Mental Health: Finding Your Path to Thriving with Carla Arges

In the latest episode of the Grace Health Podcast, Amy welcomes Carla Arges, a mental health coach, podcaster, and writer who has been open about her mental health journey and its intersection with her faith. This conversation provides an inspiring and insightful look into how one can thrive despite facing mental health challenges and why faith plays such a crucial role in this journey.

Understanding the Journey:

Carla’s mental health struggles began in her preteen years, rooted in childhood trauma. Diagnosed with bipolar and borderline personality disorder much later in life, Carla’s journey to understanding herself better was lengthy and filled with trials. She candidly shares that misdiagnoses and the stigma surrounding mental health complicated her path. However, she found solace and strength in her faith, noting that it was through her spiritual believers that healing truly began.

The Role of Faith:

Faith has been a cornerstone in Carla’s healing process. Growing up in a Christian home, she faced confusion reconciling her religious upbringing with the trauma she experienced. Yet, as she moved into her twenties, despite past estrangements, she was drawn back to the steadfast love of God. Carla emphasizes the importance of not letting diagnoses define you, but rather using them as tools to live a better life. Her study of scripture reinforced her identity in Christ and assisted her in reprogramming the misconceptions trauma had instilled in her.

Practical Steps to Healing:

Carla advocates for a holistic approach to mental health, including therapy, medication, and faith. She underscores the importance of managing one’s mental health through daily choices, like regular time with God, regulating the nervous system, consuming nutritious food, and maintaining rhythms of rest. She calls for viewing healing as a trinocular approach—considering mind, body, and spirit.

Combining Faith and Medicine:

Addressing the stigma within religious communities around medication and therapy, Carla highlighted the biblical precedent of using available resources. Noting a lesson tucked away in Timothy, where practical medical advice was given, she illustrates that taking advantage of available medical aids is not lacking faith but utilizing God’s provisions to thrive.

Turning Pain Into Purpose:

God has transformed Carla’s struggles into a mission to assist others, leading her to roles such as a mental health coach and a writer for the Bible App. Her own experiences enrich her understanding and ability to help, particularly benefiting her approach to motherhood with a son facing his own mental health challenges.

Carla’s Wisdom:

Carla leaves us with the reminder that thriving with mental illness is about navigating both peaks and valleys. The true measure of healing is found not in perpetual happiness but in how one copes with the inevitable struggles. Carla encourages embracing “both/and” in life: therapy and medication, faith and professional help.

Conclusion:

Carla Arges’ journey remains an empowering testament to the strength found in vulnerability and faith. As she assures, “You are seen and you are loved,” may this resonate with all who navigate their unique paths to healing, knowing that partnership with the Holy Spirit and practical action is key to thriving.

For more insights and support resources, you can find Carla’s work across various platforms, including the Affirming Truth podcast, her courses on mental health, and plans on the Bible App.

Final Thoughts:

Whether you identify with Carla’s exact experiences or walk a different path entirely, her message rings universally true: you are not alone in your journey. There is always hope, purpose, and a path to thriving beyond survival.

Links:

Connect with Carla:

• Website: carlaArges.com
• Podcast: Affirming Truth (available on all podcast platforms and YouTube)
• Bible App: Search for plans by Carla Arges

Strong and Vibrant at Home: Strength Training and Wellness for Christian Women in Perimenopause and Beyond

Moving Forward Together: 4-Week Small Group Coaching