And ways we can provide support.

How do we help a mom face mental health challenges like anxiety and exhaustion?  With Dr. Anita Phillips

When the Church speaks to the needs and desires of mothers, it can have a transformative effect on both moms and mission.  

“I usually find myself worrying about something,” and “I feel tired most of the time.” Phrased spoken by most mothers…  

A recent statistic says that 42% of Christian moms without an understanding church leader say they are not satisfied with their church.  

How do we create a solution to this problem? Motherhood Today interviewed Dr. Anita Phillips who empowers church leaders to understand mental health, faith and culture. There are easy applications that can decrease this stat drastically, and we highlight some of them below.

So, how do we help a mom face mental health challenges like anxiety and exhaustion?  

Dr. Anita shares: It is important to find some ways to have support groups for moms, maybe providing opportunities for babysitting, so moms can have breaks when they need it. Give mothers the opportunity to connect.
Once a quarter, support mental health and motherhood by:

• Creating a mental health fair at your church  
• Bringing in a few therapists from the community where mothers spend time in the lobby and receive the therapists’ information – Reach out to your community to bring in those outside resources. 
• Running a group for moms 

How are you talking about the family model in church? From the pulpit, it's very important to present multiple models of motherhood and family life as acceptable. Often, the pastor is male, and he and his wife become the model. But this can leave other moms and other families outside of that model feeling less than Dr. Anita shares. 

Pastors leave an imprint on families when they include multiple family models as acceptable. I’m not talking about models outside of what scripture says. I’m talking about moms who work, moms who don’t work outside the home, moms who homeschool, moms in school, and so on. Don’t let the model be so narrow that moms who don’t fit that model feel less godly. 

For any church, any leadership, your key is always to listen. Listen to what people are saying they are experiencing, and always give people you are leading the gift of your belief - not your skeptical response, not your requirement for data, not even a redirection. Don’t spiritually bypass people's emotional experiences. Listen and then go to God.

If we can encourage people to take care of themselves emotionally,  they will be stronger mentally.  

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