This was the first half of a very good message to protect and help our emotional health during COVID-19 as well as in other difficult times.
Commandments for Emotional Health
- 1. Show grace to ourselves and others
- Give what is needed rather than deserved
- James 4:6, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
- 2. Start and end each day refueling the soul
- Just as our body needs to be fed in order to be healthy, so does our soul
- Read the bible; if it can save our soul, it surely can refuel our soul
- James 1:21, “Therefore get rid of moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”
- God’s Word should be the first and the last word of our day
- 3. Set and stick with a simple routine
- Predictability is an important stress remover
- Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live -not unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
- Routine develops resilience
- Predictability creates stability
- Structure creates steadiness
- 4. Stop watching so much news
- If we fill our minds with constant negativity, its going to deplete our reserves and raise our stress level
- Matthew 6:22-23, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
- What we see, is what we will become
- 5. Schedule a daily connection with the people we love
- Refill our cups by re-connecting with who we love
- Connect with a single or elderly person who is alone by calling, writing an email or mailing a card.
If we implement these principles, we will come out of this pandemic stronger, emotionally healthier, and spiritually more mature.
We don’t have to do it by ourselves, Jesus will be our savior if we let him