“Spiritual and Personal Practices for Mental Health,” Liahona, June 2025.
Spiritual and Personal Practices for Mental Health
God can help us find strength within to face mental health challenges.
Illustrations by David Green
Where do we turn when we face mental health challenges? As disciples of Jesus Christ, we know that He is the ultimate source of help and healing. God has also blessed us with external resources, such as Church materials, supportive people, and professional counseling, as well as internal resources that strengthen us from within. This article will explore some inner resources and personal practices that can help us navigate mental health challenges.
Thinking Patterns
As we deal with mental health challenges, we may fall into harmful thinking patterns, such as fear, despair, or self-criticism. But the Lord wants to help us have thoughts of faith, hope, and self-compassion.
“Be aware of your own inner voice,” said Nicole De Klerk, a Family Services therapist in South Africa. “Many of us are our own worst critics. Speak to yourself as the Savior, who loves you deeply, would speak to you.” Instead of judging or blaming ourselves for our mental challenges, we can strive to show compassion, mercy, and kindness to ourselves. We can use our agency to choose thoughts that are kind, true, encouraging, and helpful.
We can also seek to cultivate other healthy thinking patterns, such as setting realistic expectations, focusing on gratitude, and pondering the life and love of Jesus Christ. He has said, “Look unto me in every thought” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:36).
Try this: The Church’s emotional-resilience course recommends recognizing inaccurate thinking patterns and seeking to replace them with “more accurate, truthful thoughts.”
Spiritual Practices
We can also strengthen our mental health by finding simple practices that connect us to God. “Prayer is one of the best tools for our mental and spiritual well-being,” added Katarina Alhovuori, a Family Services therapist in Finland. “Prayer can help us articulate our emotions and examine them together with God.”
Other spiritual practices that can support mental health include church attendance and worship in the house of the Lord.
Mental health challenges can make it difficult to find the energy or motivation to engage in these uplifting activities, but even our “small and simple” efforts can gradually bring about “great things” (Alma 37:6). Susana Neiva, a Latter-day Saint therapist in Portugal, said, “I would suggest spiritual practices that may feel more accessible during times of emotional struggle, such as listening to uplifting music, listening to or reading comforting scriptures or inspirational literature, or participating in acts of service.”
While our challenges may not disappear, we can face them with more strength and hope as we draw nearer to God.
Try this: Plan an enjoyable activity you can do this week. Many people find strength in wholesome activities, such as spending time outdoors, socializing with loved ones, engaging in creative hobbies, researching one’s family history, eating nutritious food, and exercising.
Rest
Of the many personal practices that can help us, one of the most important may be getting adequate rest for our bodies and minds. President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught, “Fatigue is the common enemy of us all—so slow down, rest up, replenish, and refill.”
What contributes to fatigue in your life? Whether you are exhausted by work demands, academic pressures, financial stress, internet content, or other factors, taking a break may help. As the Lord counseled, “Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength” (Doctrine and Covenants 10:4).
Carolina Perego, a Family Services therapist in Chile, said, “If we have anguish, sadness, exhaustion, or fatigue, we should consider resting.”
The Sabbath day provides a special opportunity every week to rest and to renew our spirits. The Lord has said, “This is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:10). The Sabbath is a day to worship, to renew covenants, “to elevate our vision from the things of the world to the blessings of eternity.”
If you have a calling with heavy time demands on Sundays, you might not feel that the Sabbath is a day of physical or mental rest. You may want to set aside some time on other days to rest. And remember that while you’re busy with your calling, the Lord is pleased with your efforts to serve Him and His children. Remember the Lord’s promise to those who are weary: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). President Russell M. Nelson has taught that our connection to the Lord through covenants helps us “overcome the spiritually and emotionally exhausting plagues of the world.”
Try this: How might you improve your sleep schedule? The Lord promised blessings for adequate sleep: “Retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:124).
Faith in Jesus Christ
Our faith in the Savior can be our greatest resource when we face mental health challenges. Although our struggles may not be instantly resolved, Jesus Christ can give us strength and healing as we exercise faith in Him.
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that the Savior “intimately understands our every pain, affliction, sickness, sorrow, separation. … He helps heal the broken and disparaged, reconcile the angry and divided, comfort the lonely and isolated, encourage the uncertain and imperfect, and bring forth miracles possible only with God.”
Jesus Christ also assures us that we are never alone. He knows us perfectly, understands all our pain, and stands ready to lift us up.
Sister Alhovuori said: “I have often thought of Peter, who took the courage to walk on the water towards Jesus [see Matthew 14:28–31]. … I testify that [Jesus Christ] wants to encourage us and take our hand every time, just as He did with Peter. He also delights in every step of faith we take.”
Mental health challenges are real and difficult, but they do not have to define or defeat us. And we don’t have to face them alone. The Lord has provided us with sources of strength to draw upon, such as resources from the Church, supportive relationships, and professional help. As we rely on Jesus Christ and these resources, we can face our challenges with strength and hope.