Psychological (or emotional) health is also a continuum—and interrelated with your physical, relational, and spiritual health at any point in time. However, when you consider psychological (or emotional) health alone, certain components are immediately evident, including (we know this is not an exhaustive list—we’ll have more to say about each over time):

  • exercise your mind through creative activity, mind challenges such as crossword puzzles, reading, writing, thinking, hobbies
  • reduce and learn to manage your stress, a silent killer via various means (see the list chronic stress symptoms and the illnesses to which they can contribute in this section, and take the “stress quiz” in the book Simple Health to discern your own level of chronic stress. (We’ll list this later on the site.)
  • increase your happiness (decrease your sadness or depression)
  • laugh more—laughter is good medicine, and helps you maintain perspective when the pressure is on
  • practice realistic optimism
  • learn to live in the now, instead of dwelling on the regrets of the past or the fears of the future
  • have a friend—be a friend (this obviously correlates with sociological health). In fact, one of the greatest contributors to psychological health is to have at least one good friend with whom you can share your most personal concerns without fear of judgment or betrayal.

    Specific emotional/psychological needs:

    Depression: For a comprehensive Christian overview of depression, including its causes and treatments, see our book New Light on Depression. If you suspect that you or someone you care about may be struggling with depression, see the “Brief Depression Scale” on this site, a scale that also appears in our book New Light on Depression (see the book’s table of contents below).
    Also if you sense someone you care about is severely depressed or perhaps even suicidal, see the “life saving questions” in this section, also excerpted from New Light on Depression.
    If you feel that a counselor (therapist) might be helpful in sorting out some of your issues, see “Choosing a Secular Therapist” and “Choosing a Christian Therapist,” which are from the same book.

    If you are struggling emotionally following the suicide of someone you love, see our book: Finding Your Way after the Suicide of Someone You Love (the table of contents of which appears below), and visit our Web site: http://www.hopecentral.us.

    If you are struggling with a sense of loss due to the loss of a child, see my book: Jonathan You Left Too Soon, and visit our Web site: http://www.hopecentral.us. for helpful resources.

    If you are struggling with a sense of loss in general, see my book: If God is So Good, Why Do I Hurt So Bad?

    In any case, you might with to consider participating in one of our 2006 “Breakthrough Weekend” programs (May and October) tentatively scheduled to be held in Lander, Wyoming. Write to dbbv1@aol.com for more information, which will also be posted eventually on: http://www.hopecentral.us.

    Please note: We will be adding to www.crosshearthealth.com regularly, including a rotating set of excerpts from our book Simple Health, which we intend to update every couple of weeks (the publisher has limited the number of excerpts we may post at any one time).

    Table of Contents: New Light on Depression (2004)
    by David B. Biebel, DMin, & Harold G. Koenig, MD

    Part 1 Depression—A Many Factored Thing
    Chapter 1 Like Nailing Jell-O to the Wall
    Chapter 2 Depression is a Whole-person Disorder
    Chapter 3: Do Real Christians Get Depressed?
    Chapter 4 Ten Myths and Misconceptions Related to Depression

    Part 2 There is Help
    Chapter 5 Strategies and Pitfalls for Those Who Wish to Help Themselves
    Chapter 6 Mental Health Professionals—Who They Are; What They Do.
    Chapter 7 Counseling Models and Methods
    Chapter 8 Models and Methods of Christian Counseling
    Chapter 9 Antidepressant Medication—What They Are; How They Work
    Chapter 10 Other Medical and Spiritual Treatments for Depression

    Part 3 Living with Depression
    Chapter 11 Love: The Crucial Role of Family and Friends
    Chapter 12 Faith: Acknowledging Depression’s Gifts
    Chapter 13 Hope: Moving toward Joy Again

    Bibliography
    Endnotes

    Table of Contents: Finding Your Way after the Suicide of Someone You Love (2005)
    by David B. Biebel, DMin, & Suzanne L. Foster, MA

    Chapter 1: Why? Why? Why?
    Chapter 2: Wandering and Wondering
    Chapter 3: Guilt, the Blight of Broken Hearts
    Chapter 4: The Wall
    Chapter 5: Depression, the Scourge of Broken Hearts
    Chapter 6: Preserving Relationships in the Aftermath of Suicide
    Chapter 7: Suicide Survival in Special Situations
    Chapter 8: After the Suicide of Your Brother or Sister
    Chapter 9: Questions That Remain
    Chapter 10: Survival—and Beyond
    Chapter 11: Embracing Your New Normal
    Supplemental Chapter: How to Help Survivors of Suicide
    Appendix: Resources and Recommended Reading