectations, it is a challenge to "choose" hope when feeling hopeless. Yet it is our faith traditions that remind us that hope is real and that the future will be better than the present. We can choose to believe in that future with the assurance we are loved and accepted by a loving God just as we are.
Just as we can make the decision to choose hope, hope often chooses us. Hope often chooses me when I give the gift of hope to others who are also having a difficult time. There are many opportunities for service to others especially during this season. In the process of helping others, I’ve discovered that I am more open to those unexpected encounters with the divine.
Thanksgiving Day invites us to find those things that we are grateful for. Expressing gratitude is another way to focus on the positive and especially to give thanks to those persons who have touched our lives in some special way. Choosing to focus on the many blessings in our lives is a year-long way of living.
During this holiday season, I invite you to be open to the sacred breaking into your ordinary of daily living...and choose hope!
Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder
Coordinator of Mental Health Ministries
www.MentalHealthMinistries.net
6707 Monte Verde Drive
San Diego, Californi 92119 United States
___________________________
A number of people have written that hope can be a choice...albeit a difficult one. When we feel overwhelmed by circumstances and expectations, it is a challenge to "choose" hope when feeling hopeless. Yet it is our faith traditions that remind us that hope is real and that the future will be better than the present. We can choose to believe in that future with the assurance we are loved and accepted by a loving God just as we are.
Just as we can make the decision to choose hope, hope often chooses us. Hope often chooses me when I give the gift of hope to others who are also having a difficult time. There are many opportunities for service to others especially during this season. In the process of helping others, I’ve discovered that I am more open to those unexpected encounters with the divine.
Thanksgiving Day invites us to find those things that we are grateful for. Expressing gratitude is another way to focus on the positive and especially to give thanks to those persons who have touched our lives in some special way. Choosing to focus on the many blessings in our lives is a year-long way of living.
During this holiday season, I invite you to be open to the sacred breaking into your ordinary of daily living...and choose hope!
Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder
Coordinator of Mental Health Ministries
www.MentalHealthMinistries.net
6707 Monte Verde Drive
San Diego, Californi 92119 United States
___________________________
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