With almost every patient I see in my office, I spend at least some time discussing the importance of rest, nutrition, and exercise. No matter what the health or mental health condition they are experiencing, those three factors of their treatment plan are the three that are more or less in their direct control, and the three factors that can have a significant impact on their overall emotional and physical well-being.

Yet, if I’m being honest with you, every time I explain the importance of those three factors to my patients, I am mentally challenged to take a mental appraisal of how well I’m doing following my own advice.

Every day I’m forced to go down the mental checklist and ask myself, “How’d you do with your nutrition yesterday? Did you get enough protein to fuel your brain?”

“Did you take the time to get any physical exercise? Did you get outdoors and get any fresh air?”

and lastly, “How’re you doing with respect to rest? Not just sleep, but with respect to rest?” That’s the one that always gets me!

Rest is vital to our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, and it’s crucial for spiritual warfare.

Can I be real vulnerable with you? Writing a book about the enemy of our soul and how he seeks to steal, kill, and destroy, especially with respect to the stronghold of depression, is not for wimps! And it’s been a rough year. I’m so glad I didn’t know what I know now in terms of the battle when I agreed to God’s call to write my soon to be released book, “Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression.”

The attacks on absolutely every aspect of my life from my health to my finances to my business to my family have been exhausting. And the constant temptation has been to do, do, and do more to fight it. But sometimes the best thing we can do is to rest and let God do the fighting for us.

God has made it very clear to me that we are about to head into a very busy season as we approach the launch of this book. Can I just tell you, I’m so over the top excited about the release of this book because I KNOW that if the enemy has been trying so hard to keep me quiet, then I know God is going to use it to set people free and provide help and HOPE to many who need it, and nothing thrills my heart more than being part of His work. But just has He has made it clear to me that this next season will be a very busy one, He has made it clear that there is a need to take the time now to rest and prepare.

He said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31).

So this week, there is no new inspirational blog post, as “The Doctor is Out,” taking the doctor’s own advice and resting the mind, body, and soul. I’m enjoying my family on a few quiet days of rest and relaxation, listening to Him, and appreciating His creation. We’ll be back to the regularly scheduled blog next week.

In the comments below, I’d love to hear your thoughts about what rest means to you, and how you best achieve that. Maybe I could learn something from you! How do you check out when you need to rest and rejuvenate?

Because of Him,
#HopePrevails!

(If you have a question you’d like Dr. B to answer, contact her here now. Your name and identity will be kept confidential.)

Contact

A short brief about Hope Prevails.

Hope Prevails
Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey through Depression
Dr. Michelle Bengtson

Speaking from personal and professional experience, a neuropsychologist unpacks what depression is, shows how it affects us spiritually, and offers hope for living the abundant life.

Neuropsychologist Offers Hope to Those Struggling with Depression
-By 2020, depression will be our greatest epidemic worldwide

  • An estimated 350 million people worldwide suffer from some form of depression
  • As with the bestselling My Stroke of Insight, the author experienced the same condition she treats
  • Helpful features include personal stories, biblical truths, prayers, and music recommendations

Hope Prevails Book cover vertical 536

In Hope Prevails, Dr. Bengtson writes with deep compassion and empathy, blending her extensive training and faith, to offer readers a hope that is grounded in God’s love and grace. She helps readers understand what depression is, how it affects them spiritually, and what, by God’s grace, it cannot do. The result is a treatment plan that addresses the whole person—not just chemical imbalances in the brain.

For those who struggle with depression and those that want to help them, Hope Prevails offers real hope for the future.

Hope Prevails is available now wherever books are sold. To find out more, see: https://drmichellebengtson.com/hope-prevails-book/.

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