Biological
Psychological
Social
Spiritual
Even strong people struggle some times.
Cognitive Security
We built walls to protect our cities, developed locks to secure our homes, and created firewalls to guard our data. But what about protecting our minds?
Seasons
Exposure
Threats
Impulses
Isolation
Insecurities
1 Kings 19
1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.”
3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
Impulses (Impulsive)
Are you running from something or to something?
What can cause me to be reactionary?
KJV — And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
CJB — On seeing that, he got up and fled for his life. When he arrived in Be’er-Sheva, in Y’hudah, he left his servant there.
Isolation
According to the Surgeon General we are facing an epidemic of loneliness and isolation.
Without normal and predictable sleep patterns, sunlight, and relationships, the human mind begins to breakdown.
Before God dealt with sin, He dealt with solitude.
— Chris Hodges
Matthew 26:37-38
He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Insecurity / Comparisons
Comparison is the death of joy.
— Mark Twain
Social comparisons can often trigger anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, particularly when you feel you fall short.
Self-Rating — We define our self-worth based on what we have or what is currently happening in our life.
Ecclesiastes 4:6 — It is better to be satisfied with the few things you have than to always be struggling to get more.
The Curse Of Comparison
Comparison is the crush of conformity from one side and competition from the other – it’s trying to simultaneously fit in and stand out. Comparison says, ‘Be like everyone else, but better.’
— Brené Brown
Social media platforms — especially image-based platforms like Instagram — have very harmful effects on teen mental health, especially for teens struggling with body image, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. Social media algorithms can lead “vulnerable teens into a dangerous spiral of negative social comparison.”
— Harvard Study
Galatians 6:4 — Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.
Sound Mind Steps:
Impulsive — Breathe / Time / Rest
Isolation — Connect / Community
Insecurities — Who am I in Christ?
