Skip to main content

Yay! It has finally happened!

By Mercy Manyema

This blog has been a long time coming. I toyed with the idea for some years, but the timing just never seemed right. For a person who has always been known to be quiet and reserved, I have realised that I actually have a lot to say about a lot of things. I daresay that knack has often landed me in trouble 😅. A blog seemed a perfect way to have my say about the things that matter not only to me but to those around me, and to society at large. 

So what will his blog be about? - all things mental health. It feels like a big part of my life has been preparing me for this very moment – more of that in coming posts. I want to join the ranks of many who have gone before me to raise awareness and facilitate dialogue on mental health issues, especially in the African and Christian contexts. I hope to draw insights from my experience in public health research as well as psychology/counselling, and theology.

Mental health challenges are no respecter of persons. We all go through overwhelming experiences in life regardless of our religion, age, race, social or economic standing. When we go through these experiences, we need someone to come alongside us, and to help us walk the journey to healing and wholeness. The word Parakaleo is a Greek word meaning "to call to one's side; to comfort, encourage and exhort”. It describes the essence of the ministry of helping and counselling, of which this blog is a part. More information on the ministry itself will be shared in due course. 

Apart from raising awareness, the aim of the blog is to encourage, comfort, and to urge on anyone facing mental health challenges, as well as their families. It is about shedding light into a subject that is seldom spoken about and yet affects us at all levels of society. Above all else, this blog seeks to bring hope. 

So, join me on this journey of exploration, and of hope as we seek to know more, and do better. Leave a comment with suggestions of mental health topics you would like to see discussed on the blog. 




Comments

  1. Otillia Nyandoro MakwarimbaMay 12, 2022 at 9:31 PM

    Drug and substance use ,cause,and effect on mental health

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

We value dialogue and we value your input. Lets respect one another's opinion and experiences.

Popular posts from this blog

The gift of another chance

 Imagine if we could not start over - like never ever be able to try again. Imagine if in all things we could only have one shot at it, and if that failed, that would be the end of it. For one thing, I think we would have far more cases of depression and anxiety.  When I posted last week's story I realised that the very first blog I posted on here was around the same date, in 2022. I realised that it is actually true that May is a time of reflection for me (see post 11 May 2026 ). But I didn't post anything else since then. When I started, I had every intention of continuing but life happened, I focused on other things and it just didn't happen. I was grateful to have that first post still here. I was also grateful to have the chance to continue what I started. Not everything needs another chance, but it sure is good to have the chance when you need it. When God created the heavens and the earth ( Gen 1:1-31 ), He built opportunities to start over in our timeline. Every tur...
Post a Comment
Read more

What is time?

By Mercy Manyema I love watching sunrises and sunsets. They are beautiful, and the changing hues across the horizon are magnificent. I find both events so simple yet so surreal. I often take pictures but it can be quite difficult to fully capture the moment on a still photo.  Our entire lives are contained within sunrises and sunsets. Whatever happens in your life happens in the day time after the sun has risen, or during the night after the sun has set. It's a wonder then, that on any typical day we rush along, doing what we need to do and pay no attention to these two events that punctuate our lives daily. Maybe we are afraid to face them because they remind us that our days are like sand in an hourglass, slowly ebbing away. Solomon says in Eccl 5:18 -  "This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this...
Post a Comment
Read more

Seasons, by Mercy Manyema

At this time of the year and in this side of the world, we are approaching winter. The leaves are changing color as quickly as the trees are shedding them. The sun sets sooner, evenings are becoming cooler and we are all bringing out our warm clothing. The seasons are changing. Just like they did last year, and the year before.  We all go through different seasons in life. Some are predictable and some are not, some are temporary and some are lasting. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is credited as saying "Change is the only constant in life". The one thing we are guaranteed to face in this life is change, and changing seasons. Changing seasons can sometimes threaten our sense of security and wellbeing, and cause uncertainty, stress and anxiety. How does one navigate change without being adversely affected by it? I looked at these trees in my yard and realised a few things that are true of the seasons of climate as well as the seasons of life. Firstly, seasons do not affect u...
1 comment
Read more