Mental Health Devotional Back in Stock!

*A quick note before I begin in earnest: I started drafting this post a few weeks ago, and, well…a lot has happened since then. It’s grim out there. Please, please take good care of yourself and be exceedingly gentle with yourself as we navigate these troubled and troubling times.*

Four years ago, Lauren Winter at Brick House in the City asked me to write a devotional on mental health, and I didn’t hesitate for a second.

I’d already written one devotional on the saints, and I would write two more after that, but this one is deeply, viscerally personal for me.

I try to be as open about this as I can because it’s part of my never-ending mission to decrease the stigma around mental health diagnoses and treatment in general, but most especially in faith-focused spaces. I have both generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder, and the treatment I have received for them has given me my life back. Medication and therapy have made it possible for me to be my truest self, to be fully present in my life and work. I consider this the great miracle of my life, my moment of reaching out to touch the hem of Jesus’ robe.

Even though I grew up in a supportive and loving environment around mental health care (my mom is a therapist!), it took me a terribly long time to seek help for my anxiety and panic. And then it took me a long time in therapy to really internalize the truth that having mental health diagnoses does not mean that there is something wrong with me, does not mean that I am weak, does not mean that I’ve done something wrong, does not mean that this is somehow my fault.

Looking at brain scans of people with high sensitivity was one of the most consoling experiences of my life. To see in concrete form the physical manifestation of my emotions and my nervous system convinced me once and for all: my mind is a part of my body. And it, too, is fearfully and wonderfully made.

I’m wildly grateful for the therapists who shepherded me through this long process of self-acceptance, and for the medication I take every day that makes me feel whole and healthy and able to meet the joys and challenges of my life with peace and presence.

We’ve come such a long way in our understanding of mental health. But we have such a long way yet to go. There is still stigma, there is still shame. There are still terribly dangerous and, frankly, cruel notions making the rounds in faith-centered spaces.

It’s the priest I heard joke in a homily that we don’t persevere in hope anymore—now we have therapy and medication for that. It’s the influencer or community leader who insists you can and should just pray your depression or anxiety or mood disorder away. It’s the preacher who equates mental health struggles with sin and shame. It’s the friend or family member who tells you that taking medication or seeking therapy for your mental health is a sign of weakness, and, more damningly, an indication of a lack of faith.

There’s no room for that harmful nonsense in my life, or yours.

I dug out my notes from the early days of planning this mental health devotional because I remembered that there were four things I wanted to communicate with it. I want to reiterate them here:

1. You are not alone.
2. Your mental health does not make you weak or less holy or disqualify you from a life of closeness to God.
3. Therapy and medication are good gifts given by God.
4. The saints are here to walk alongside us.

All I ever really hope to do is to speak a tender word to you. Here’s one that was spoken to me, that I’ll never stop trying to pass on to you: you don’t have to suffer needlessly. Good help is available. (I wish with all my soul that it were much easier to access, but that’s another conversation for another day).

Now, the nuts and bolts: this devotional focuses on six holy people who faced six different mental health challenges.

1. St. Benedict Labre and Scrupulosity

2. Blessed Rutilio Grande and Anxiety

3. St. Jane Frances de Chantal and Depression

4. St. Edith Stein and Suicidal Ideation

5. St. Mark Ji Tianxiang and Addiction

6. St. Alphonsa Muttathupadathu and PTSD

Each chapter is broken up into five days, which include a reflection on the saint’s life and mental health, a Scripture passage (it was so much fun to choose these!), and several questions for further prayer and contemplation. I love to do a deep dive of research and write a meaty devotional, so you can rest assured that there are lots of citations of Church documents, biographies, and contemporary information about the Church’s engagement with mental health. (Not gonna lie, Francis made this part very easy—he was always running around kissing the feet of people living with mental health conditions.)

Most importantly! It was extremely important to both Lauren and myself to have a licensed mental health care provider consult with us on the manuscript to make sure it was free of error and to contribute resources, both secular and faith-based, for further support. Sara Alexander, MA, LPC, made invaluable contributions to this devotional, and we are so grateful to her for them.

This devotional is for anyone who struggles with their mental health or loves someone who does—and I think that’s all of us. It is Catholic in orientation, but it’s for everyone who is looking for encouragement and support, for assurance that mental health care and a vibrant life of faith are in no way incompatible.

Why write a Substack post about this? Well, because I’ve received more emails asking about this devotional than about any other topic, ever. It’s been out of print since 2022, and it has broken my heart every time I had to reply and say, “I’m so sorry, but it’s out of print, and I don’t know when it will be back.” (Lots of people have also asked about a digital version—as of right now, there isn’t one, but if that’s something you’re interested in, ask Lauren!)

Wherever you are in your mental health, be assured of a warm hug from me. If you need it in physical form, you can find the devotional here.

Persevering with you in hope AND in therapy and medication,
Cameron

A Few Hopeful Things:

—I’m absolutely busting all my buttons with pride for my dear friend and honorary brother (my kids call him Uncle Steve!), who has just been named one of Food & Wine’s Top 10 Best New Chefs. I’m not surprised in the least because he’s a big-hearted genius in the kitchen, and those of you who live in the Bay Area should definitely swing by Joodooboo for the world’s greatest fresh tofu and banchan.

—Last week I turned 43 and had the very sweetest day with my family. When I made my wish before I blew out the candles, I held all their hands. I wish I had a more organized (and less self-focused!) list of things to tell you, but I’m deep in developmental edits on my book, and I’ve just barely got my head above water at the moment. I do want to say thank you, most sincerely, for being here, for helping me feel less alone as I try to navigate this turbulent century while keeping hope and justice alive. Thank you, thank you, you enrich my life, truly.