Walking Along Mental Health and Across Faiths

April 20, 2025

Writer: Tobey Calayo
Researcher: Tobey Calayo
Editor: K Ballesteros
Creatives: Brigida Candelaria Moderator: Tobey Calayo

Holy Week is a time that encourages many of us to engage in deeper reflection, prayer, and connection with our beliefs. This season highlights themes of suffering, hope, and renewal. However, it’s important to remember that struggles with mental health can still exist during this time, and those struggles are valid. Faith and mental health are not opposing journeys; instead, they can support one another and offer different forms of healing.

Faith serves as an anchor, while mental health care provides us with the tools and language needed to navigate emotional challenges. As we reflect on this season, let’s consider how honoring both our spiritual and mental well-being can lead to fuller, more compassionate lives.

Faith has long been a beacon of comfort, strength, and purpose for countless individuals navigating through life’s challenges. Engaging in prayer, meditation, rituals, and communal worship can offer significant emotional support and instill hope during tough times. However, it’s crucial to recognize that having faith does not automatically resolve mental health issues. Seeking therapy, counseling, or professional help is not an indication of weak faith; instead, it can enhance and reinforce the support that faith provides [1]. Just as we prioritize our physical health, attending to our mental well-being is a fundamental way to honor life and the spirituality that is attached to it.

Despite the positive role faith can play, stigma around mental health still exists within some faith communities. There are times when emotional suffering is misinterpreted as a ‘lack of prayer,’ ‘ weakness,’ or ‘punishment,’ deepening the sense of isolation among those who are struggling [2]. Supportive environments require faith-centered communities to acknowledge the existence of mental health challenges. This is a crucial step in creating inclusive environments, as it solidifies that mental health challenges are real, valid, and worthy of attention. Normalizing conversations about mental wellness within faith traditions can help break down the barriers of shame and fear.

Almost all faith traditions teach the importance of caring for the totality of an individual — body, mind, and spirit and mental health care fits into this holistic view of well-being. Research demonstrates that religious belief and faith practices can offer protective effects against certain mental health disorders while professional care manages clinical needs [3]. Seeking help, setting boundaries, engaging in therapy, or practicing self-care can be seen as acts of stewardship over one’s life and dignity. Faith can offer a deep pool of hope and resilience, while mental health support can provide the practical tools to navigate the challenges of being human. Together, they create a route that honors both the sacredness of belief and the reality of emotional and psychological needs.

Session Questions:

How has your faith or spirituality changed the way you look after your mental health?
In what ways can our faith communities or social groups become safer, more supportive spaces for mental health conversations?
What would a mental health–inclusive faith community look like for you?