Protect Your Mental Health Quotes

Your brain can do amazing stuff to protect itself from pain," Mo tells me. "But it'll struggle to keep secrets from the rest of you for long.

Check your emotional armour is actually protecting you, and not so heavy you can't move.

If you've been through trauma you don't need more drama, so surround yourself with those who bring you peace.

if you do it to protect your mental health, then it’s not cruel, nor is it selfish.

The most powerful way to change brain chemistry is with food, because that's where brain chemicals come from in the first place.

You need so much more than mental health or “well-being” in this era of discrimination, invisibility, and psychological warfare. You need an impermeable web of protection for your mind.

The most important thing to remember, the guiding principle, is to try to keep your son's self esteem intact while he is in school. That is the real risk to his success and to his mental health. Once he's out of school, the world will be different. He'll find a niche where the fact that he can't spell well or didn't read until he was eight, won't matter. But if he starts to hate himself because he isn't good at schoolwork, he'll fall into a hole that he'll be digging himself out of for the rest of his life.

Some people will never admit their behavior is toxic. Even when they do something wrong, they will somehow blame you. It's an endless loop of poison. Save your energy and protect your mental health. The best way to win with such a person is not to play.

I want you to remember that no matter what, your physical and mental health are the most important thing. That is not being selfish; that is protecting yourself, so you can participate in healthy relationships. Cutting toxic people from your life is necessary for your own personal health and growth. “I

Anger is one of the most misunderstood emotions. Anger is a gift and serves to protect us. Setting boundaries and using your voice effectively are healthy expressions of anger.

Prioritising mental health and protecting your relationship with your child is NEVER the wrong decision.

At the heart of every human being is a desire to be loved and to love. Love is what protects us from the moment we enter this world.

In moments of struggle, it might help to say to yourself, “This is really hard for me right now. How can I comfort and care for myself at this moment?

She’d captioned the photos of her “ultimate self-quarantine” with an affiliate link that gave people discounts on their own escapes from the city, as well as a meditation about how, in the midst of crisis, nothing was more important than protecting your mental health.

While there is a real urgency for caution, there is also an overwhelming urgency for calm. My greatest concern is that the driving force of this pandemic may cause those who have no signs or symptomology to develop other chronic fears, anxieties and medical conditions. Heightened fears and anxieties will not make you feel safer. Compulsive and impulsive purchases will not protect you from the virus. It is important that you take care of your physical and mental health. Follow what your state and county are advising you to do. The sky is not falling and life will return to normal. The most prudent thing that people can do at this time, is to take commonsense approaches to reduce your risk of exposure.

That bomb is made up of your success, your indifference, and your ability to be everything that your ex has consistently proven he isn’t—genuinely happy, emotionally intelligent, honest, unbothered, and consistent. Someone who loves their younger self unconditionally and will go to the ends of the earth to choose and protect that child. Someone whose boundaries preserve her peace and mental health. Someone who knows that her triggers are not her truth and, because of this, is no longer a slave to her ego.

Had she been able to listen to her body, the true Virginia would certainly have spoken up. In order to do so, however, she needed someone to say to her: “Open your eyes! They didn’t protect you when you were in danger of losing your health and your mind, and now they refuse to see what has been done to you. How can you love them so much after all that?” No one offered that kind of support. Nor can anyone stand up to that kind of abuse alone, not even Virginia Woolf. Malcolm Ingram, the noted lecturer in psychological medicine, believed that Woolf’s “mental illness” had nothing to do with her childhood experiences, and her illness was genetically inherited from her family. Here is his opinion as quoted on the Virginia Woolf Web site: As a child she was sexually abused, but the extent and duration is difficult to establish. At worst she may have been sexually harassed and abused from the age of twelve to twenty-one by her [half-]brother George Duckworth, [fourteen] years her senior, and sexually exploited as early as six by her other [half-] brother… It is unlikely that the sexual abuse and her manic-depressive illness are related. However tempting it may be to relate the two, it must be more likely that, whatever her upbringing, her family history and genetic makeup were the determining factors in her mood swings rather than her unhappy childhood [italics added]. More relevant in her childhood experience is the long history of bereavements that punctuated her adolescence and precipitated her first depressions.3 Ingram’s text goes against my own interpretation and ignores a large volume of literature that deals with trauma and the effects of childhood abuse. Here we see how people minimize the importance of information that might cause pain or discomfort—such as childhood abuse—and blame psychiatric disorders on family history instead. Woolf must have felt keen frustration when seemingly intelligent and well-educated people attributed her condition to her mental history, denying the effects of significant childhood experiences. In the eyes of many she remained a woman possessed by “madness.” Nevertheless, the key to her condition lay tantalizingly close to the surface, so easily attainable, and yet neglected. I think that Woolf’s suicide could have been prevented if she had had an enlightened witness with whom she could have shared her feelings about the horrors inflicted on her at such an early age. But there was no one to turn to, and she considered Freud to be the expert on psychic disorders. Here she made a tragic mistake. His writings cast her into a state of severe uncertainty, and she preferred to despair of her own self rather than doubt the great father figure Sigmund Freud, who represented, as did her family, the system of values upheld by society, especially at the time.   UNFORTUNATELY,

Thinking is a defense mechanism. Not all the time, of course, but when in situations where strong emotions are involved, throwing yourself into your head is a way to keep yourself out of your feelings and out of your body. Your feelings need to pass through your body, you need to feel them run through your body in order to let go of anything. But that's an excruciating experience and we keep on trying to protect ourselves from it by running into our heads, being analytical, being logical, and doing everything to stay in our brains. This has been my own number one defense mechanism, the wall that I know I need to tear down a little more each day.

Secure attachment reflects the deep emotional bond that forms in the first months of life between an infant and the primary caregiver when the child feels consistently loved and cared for. The caregiver conveys in many ways that the child is safe, protected, and valued: by holding, skin-to-skin touching, kissing, and hugging; by loving gazes and facial expressions; by safe, rhythmic gestures and vocal sounds; by timely attention to the infant’s needs; and by smiling, laughing, and having fun with the child. Through repeated encounters that are sensitive to the child’s needs, the child learns that the caregiver is available and responsive, and will not abandon her.

What is considered pathology is largely a construct and product of the times. Mental health specialists spend their careers carving out the precise parameters around certain “diagnoses,” and when two or more diagnoses start to overlap or run up against each other, people get territorial and defensive and protective. This may sound shocking or ridiculous, but it is true. So it is imperative that the language and vocabulary of neurodiversity—the understanding that there is a natural array of human brain makeups—begin to seep not only into the medical and psychiatric canon, but also into the everyday colloquial language of the public. We must ask, Why does the way you pay attention determine your work prospects and life satisfaction?

In 2006, researchers Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler created fake newspaper articles about polarizing political issues. The articles were written in a way that would confirm a widespread misconception about certain ideas in American politics. As soon as a person read a fake article, experimenters then handed over a true article that corrected the first. For instance, one article suggested that the United States had found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The next article corrected the first and said that the United States had never found them, which was the truth. Those opposed to the war or who had strong liberal leanings tended to disagree with the original article and accept the second. Those who supported the war and leaned more toward the conservative camp tended to agree with the first article and strongly disagree with the second. These reactions shouldn’t surprise you. What should give you pause, though, is how conservatives felt about the correction. After reading that there were no WMDs, they reported being even more certain than before that there actually were WMDs and that their original beliefs were correct. The researchers repeated the experiment with other wedge issues, such as stem cell research and tax reform, and once again they found that corrections tended to increase the strength of the participants’ misconceptions if those corrections contradicted their ideologies. People on opposing sides of the political spectrum read the same articles and then the same corrections, and when new evidence was interpreted as threatening to their beliefs, they doubled down. The corrections backfired. Researchers Kelly Garrett and Brian Weeks expanded on this work in 2013. In their study, people already suspicious of electronic health records read factually incorrect articles about such technologies that supported those subjects’ beliefs. In those articles, the scientists had already identified any misinformation and placed it within brackets, highlighted it in red, and italicized the text. After they finished reading the articles, people who said beforehand that they opposed electronic health records reported no change in their opinions and felt even more strongly about the issue than before. The corrections had strengthened their biases instead of weakening them. Once something is added to your collection of beliefs, you protect it from harm. You do this instinctively and unconsciously when confronted with attitude-inconsistent information. Just as confirmation bias shields you when you actively seek information, the backfire effect defends you when the information seeks you, when it blindsides you. Coming or going, you stick to your beliefs instead of questioning them. When someone tries to correct you, tries to dilute your misconceptions, it backfires and strengthens those misconceptions instead. Over time, the backfire effect makes you less skeptical of those things that allow you to continue seeing your beliefs and attitudes as true and proper.

colonize the gut may determine our interactions with the environment, protecting us from or predisposing us to the development of allergy and autoimmunity. They may protect us from or predispose us to becoming obese or diabetic. They may inhibit or intensify inflammation in the body. They may interact with artificial sweeteners to cause insulin resistance and weight gain in some individuals. They may even influence mental function and emotional wellness. I first heard about this new view of the microbiome from one

Human bodies are extremely complicated and over the years I learned three important things about them, none of which I had been taught by lecturers or professors at my medical school. First, I learned that no two bodies are identical and there are an infinite number of variations. Not even twins are truly identical. When I first started to study medicine I used to think how much easier it would be for us all (doctors and patients) if bodies came with an owner's manual, but the more I learned about medicine the more I realised that such a manual would have to contain so many variations, footnotes and appendices that it wouldn't fit into the British Museum let alone sit comfortably on the average bookshelf. Even if manuals were individually prepared they would still be too vast for practical use. However much we may think we know about illness and health there will always be exceptions; there will always be times when our prognoses and predictions are proved wrong. Second, I learned that the human body has enormous, hidden strengths, and far greater power than most of us ever realise. We tend to think of ourselves as being delicate and vulnerable. But, in practice, our bodies are tougher than we imagine, far more capable of coping with physical and mental stresses than most of us realise. Very few of us know just how strong and capable we can be. Only if we are pushed to our limits do we find out precisely what we can do. Third, I learned that our bodies are far better equipped for selfdefence than most of us imagine, and are surprisingly well-equipped with a wide variety of protective mechanisms and self-healing systems which are designed to keep us alive and to protect us when we find ourselves in adverse circumstances. The human body is designed for survival and contains far more automatic defence mechanisms, designed to protect its occupant when it is threatened, than any motor car. To give the simplest of examples, consider what happens when you cut yourself. First, blood will flow out of your body for a few seconds to wash away any dirt. Then special proteins will quickly form a protective net to catch blood cells and form a clot to seal the wound. The damaged cells will release special substances into the tissues to make the area red, swollen and hot. The heat kills any infection, the swelling acts as a natural splint - protecting the injured area. White cells are brought to the injury site to swallow up any bacteria. And, finally, scar tissue builds up over the wounded site. The scar tissue will be stronger than the original, damaged area of skin. Those were the three medical truths I discovered for myself. Over the years I have seen many examples of these three truths. But one patient always comes into my mind when I think about the way the human body can defy medical science, prove doctors wrong and exhibit its extraordinary in-built healing power.

A big part of self-love is being protective of your time and energy. Setting boundaries around your time, emotions, mental health, and space is incredibly vital at any time, but especially when you don’t sleep. When you lack any necessary fuel, such as sleep or food, your resources aren’t as abundant as they are at other times, so protecting what you have becomes very important.

To all of you who are both brave and strong enough to acknowledge that protecting your mental health and building positive mental fitness is a battle worth fighting every day.

It plays in your mind like a mantra, the self-affirmation reminding you that going in the right direction will be worth it. It should be so easy—why stay with someone who has no empathy, care, or kindness towards you and wants to see you suffer? Yet, it is not as easy as it seems, hence why you need to repeat statements such as this.  It is one detail that many people don't tell you when taking steps to divorce a narcissist. You need mantras or affirmation-like statements to keep you on the course, remind you that this is in your best interests and that it will be worth it in the end. The psychological, mental, and emotional abuse and trauma you have suffered are real, and regardless of how many times you have been gaslighted or made to appear crazy, in the wrong, or losing the plot, you know the truth in the core of your cells. Being with a narcissist is entirely detrimental to your health.

Reading on a regular basis, however, provides amazing benefits to the health of our brain and our mental well-being. Compared to other media—especially television—reading is an active process that engages several parts of the brain, demanding much more from us neurologically. As a result, reading makes you smarter and—even better—keeps you smart as you get older, helping to protect against memory loss. It should come as no surprise that the more you read, the more you increase your vocabulary, general knowledge, spelling capabilities, and verbal fluency.1 Further, reading books or lengthy articles for an extended period of time improves our focus, concentration, and attention skills.

Many of the verbal expressions that cause people to be detained on "mental health" grounds are — should be — protected speech. People who say things considered incomprehensible or illogical by the police or "mental health" workers are given ostensibly medical diagnoses and imprisoned for a limited time. That is, people who speak in a way those in authority disapprove of are punished, even if the speaker breaks no law. This blatant and often exercised limit on free speech is a "for your own good" exception to the First Amendment. There should be no such exception. But it is so woven into the fabric of American society and jurisprudence that virtually nobody objects. You can refuse a lifesaving treatment for cancer, but you cannot refuse to be jailed for saying something like, "I am Jesus" to the police when they are doing a "welfare check," a euphemism if there ever was one.

What's shadow-sick?' she asked. 'You might call it 'heartsick' or 'soul-sick',' answered Anita. 'It happens when humans turn from face-to-face trust and let the darkness of death enter them. Thanks to Adam, we all have inherited shadow-sickness in our mortality. Resisting it is the war in which we are all engaged.' 'Is your colleague being guarded, then?' John asked. 'No, she is being companioned inside a community to the north,' Anita said. 'It is a guarding of sorts--but *for*, not *against*. The purpose is to help her turn once again toward life.' She addressed Lilly. 'We learned long ago that shadow-sickness feeds on isolation. So we take our stand against it by protecting relationships of intentional love and kindness.

The most important thing to remember, the guiding principle, is to try to keep your son’s self-esteem intact while he is in school. That is the real risk to his success and to his mental health. Once he’s out of school, the world will be different. He’ll find a niche where the fact that he can’t spell well, or didn’t read until he was eight, won’t matter. But if he starts to hate himself because he isn’t good at

Sacred Rest Boundaries Emotional boundaries protect you from others’ abuse. Jesus resisted against a crowd that was trying to throw Him off a cliff for claiming to be the Messiah (see Luke 4:28–30). Sensory boundaries protect you from fatigue and overstimulation. Jesus often withdrew from the crowds to desolate places to pray (see Luke 5:15–16). Physical boundaries protect your health. As the New International Version states, “One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep” (Luke 8:22–23). Social boundaries protect you from the perfectionism trap. When faced with hundreds of hungry people, Jesus extended grace. He did not make an excuse for the meager meal He had to offer his dining guest. No, He took the five loaves and the two fish and looked up to heaven, blessed them, broke them into pieces and passed them to His disciples to serve to the crowds. Everybody ate and was satisfied. (See Luke 9:10–17.) Social boundaries also value your inner circle. Jesus took Peter, John, and James, His three closest friends, on a mountain to pray and there He revealed truth (see Luke 9:28). Spiritual boundaries provide room for unhurried intimacy. When asked what is the greatest commandment, Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10:27 NIV). Mental boundaries protect your priorities. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Luke 16:13 ESV). Creative boundaries abandon life’s outcomes to God’s sovereignty. Jesus was tempted to be overcome with fear about the cross. He overcame by letting go. He chose not to force things, but to trust God’s will. He said, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42 NIV).

The most important thing to remember, the guiding principle, is to try to keep your son’s self-esteem intact while he is in school. That is the real risk to his success and to his mental health. Once he’s out of school, the world will be different. He’ll find a niche where the fact that he can’t spell well, or didn’t read until he was eight, won’t matter. But if he starts to hate himself because he isn’t good at schoolwork, he’ll fall into a hole that he’ll be digging himself out of for the rest of his life.

Know also that you might find different parts of your soul scattered in different times, spaces, and lifetimes, and even lingering in between lifetimes. Ask the Divine to gather all parts of your soul and sew them together with love, cleansing, healing, and integrating them through this process. Many mental health disorders are actually outgrowths of a fragmented soul and begin to heal once we’re made whole again.

Nobody tells you, as a child, that your initiation into womanhood might come at the price of a craving for misuse and violence; that you can protect yourself from others, but that nobody can protect you from yourself.

The sheer scale of the family wealth makes Jonathan’s concerns about losing it seem pretty irrational. But emotions are emotions. “You put the walls up and you want to guard it and protect it and defend it and heaven forbid somebody should take it from you,” he says. “You’re fear-based now.” In some ways, being very rich and very poor are strangely similar. Just as having not enough money creates fear and anxiety, so can having more than you know what to do with. At both ends of the spectrum, money tinkers with our notions of self-worth, our egos, our social lives, the stability of our marriages, our relationships with children, parents, and siblings—even our mental health. Raising that difficult child properly requires a network of friends and relatives, teachers and advisors, except in the ultrawealth world those teachers and advisors wear business casual and charge substantial fees. “I’m a lawyer, not a therapist,” one estate lawyer who caters to ultra-high-net-worth clients told me. “Although the fact of the matter is, you become one.

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to protect your mental health.

If you feel shame at the thought of your words being heard by other people, then you should revaluate what you shout where I am present. I have the right to protect my mental health and well-being, as do you.

Burnout is a slow, insidious experience. Burnout is not afraid of playing the long game. To prevent burnout, we need to play a long game, too.

Do what feeds your brain, stimulates your mind, protects your heart, and calms your soul

Your spark is the unique essence that burns bright within you. Your spark makes you YOU.

If you think you can outsmart burnout, burnout will prove you wrong.

The broad strokes are always similar: manage expectations, maintain boundaries, shore up your other supports, recognize that they will not change, take care of yourself, don’t engage, and get mental health assistance. Expect the football to be pulled away. That means you may protect yourself from some of the disappointment when the ball does get pulled away, or, better yet, don’t play ball with them at all. Doing all these things can take a seemingly uncontrollable soul-sapping situation and transform it into something still exhausting but, at least, predictable. These rules also apply when dealing with the world in general. When politicians make foolish, polarizing, nasty, and divisive comments, recognize that they won’t stop. When your Instagram feed leaves you feeling empty, limit your time with it. When you start feeling down because you are tired of witnessing entitled temper tantrums, frightening road rage, or more reports of cruelty in the world perpetrated by tyrants, narcissists, psychopaths, and other abusive, hostile, and antagonistic people, consider therapy to vent some of those feelings, but give up the idea that you can fix the world. The shifts in the world have normalized and legitimized narcissism, entitlement, and incivility and have given narcissists a sense of new power in the world. They feel emboldened to behave this way because the world appears to be cheering them on or, at least, giving them a very large platform. Increasingly, they also own the platforms, so they also control the message and our collective reality.

As we protect our bodies, we should protect our minds too. Because when your mind is happy and healthy, it will not work against you, and it will work for you.

Yes, meditation can help with our stress, but if the cause of our stress is another identifiable problem, we must deal with the problem and not mask it in the name of protecting our spiritual credibility. We must not bury our heads in the sand; we must not ignore the signs that indicate we are struggling with our mental health by covering them up with our spiritual practices. Spiritual practices are meant to awaken our deeper self. They are not there to deal with our physical or mental ailments, although they may have that after-effect and can complement our healing.

From the beginning, our relationship was formula for disaster. Depressed people often attract unhealthy relationships and inadvertently subject themselves and their already battered self-image, to additional abuse… You feel as if you are worthless so you attach yourself to someone who you think will give your life some meaning, be a safe harbor for your souls. But only you can protect what’s inside.

Some people confuse boundaries for grudges, avoidance for weakness, distance for anger... but that's okay... Wisdom is often misunderstood. Take positive steps towards protecting your mental health... unapologetically.

Protect your mental health. You don’t have to try to be everything to everyone.

Having reasons has helped me become crystal clear when it comes to commitments. A big part of self-love is being protective of your time and energy. Setting boundaries around your time, emotions, mental health, and space is incredibly vital at any time, but especially when you don’t sleep. When you lack any necessary fuel, such as sleep or food, your resources aren’t as abundant as they are at other times, so protecting what you have becomes very important. When I make decisions, everything is either a heaven yes or heaven no (just trying to keep it clean here). If I don’t feel completely aligned with something, I don’t do it, because I don’t have the energy to spare. And I can honestly say that I don’t suffer from FOMO (fear of missing out). In the last few weeks I’ve been invited to a handful of social and work gatherings but declined because I’m clear about my purpose and motivation in spending time writing this book. I’d love for you to join me in celebrating JOMO—the joy of missing out.

Keeping your distance from certain people to protect your mental health is not selfishness, its wisdom. :)

Page 111: Workplace bullying directly affects one in six U.S. workers. It poses an occupational health hazard. Yet few targeted individuals complain. That is because existing laws either require harassment to be discriminatory or the standard of outrageous conduct is rarely met in the courts. Gender, race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, or sexual orientation define protected status groups. In order for mistreatment to be discriminatory and illegal, the Target must have “protected status” and the bully cannot be a member. But when the bully also is a member, as in woman-on-woman bullying (over 40 percent of all bullying reported in the Institute survey), the Target cannot file a lawsuit to force the employer to believe her or to punish the perpetrator. Research by the Institute and others shows that two-thirds of all harassment is “status-blind” and therefore legal.

There is a difference between working out and training,” he started.  “So far, you just work out.  You sweat a little and get a good amount of exercise.  Yes, you do get a little better, a little stronger and a little smarter, but mostly your skills are derived from your natural abilities.  Training is very different.  When you train, you have to push your body and your fighting spirit to the point of breaking every time. When you train, you have to go right up to the limits where your physical being and your spiritual self scream ‘no more.’ And at that barrier, which naturally evolved throughout your lifetime as protection against possible physical harm and mental anguish, you must force through or be forced through into a world of seemingly unreasonable pain in order to glimpse and then realize another level beyond your current abilities.  This must happen over and over again in order to truly progress on this journey.  And of course, the cruelty of all this is that the next level itself is illusory, as is the one after that, and the successive barriers you must force your way through will seem boundless.” “Even for the strongest person, training extracts a heavy and oftentimes damaging toll on your body and on your psychic health, which is why I rarely push my students that hard,” he continued.  “The harmful effects of such hard training is also why you need a trustworthy guide and teacher, someone who can catalyze your training but, more importantly, someone who can pull you from the abyss and show you that the white hot pressure to advance and constantly surpass your previous achievements is also an illusion in and of itself.

Anxiety is not intended for us to live with it. You use anxiety to your advantage to protect your mental and physical well-being and survival from a threat or danger.

nervous system paradox. Put simply, in the pursuit of safety, your nervous system causes itself to become stuck and less able to actually protect and support you in regulating your health. It loses the ability to find homeostasis and move flexibly between states of activation and relaxation, and to maintain basic mental and physiological well-being.

write down what you were doing, how you were feeling, and the thoughts that arose.

We all have this voice, but in the case of BPD, it tends to be harsh, self-critical, and unforgiving.

Remember, you are not your thoughts. You can observe them, challenge them, and choose not to engage with them.

Spend some time each day noting down your thoughts. Do not judge them; simply observe. Are they primarily negative?

Since the brain is an energy hog, if its metabolic machinery can’t generate enough power to meet its needs, it can and will malfunction.

The word “metabolism” refers to the complicated collection of chemical reactions our cells use to turn food into

Conclusion Mitolyn is a promising supplement that may offer significant benefits for mitochondrial health, including increased energy, better mental clarity, and enhanced physical performance. With its carefully selected blend of ingredients, Mitolyn supports energy production, protects cells from oxidative stress, and may contribute to healthy aging. As with any supplement, it’s important to consult with a healthcare professional before starting, especially if you have existing medical conditions or are on medication. With consistent use, Mitolyn can be a valuable addition to your wellness routine.

Oxygen’s special ability to safely absorb these leftover electrons is the single most important reason why we need to breathe.

autophagy pathways that recycle or destroy damaged cell components (with the help of calcium and zinc), pathways that bolster your immune system and make you more resilient to stress, and pathways that promote neuroplasticity, your brain’s ability to grow new cells and wire them together in new patterns.

Creating these new circuits, which is how we learn and remember new things, requires vitamin A, vitamin D, calcium, and zinc.

To Scarlett, In this life, one of the greatest lessons we must learn is to say no—to people, situations, and demands that don’t align with our well-being or respect our boundaries. Too often, people expect the maximum from us without considering the toll it takes. They don’t care if it overwhelms us, makes us unhappy, or even harms our health. Many are self-centered, focused solely on their own interests. That’s why it’s so important to protect your comfort zone, to prioritize your happiness, and to cherish your peace of mind. Scarlett, please always remember to take care of yourself. Your health, both physical and mental, is your most valuable treasure. Be kind to yourself, and don’t let anyone guilt you into giving more than you can. You’ve already given the world so much—your talent, your beauty, your incredible energy. But you owe no one anything beyond what you willingly choose to share. Spend time with your kids, Scarlett. These moments are precious, fleeting, and irreplaceable. What you do with them now, the love, the laughter, and the memories you create together, will be imprinted on their hearts forever. Long after they’ve grown, they will carry these moments with them, drawing strength and joy from the foundation of love you’ve built. Money, success, and fame are wonderful, but they pale in comparison to the love of family. In the end, it’s the people who love us unconditionally who make life worth living. You’ve inspired countless people, including me, with your talent and grace, but I hope you never forget how deeply you are loved for simply being yourself. I love you, Scarlett, not for the roles you’ve played or the fame you’ve achieved, but for the person you are—the person I’ve come to admire deeply. Be safe, be happy, and always remember that you deserve every ounce of love and care that comes your way. With all my heart, Someone who will always cherish you

Picture an overwhelmed, anxious fifteen-year-old. How do you think being told “anxiety is a belief issue”8 would affect her? Because that’s what she would read in Lies Young Women Believe, and our already anxious girl might wonder if she has failed God. That same girl might hear something similar watching “5 Tips for Overcoming Crazy Girl Emotions” on the Girl Defined YouTube channel, run by Bethany Beal and Kristen Clark. In their video, Beal and Clark explain: “If our hearts and thoughts are in a godly place, our emotions will be peaceful. . . . Our emotions are a reflection of what’s going on in our hearts. . . . Our emotions are a dictator of where our heart is.” Listing the fruits of the Spirit, they conclude, “[The fruits of the Spirit] result in awesome emotions. If that’s what’s on the inside, the emotions will be stable on the outside, not like a hurricane. The opposites of the fruits of the Spirit are things like anger, anxiety, worry, things the Bible actually calls sin.”9 Read the Prophets, though, and you won’t exactly see accounts of people who were emotionally placid—but you will see a lot of hurricanes of emotion. Hearing that we need to take every thought captive and confront our depression and worry and focus on gratitude may work wonderfully for the stressed-out thirty-five-year-old who gets a bit grumpy sometimes. But for the fifteen-year-old who feels isolated and alone and wonders how she can get up in the morning? When you’re dealing with all-or-nothing thinking, this advice, when not paired with an acknowledgment of how deep and debilitating depression can be, can cause shame, as we’ve heard from these mothers: • “My daughter asked to stop going to church because of the predominant views taught in youth group about mental health (all depression/anxiety is a spiritual problem). She loves Jesus and seeks to know God/understand how she was made by him uniquely and perfectly. To be told she isn’t yielding to God or knowing who she is in Christ as a result of autism and related anxiety was as un-Christlike as it comes. I stay home on Sundays with her now.” • “My children were told during a chapel service at their Christian school that it was a sin against God to feel anxious or depressed. One of them was in therapy at the time for issues that were in part aggravated by the school environment. My children are no longer at that school.” These moms protected their kids. But it’s an embarrassment to the gospel that our Christian spaces can be so cold and unfeeling toward those in our midst who need the most compassion.

Love, respect, and value yourself. Your mental, emotional, and physical health are important. Make yourself a priority and know that it’s okay! Don’t feel guilty for taking care of yourself, first. Your worth is invaluable… Believe it, own, it, and protect it! Make a commitment to celebrate yourself, and to live life fearlessly. You matter!

Love, respect, and value yourself. Your mental, emotional, and physical health are important. Make yourself a priority and know that it’s okay! Don’t feel guilty for taking care of yourself first. Your worth is invaluable… Believe it, own it, and protect it! Make a commitment to celebrate yourself and to live life fearlessly. You matter!

That’s not procrastination—that’s your brain protecting itself from overload.

Chronic stress rewires your brain for self-protection, not self-production.

Executive dysfunction isn’t distraction. It’s your brain’s defense mechanism kicking in to protect itself from overwhelm.

You’re not procrastinating. You’re protecting yourself from burnout.

If someone isn’t listening, stop talking. Protect your energy.