Welcome to 2023! Keep Moving Forward

Keep moving forward. Continue to remain committed to pursuing the plan of God for your life, despite your fears, insufficiencies, symptoms, and unfavorable circumstances. Move forward despite how you feel. Yes, it may be hard, hard to sleep, hard to concentrate. But keep moving forward. Even if you must move slowly, move.

Past experiences, present challenges, and the fear of an uncertain future can all work together to cause us to think that we will not be able to succeed or that circumstances in our life will not change. Feelings of hopelessness can make us feel and act as if things in our life will never get better and cause us to give up. When we allow hopelessness to control our lives, we view everything around us as bad and feel like life is worthless. But remember, you have a God-given purpose for living, no matter what it looks like in your life.

Yes, it might seem hopeless today, but it does not have to stay that way. God made you for a purpose, and no matter how it looks, you do have something to add to the world in which you live. Keep moving forward.

What does it mean to move forward? Moving forward means that we will not be intimidated by our shortcomings or allow our weaknesses to cause us to give up on our dreams and goals.

While we understand that setbacks, disappointments, and feelings of hopelessness may occur, we will not let setbacks and feelings of hopelessness become a permanent response to a temporary situation. Moving forward means putting action to our faith, not just words. Moving forward means we will not just sit passively, waiting for something to happen.

Moving forward means we will not allow our thoughts, excuses, and behaviors to keep us from pursuing our goals. We will keep moving forward no matter what.

Admit it. Life has not gone the way you hoped. Divorce, death, sickness, loneliness, and persistent negative situations have all worked to depress you. You hear voices, you sometimes talk to yourself, you live with the symptoms of depression, and sometimes you have thoughts of killing yourself. But keep hoping and keep moving forward. Yes, there have been times when you smiled all day at work and then went home and cried all night. But do not give up.

Review the areas where you are having challenges and then develop a plan. Meditating on the negative things in your life without implementing a plan can keep you stuck and feeling hopeless. Realize that God has given you the ability through Him to make changes. Faith without works (action) does not work. Accept where you are and then develop a plan from that point.

What does acceptance mean? First, acceptance is not the same as giving up. Acceptance is not learned helplessness, a condition that occurs among some people resulting from chronic, uninterrupted exhaustion and defeat. When people are in a state of learned helplessness, they believe there is no hope for change and look outward for help instead of inward. They begin to think that things in their lives will never change, so they give up. If we believe that we are destined to be a victim and have no control over what happens in our life, we can lose the desire to help ourselves or even hope for change. Life does not always go as expected, but you are not a victim. Never give up. Accept that there are some things in your life you can’t control, identify those things you can change, plan, make adjustments, and rest.

No, this does not mean we do not grieve, cry, feel sad, or wish things were better. It means that we keep moving forward in the midst of what we are feeling. Only by moving forward can we begin to live the life God has intended for us to live. We can spend so much time mourning what is not that we don’t realize that time and opportunities are passing. Evaluate where you are in life and build from that point. Accept what you cannot change and move past the pain. Acceptance means living life fully. Acceptance is freeing yourself from the prison of your limitations. God created you with a purpose, and that does not change because of the negative things in your life. You are not disqualified because you have problems. He already knew you would have challenges, handicaps, and make mistakes. Your challenges are no excuse for you not to move forward in life. Yes, you may have to move slightly slower or differently, but you can move forward.

Developing a Recovery Plan

1. Why is this a problem? What is the worst thing that could happen if this problem is not fixed/addressed?
2. What resources do I need to solve the problem?
3. How can I get the necessary resources to solve the problem?
4. What changes in my life do I need to make?
5. What resources/supports currently exist within my community, and how do I access them?
6. What are the warning signs? What can I do to decrease the warning signs?

Getting Help

https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/ or our website: http://www.igbattmho.org

When to Get Help?

If you are experiencing changes in your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are negatively impacting your life, then it might be time to talk to someone. Getting help for a mental health concern can happen anytime you are ready. Where you go to get help will vary depending on where you live. But a great place to start is by contacting the helpline at SAMHSA. (See Below)

SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service) or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. Callers can also order free publications and other information.

Upcoming Events 2023

• Mental Health First Aid
  Next Class 21 January 2023
• Make Hope An Option – Faith and Mental Health Class
  Next Class 25 Feb 2023
• Prayer, Information and Support Meeting
  Face Book Group 1st and 3rd Saturday 09:30AM.
• Faith and Mental Health Meeting

May 2023 Date TBA

• Men and Mental Health Meeting

June 2023 Date: TBA

Ongoing Events 2023

Monday 5:30 AM – (Thenownetwork.org)

Every 4th Sunday 6:30 PM – (Myspiritdc.com)

Make Hope an Option Pod Cast and Blog – (www.igbattmho.org/media)

Contact Us

It’s Getting Better All the Time! Mental Health Outreach Inc. is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. Contributions are welcomed and are tax-deductible by the law.

Mailing Address: P.O Box 7432 Silver Spring, MD 20910

Physical Address: 6475 New Hampshire Avenue Suite 350P, Hyattsville, MD  20783

Phone: 301 755-5463 or 1-800-216-9015

Website: www.IGBATTMHO.ORG. Email: support@igbattmho.org

CFC: CFC ID 25124 Cash App: $igbattmho

Donations: https://igbattmho.org/donation-support/

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