As Christians, We Often Suffer in Silence

We often suffer in silence.

If it’s postpartum depression, we believe if we tell someone, then they’ll think we’re ungrateful for this beautiful baby that God has gifted us. We believe they’ll think we don’t love our baby and what kind of mother would think that way?

And so, we stay silent.

If it’s depression, we believe the lie that we’re alone. That no one who believes in God could ever feel this low and fall into such a pit. We believe it’s a sign of weak faith and that things just will never get better. How could they ever get better? 

And so, we stay silent.

If it’s anxiety, we wonder what people would think about our faith. We imagine that they’d probably think we let fear dictate our minds and that we just need to pray harder to find peace. We can hear their voices saying, “give it to God” or “just stop worrying so much.” We assume it’s just the enemy whispering these fears into our hearts; we don’t think that there could be something wrong with the chemicals in our brain and we just believe it’s a spiritual issue. 

And so, we stay silent.

If it’s postpartum anxiety, we’re told it’s normal to be anxious and to worry when you have a newborn and that’s just what it is. We’re told that we need to get more sleep and that our hormones need to adjust. We’re told all these things so we think it’s just a normal part of the process and that there is no need to ask our doctor about it. And so we suffer through it and just wait for those “hormones” to adjust. 

And so, we stay silent.

But the thing about silence is it feeds the misconceptions. It tells the world that because we’re Christian, we’re immune to mental illness. The longer we stay silent, not only do we continue to suffer, but we also allow these stigmas to live.

No one is immune to it. 

Mental illness does not care what your religious affiliations are and it does not discriminate. 

And as mothers, it’s even worse for us because we feel like we have to carry the weight of it all and put on a brave face for our families. We believe we need to be superwoman and our kids come before ourselves and our mental health. 

So let’s start speaking up. Let’s start breaking those stigmas.

Because when we start speaking up, I guarantee that you’re going to hear a “me too” come out of someone else’s mouth. 

And you’ll start feeling less alone.

(If you are currently experiencing depression or have had thoughts of suicide, please reach out for help. You are not alone. There are doctors and counselors that God has given the gift of medicine and knowledge to that want to help you. God does not want you to suffer alone. Please call 1-800-950-NAMI to speak with someone at the National Alliance on Mental Health. And if you know someone who is experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts, please share this to spread the message.)