How my faith helps my mental health

Topics mentioned: anxiety, autism, self-care

About: For some people struggling with their mental health, having a faith can be a source of meaning and comfort. Alanna shares how it has helped her.

Hello, my name is Alanna. I have been a Christian for as long as I can remember and over the last few years I have developed anxiety and have had a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).

My autism makes things quite hard for me as I don’t like busy, loud places, and change can cause quite a few issues. I like to have a plan and stick to it! With my anxiety, I can sometimes find it hard to focus. I also find social interaction to be a struggle.

You may think that my faith, my anxiety and my autism don’t fit together. However, all three describe who I am: an autistic Christian with a side serving of anxiety.

So, in what ways do these elements of my life conflict and in what ways do they complement one another? I’ve found that my faith has helped me in three ways in particular.

Sometimes, I struggle to leave the house or I find it really difficult to socialise. This means I can find it difficult at church, as everyone is so welcoming and wants to hug, kiss and speak to you. Or so I thought! What I have actually found in the church I attend is heap loads of love, compassion and understanding. People know to keep their distance!

Also, the sort of church I am in is called a Pentecostal church. This means that the services can be a bit loud, slightly spontaneous and may go off the order of service (well, I don’t think we even have an order of service)! However, I have some ear defenders which I wear to cope with the noise. I am also part of a number of teams at church (sign language, media etc.) and so I have a focus.

It is so beneficial to get out the house. Due to the severity of my anxiety, I had to stop going to school (I’m learning from home now instead) and so did not go out much. Church provided a safe sanctuary to get out to and have a sense of purpose in.